Adam Smith

But that isn't always the right strategy; because sometimes there are things that military might can't do.

I do believe that ISIL's momentum has been blunted.

There is no reason on Earth that they can't be safely housed here in the U.S.

The presence of the prison continues to be an international eyesore, as I mentioned, to our allies much more importantly than to our enemies.

We have the capability in the United States of America to house some of the most dangerous people in the world.

It simply doesn't make policy sense to keep Guantanamo open.

So essentially I have got a choice, and under the current resources it is reform or the oversight.

We need more money, I think, to adequately to do the job that we are being asked to do

What sense does it make to have the big-deck carriers?

Sequestration is just a horrible place to do that.

We could help ourselves enormously if we got rid of sequestration.

We are in the exact opposite position, facing an array of complex threats that are going to require... resources and considerable creativity.

I think this is going to reverse that in a huge, huge way.

The number one overall obligation is to make sure that whatever it is that we ask the men and women in our Armed Forces to do, they are trained and equipped and ready to do it.

Acquisition reform has always been a challenge at the Department of Defense [DOD].

I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Kilmer).

I now yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Davis), the ranking member of the Military Personnel Subcommittee.

Sequestration obviously would have a devastating impact on the defense budget and on the discretionary budget in general.

I think we should look at lifting it, in general.

So first of all, yes, sequestration needs to go away. Personally I would vote to eliminate it tomorrow and be done with it.

Smith, Hon. Adam, a Representative from Washington, Ranking Member, Committee on Armed Services.

I think it would be better to sort of explain, you know, what, it is not a boots-on-the-ground issue.

If we find enough Sunnis in Iraq and Syria who are willing to fight against ISIS, that is when we will start to be successful.

It is because we don't think it will work, and I think that is the thing to make clear.

The threat that we face, and ISIL is but one piece of it, is the ideological threat.