Robert C. Byrd: “Why has it taken more than half a year to provide this vital protective equipment to all of our troops?”

My top priority will be to learn what challenges the DOD IG office needs to address and to ensure the adequacy of resources required to accomplish its mission.

I hope that wherever you can share your views, you will, because it's pretty easy in history to see this.

The Department is firmly committed to working closely and openly with Congress in order to protect the health of our servicemembers.

In closing, may I say that the President's request includes $658 million for construction of the U.S. Embassy in Iraq.