We have to be much, much better prepared for 2018, 2020, and beyond.

In terms of modernization, there is a tendency to make incremental improvements in equipment.

The transatlantic relationship is a cornerstone of U.S. national security and the international order established at the end of World War II.

This budget request is a start, but I am afraid it is not enough.

I am concerned, however, about the mixed signals that the current administration seems to be sending regarding the United States commitment to NATO and the willingness to cut a deal with Russia.

I assume you have to do is improve recruitment and retention in order to just fill up the current existing force structure.

we cannot assume that potential adversaries will allow us free rein in this area in the future.

I simply want to thank you, gentlemen, for your service and for your testimony today.

Our assistance to partners on the ground is helping them to make steady progress in reclaiming areas of Iraq and Syria once held by ISIS, most notably in Mosul.

We do have a successful example of Timor-Leste and Australia of working together.

The threat environment today is considerably different. The most significant developments are Russia's nuclear modernization and its bellicose threats about its nuclear capability and the significant advancements made by North Korea in its…

This defense budget request and the additional funding that our military needs is literally illegal under the Budget Control Act.

Russia's election interference is likely to be a new normal.

We can and must do better.

Well, thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.

I have not heard a clarion call from the President and also a practical response and solution.

Mr. Chairman, I concur.

One of the disconcerting comments that the Russians continue to make is that they have a strategy now of escalate to deescalate with nuclear weapons.

Russia and the United States are no longer adversaries, and prospects for military confrontation have declined dramatically.

The NATO alliance remains strong and is grounded in a shared vision of an integrated and stable Europe rooted in respect for sovereignty and political and economic freedom.

Russia represents the most significant threat to the United States, not only in their new area denial systems but also in their cyber operations.

Russia's continued support for the Assad regime fuels the country's civil war, enables the abuse and killing of the Syrian population, and allows ISIS to exploit the resulting instability for its own gains.

This committee has grown increasingly concerned about the erosion of America's conventional military overmatch.

The PLA Rocket Force (PLARF) controls the largest and most diverse missile force in the world, with an inventory of more than 2,000 ballistic and cruise missiles.

We cannot go on like this. Our men and women in uniform deserve better.