Jim Webb

If the American people lose faith in the integrity of our disability benefits system, veterans and their families will be the ones that will suffer.

I would say that we have the tools to do that. It would require a large effort and measurement of many factors. And in the end, I think in the case of trying to retrospectively do this we would be left with an imperfect and uncertain…

So you are basically just taking the medical condition at the time and assigning a disability rating to it?

I would like to get an understanding of your motivations moving toward your decision based on the 2008 report in this area.

I take your point. I am on a very short period of time here.

I do not think that was an accident. I think originally, especially in the years after the war, the attitude was the less we know, the better we will be.

I have pretty extensive experience with this issue, beginning as a Marine rifle platoon and company commander in one of the more war-torn areas of Vietnam.

Well, with respect to funding, as you know, if a disability is service-connected, it will be funded.

I do not know of any extensive study that actually has looked at Vietnam veterans as a whole.

What presumption is about is to say you, soldier, put your life on the line. We are going to give you the benefit of the doubt.

We sometimes have an uncomfortable duty to ask the hard questions.

We need for the long term an effort to create better data than what we are working with today.

Our history on the subject as a government has not been particularly good. There has been a lot of denial.

In response to a question from Senator Webb, Dr. Birnbaum discussed the value of the dose-response findings in the Air Force Health Study...

I am proud of the role I played during my long career of service in getting my fellow Vietnam veterans the benefits they have earned for their service and sacrifices on behalf of our Nation.

Changes to these rules threaten to seriously degrade service to Reagan National, Dulles International, and Baltimore-Washington International airports.

I think, with China stating that the South China Sea areas in terms of sovereignty are a core interest...

The goal stated by the Navy is 313. I think you were talking 346.

The issue for us is how we communicate our national interests to the rest of the world.

I would support the idea of having a continuing independent strategic review panel.

I would agree that our difficulty, with respect to responding to international terrorism, was illuminated by 9/11.

We need to be working together in order to resolve these issues, and I just hope--take the message back, if you would, and again, my thanks to you for having dedicated your life to those who have served.

Well, the Department of Defense--I spent 5 years in the Pentagon, as you know--the Department of Defense was the greatest data resource center in the government.

I would like to express my appreciation and support for you holding these kinds of hearings.

There is a great percentage of veterans law that gives an enormous amount of discretion to the executive agency itself.