Jim Webb

I can't overstate my hopes that we can get this Korean Free Trade Agreement in place for strategic as well as economic reasons.

I think, just as the President has said and Secretary Campbell said today, it is incumbent upon the United States to make sure that we work closely with our ally to respond to the provocations as they come.

If we are out of the cycle, indeed, right now, then the continued emphasis on close coordination and cooperation with our primary allies in the region--in this case, South Korea and Japan--is the foundation upon which any other approach…

I think that's a fundamental factor.

I think that's extremely helpful, because what it has done is define what 'denuclearization' means.

313 should be a floor. I've been very concerned and vocal about my worry that we've taken our eye off of our strategic forces.

It's not a good idea to give weapons and military support to people who you don't know.

I understand that direct money would not be going over there. The concern that I have is that if we are funding programs that they otherwise would be funding and they are able to take that money in order to increase their nuclear arsenal…

I would suggest that we work up a joint written question for the record that could be answered in an accelerated fashion before the confirmation comes before the whole committee.

This position that you are being nominated to is one of the three or four most vital assistant secretaryships right now in DOD given the transitions that we are looking at.

I would hope that part of the reexamination of the strategy is a realization that the model that we put in place in Afghanistan is not going to be the model of the future.

One of the concerns that I've had since I've been here in the Senate is with what I can only call a deterioration of the management aspects in the Pentagon.

I did hear you agree with Senator McCain or to his comment that nobody is thinking about putting American ground forces in Libya?

I believe what we were able to come up with is at least the right approach, and it could be done in a timely way if we could get people to work with us on doing that.

The timing of addressing these basing issues, particularly with respect to the Japanese, is vital.

At the same time, we have a situation where when the President unilaterally decides to begin a military operation and then continues it, where, clearly, I think as a former Member of Congress, you would agree that Congress needs to be…

I honestly believe that, other than the presidency itself, this is probably the most difficult and complicated job in our Federal Government.

But when you have a situation like in this case where the justification is humanitarian, you can see the potential for a very broad definition of what a humanitarian crisis is.

We are the key, I think, to the strategic balance in that region.

I appreciate or was gratified to hear your response to Senator Collins with respect to the need to rebuild our Navy.

I just think we have our hands full, and it is not something we should be doing in the future in that part of the world.

These are people who have been told since the day they came into the military that they're going to have health care for the rest of their lives.

Lifetime health care for career military people--was part of a moral contract.

I recommended the creation of this position in 1985 in a memorandum to Caspar Weinberger.

There are military cultures and there are cultures within the military cultures.