as our office is winding down from my Senate term beginning this week, the field offices in Virginia ceased their functioning, and it is going to be my pleasure later on today to host a lunch for all my staff and to thank them for the work…

So to my staff, a heartfelt thanks, and to each of those who have served with us, I say again, thank you for your contributions to our staff and, most importantly, to our country. And I say also again that I will continue to expect great…

we are about to wrap up the Defense bill. This is the sixth Defense bill I have had the privilege of working on as a member of the Armed Services Committee. It is also the final Defense bill I will be working on as a Member of the U.S…

I would like to take a couple of minutes this morning to discuss Senator Sessions' amendment which we will be voting on shortly, amendment No. 3009, which I cosponsor, and explain my views on why this amendment is important in terms of the…

I would like to speak on the Udall amendment. I have great admiration and respect for the Senator from Colorado as well as his cousin who now presides. I have concerns about this amendment that were raised during the committee markup. I…

I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Amendment No. 2985

It is imperative that the United States policy be based on a clear set of principles that everyone here at home and in the region can understand.

The disagreements over sovereignty and the potential for conflict have only increased.

There is no question for the United States that the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty obligation extends to the Senkakus.

We look forward to the visit of President Thein Sein next week.

Senator Webb, your efforts with respect to Burma have played an essential role in this regard.

We do support the validity of internationally accepted Exclusive Economic Zones, those that are set out under basically agreed-upon international law.

I have been in a number of meetings where each of you took us to the woodshed about needing to try harder.

Yesterday was a really incredible day. And I have said many times that that came about, in my view, largely because of the courage of two people.

Why has the Defense Health Board neglected to perform their required statutory review of Lyme treatment guidelines? What are they afraid to find?

I urge your office to look into the disparity that exists when it comes to the medical options our troops and their families have for Lyme disease treatment when compared to the general public and especially to your constituents in the…

I would submit to you there was plenty of time in Libya.

when you make that determination, you should be making it in the U.S. Congress not by one individual of whichever party who happens to be the President.

I think if the administration had properly put the issue before the Congress, the likelihood is that it would have been supported.

So if Tiananmen occurred today with the Chinese Government rolling out tanks and killing hundreds, if not thousands, of its own people, that it would also fit the Panetta rule.

If the government is so repressive that it deliberately kills its own people--that is the standard where you say that government no longer has validity--then it does not matter how powerful that government is.

If we stand for anything as a country, then we would have an obligation to declare those sorts of acts of a magnitude that we would not recognize the validity of that government.

I got the same answer from Admiral Locklear, commander in chief of PACOM, during an open line telephone conversation on July 28.

I would like to take some time at this point to talk about some events in Asia. I think we all need to be paying very close attention to them. Before I do that, I would like to clarify my position on the vote we are going to be taking this…