Jim Inhofe

We could 'barely sustain one long-term contingency operation.'

I think Senator Ayotte is posing a statement that we question ourselves about every day.

Not only does the budget underfund current readiness, it mortgages future readiness.

We're digging ourselves a readiness hole out of which it will take several years to climb.

Today, the greatest risk our military faces is becoming a hollow force.

Full spectrum readiness depends on a budget that balances current unit readiness and long-term investments.

The JLTV is needed to provide the Marine Corps with a modern expeditionary light combat and tactical mobility capability.

A review of the budget indicates the Navy may have been the most aggressive amongst the three Services in making contractor support reductions.

In light of the shift to the Asian-Pacific theater and a greater need for electronic warfare capability, has the Navy acted too quickly in ending its procurement of Growler (EA-18G) aircraft?

How will each of your Services achieve the headquarters reductions ordered by Secretary Hagel and at the same time ensure critical functional capabilities are not lost?

What would be the cost penalty the Navy would incur if the contract is broken because four ships are not procured in fiscal year 2015?

What action will the Navy take to avoid breaking their 20-ship block buy construction contract?

Is it in the Navy's best interest to continue to pay for biofuel refineries which it will never own?

It is not realistic to expect effective oversight over such a lengthy span of time.

Will this action serve to break the joint Army-Navy H-60 helicopter multi-year procurement contract?

When would be the latest date a decision would have to made by DOD in time to support the overhaul in the fiscal year 2016 budget?

We accepted risk in major combat operations and stability operations.

A return to sequestration in fiscal year 2016 with a 175,000 force would equate to high risk.

The current budget supports the 175,000 force at moderate risk.

We now are working with four companies that will--that are obligated to provide us with 163 million gallons of biofuel at 2016 at less than $3.50 a gallon.

Should we also be counting those ships in an extended 3- to 4-year overhaul as a combat readily deployable ship?

The Navy's budget reflects a revision to its ship counting rules.

Our decision to change the ship counting procedures was not without careful thought and planning.

Those three types--the large deck, the landing platform dock and the landing ship dock--are the Swiss Army knives of the naval force for American diplomacy there.

The Asia-Pacific area is 62 percent of the world's surface area. It's huge.