Rob Wittman

I am interested in your comment earlier when you talked about securing full funding and dedicated sources of funding for our Land and Water Conservation Fund.

It has got to be something that we do in a timely fashion to make sure we are developing those sources to transition to that next generation of energy.

I think we are all on the same page as having an all-of-the-above energy policy here for the United States.

So, I think the funding and the efforts there become even more critical for us to make sure those opportunities are available.

I think this is a great way for us to accomplish that.

Any study must have limited, achievable objectives to avoid becoming swamped in unmanageable data, a caution well applied to congressional studies.

This is, I think, a very, very important effort as we go forth with trying to make sure we know what the PME system needs to provide and the JPME system needs to provide to our men and women in uniform.

Congress has done something and we were kicking and screaming, but we did it, and it turned out to be the right thing.

We have learned some significant lessons in Iraq.

I think it is interesting that, you know, you all have pointed out that obviously Iraq and Afghanistan are two very different places.

Indeed, DOD's response to the Gansler Commission recommendations have been comprehensive, and it is beginning to have the desired effect.

I again want to thank you for your leadership on this issue.

We want to make sure that we are doing everything we can obviously to help them out.

I want to begin by thanking Chairman Rahall and Ranking Member Hastings for calling this hearing and for this bill to come before us.

I think that holistic approach in trying to go away from some of the more simplistic ways to say well, it is as simple as A produces B, is where we need to go.

I appreciate your advocacy of the ecosystem approach in marine management.

What I have learned in the meantime is that there is a 2006 study out by the Center for Naval Analysis which polled soldiers who use these weapons in combat and found that 48 percent of the respondents were dissatisfied with the M9…

I had the opportunity to go to Iraq and Afghanistan here recently, and I heard a number of complaints when I was there about stoppages and malfunctions with the M9 pistol and the M4 rifle.

Our military should be able to meet its operational requirements at all priority levels, and I request your support on these important aspects of this bill.