Ash Carter

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

More needs to be done and it is essential that we amend the BCA caps so that we can achieve the defense funding levels necessary to properly support our installations.

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

We have a magnificent force in terms of the quality of the people we have, but that is because we are able to be selective from a large pool of excellent young Americans.

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.

Much like in December 2013, our only choice is to come together to find a real solution that reflects our strength and security as a Nation.

Passing TPP is as important to me as another aircraft carrier. It would deepen our alliances and partnerships abroad and underscore our lasting commitment to the Asia-Pacific. And it would help us promote a global order that reflects both…

Current efforts to counter Iran's influence build on and strengthen our previous efforts.

The Department continuously reviews its overseas force posture and looks holistically at how best to balance forward-stationed forces.

The conflict in Syria will not end until Assad is gone, as he has lost legitimacy to govern Syria.

Russian military objectives in Syria conflict with U.S. national security interests where their actions do not match their stated intent to combat ISIL or emphasize solely the defense of Bashar al-Assad.

The Department's efforts in Syria are aimed at degrading and defeating ISIL.

Russia and Iran's decision to intervene militarily in Syria was a poor one.

The Assad regime bears overwhelming responsibility for the crisis in Syria, which has destabilized the region by displacing more than 12 million people both within Syria and as refugees abroad.

Failure to address the impact of both the Syrian government and the Islamic State in the Iraq and the Levant's (ISIL) brutal attacks on the Syrian population will only lead to further fighting in Syria and to an increase in Syrian refugees.

I just wanted you to know where I'm coming from.

Russia's strategy, on the other hand, is fundamentally flawed.

The United States will not let Russia determine our strategy nor cooperate in efforts that run counter United States interests.

I, too, favor, like you, closing Gitmo, if that is at all possible.

I don't like to talk about military operations publicly.

What we need is what I hope is going on now, which is a true budget agreement.

It's a sovereign decision by Iraq, but, I'll tell you, we're not uninterested in it.

We have an obligation to do that, and we've made that clear, right from the beginning of the train-and-equip program.

The sooner that occurs, the more likely it is that their--the structures of Syrian society aren't completely destroyed by the time that transition occurs.