Adam Smith

I look forward to hearing from General Mattis how his command is postured to respond to those challenges.

It is critical, therefore, that our special operations forces are fully resourced.

We cannot simply walk away from Pakistan. We need to find a way to make that relationship work.

With the looming threat of sequestration, we must also understand the consequences of such severe cuts on the effectiveness of your commands.

I laud the heroic efforts of Mexican security service personnel and public officials, who--make no mistake--are risking their lives and the lives of their families in a war against these brutal criminal enterprises.

I agree with the chairman in his assessment both of what those threats are and how important they are to our national security.

I appreciate your leadership, General Fraser, in trying to confront that.

I am also very focused on the cyber-security challenge.

I want to thank General Jacoby and the entire NORTHCOM command for their work in building a relationship with Mexico to try to find ways to help them in any way we can to, you know, get back control of their country, quite simply.

Securing our hemisphere is absolutely critical to our national security.

We must be careful not to compromise homeland missile defense for the sake of theater missile defense or budget shortfalls.

We need to treat it as a national security imperative.

While I do not believe that a conflict with China is inevitable, we should continue to work to promote mutual interests, mitigate concerns, and perpetuate multilateral cooperation in the region.

Without question, U.S. service men and women play a crucial role in maintaining these relationships and in promoting peace in the Pacific.

In partnership with our allies and friends, our forces must stand ready to respond to unprovoked, hostile behavior.

We must be prepared to effectively respond with the needed manpower and assets.

Deterring, delaying, or denying U.S. forces from operating along China's periphery is still a key goal of the People's Liberation Army.

I have said many times that I believe the single biggest threat to our national security is our debt.

There is probably going to have to be reductions in the civilian workforce on these posts and the contract workforce

I would like to suggest the Army do an Army wide cost benefit analysis and take a hard look at this

I am deeply concerned that we are not taking, for example, account of the threat the Chinese pose to the country

This New Defense Strategic guidance that President Obama has laid out looks like it sort of just pulled out of thin air

The increasing coordination between Al Qaeda and al-Shabaab is a dangerous development and a reminder of the threat posed by radicalism, terrorism, and ungoverned spaces.

Nevertheless, the new defense strategy appears to emphasize presence and engagement in Asia at the expense of other regions, including Africa.

It's important the United States upholds our pledge to defend one of our most reliable and loyal allies from threats to their security and existence.