I want to hear what they have to say.

There's nothing wrong with going to the mental health professionals in your unit, or the doctor or the surgeon, and saying, 'Hey, Doc, you know, I need a little help here.'

I want to ensure that TRICARE beneficiaries continue to have timely access to high quality health care during the protest period and the critical transition period to the new contracts.

I think we need to look long and hard at finding a way to call people in from the Reserves to Active Duty for limited periods of time without presidential consultation.

It really is working.

there is widespread concern about the sustainability of military health care benefits.

the Department must work closely with OMB and Congress to ensure the additional cost hinder recapitalization or put additional burden on the American taxpayer.

Admiral Jeffries, are there sufficient resources--surgeons and mental health providers--to save lives in Afghanistan as we did in Iraq?

Admiral Jeffries, are there sufficient medical resources to support Marine Corps wounded warriors?

Despite the importance of medical and dental readiness, at the end of the day, my sense is that funding for medical and dental readiness does not compete well with other priorities.

Senator Graham. General Schoomaker, there is disciplinary action pending against Major Nidal Hasan, but we need to know what steps you have taken to ensure that the performance of young doctors in the Army Medical Corps is being accurately…

Can you assure me that TRICARE's beneficiaries will not be harmed during this contract transition?

Could you please elaborate on your testimony regarding a 'platinum 15 minutes'?

In your statement you report that more than half of the schools serving communities with significant military populations do not meet State academic standards in reading and math.

I consider education opportunities for military families an important Departmental goal.

Yes, I agree there is a shortage of health care professionals in the military and America.

General Schoomaker, please tell me more about the Confidential Alcohol Treatment and Education Pilot program.

The healthcare component--how do we get a grip on this?

The one story I hear told over and over and over again, 'Senator Graham, this policy makes no sense. It is putting our folks at risk for no higher purpose. Quite frankly, here's what's going to start happening. We're going to take less…

Who the hell made this rule up? Why did you pick 96 hours versus 80 hours or 100 hours? I can't get anyone to tell me how this thing was formed, whose idea it was, and how it became policy.

Is there a strategy to deal with allowing people to retire early, but incentivizing them to stay from 20 to 30, based on the needs of the military?

We're running out of jail space for certain people, and we need to find confinement facilities that work.

Would you support sending Guantanamo Bay detainees to Afghanistan, to Bagram? Is that a good idea?

We're going to transition this facility to Afghan control.

I just want to let the committee know that you and Doug Stone and others involved with Camp Bucca is probably one of the great, great success stories of Iraq.