It is my hope that we stick with the two year deal and do not do another one.

Today, less than half of our Marine Corps units are ready to perform their, quote, wartime missions.

The dramatic escalation in the number of unaccompanied minors coming to the United States... drew a lot of attention to these three countries.

It is really important work.

It is a very important issue, not just because I live there.

I think you are exactly right. It has been clear now to Iraqis that they are much more effective in fighting Da'esh together than they are separately.

Deterrence happens because an aggressor perceives that the cost of further aggression is going to exceed the benefit of aggression.

The absence of ratification does not only deprive us of an argument against activities of others that we would argue are not lawful, but it also deprives us of some positive, upside benefits, for example, with respect to the extended…

We owe you and them a great deal of thanks.

I always come back with a high degree of real inspiration for the service.

Mongolia is in a tough neighborhood.

the risk of falling back into sequester and punishing our national security is the significant concern that we're grappling with.

Latvia should be a member of the EU.

the United States is sort of deemed by Mongolia as the most important of its, quote, 'third neighbors,'

The cumulative effect of top-line reductions over the past several years has limited the flexibility and resiliency of the joint force.

Both the Marine Corps and the Air Force have conducted their Environmental Impact Studies (EIS) for their F-35 basing plan.

I think we have a bipartisan appreciation on this committee that the work that you do is very important.

U.S. soft power is a very powerful force in Mongolia.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

the IAEA was right in March 2003 when they said that Iraq did not have a program of weapons of mass destruction.

I fully expect that we will play our appropriate role.

The U.S. Embassy in Beirut is hallowed ground.

My perception about reports from Iraq in the last maybe 4 months or so is that President Barzani and the current prime minister had had a little bit of a rapprochement.

If the ultimate objective here is to limit the ability of Hezbollah to do what it is doing, the solution is to invest in Lebanese institutions and not to withdraw support from them at this critical time.

We should express our thanks and appreciation to those who serve in uniform.