you need to tell people that they cannot look at the difficulties we have... and conclude that America is eclipsed or losing its power.

I pledge my personal support to this effort as well as the support of the entire staff of the Department of Defense.

National security is bigger than our Department and today's world because of the complexity of the threats.

The only way we're going to get out of the wilderness of sequestration is if we work together.

We cannot afford to have a gap, and just to scope out the issue as a whole, these engines that power some of our rocket boosters that take our satellites--national security satellites into space are manufactured in Russia.

It deserves funding. And the reason for that is that we need more fuel efficient jet engines in the future.

I therefore appeal to members of Congress, from both parties, to start looking for ways to find a truly bipartisan compromise.

Yes, I am concerned about the risk the Department of Defense (DOD) is forced to accept in global infrastructure maintenance.

You cannot do defense or national security with a 1 year-at-a-time approach.

A nickel and dime approach to defense, as you say, is not the right one. We need a longer horizon than that.

I think it is fair to say we are late to the recognition of that, but I do think that we have the recognition.

I ask Congress to support the entirety of this budget and end the deep, indiscriminate cuts that sequestration will impose.