Welcome to brookings. As you know, i had the privilege and honor of welcoming back to brookings chairman mack thornberry, from the 13th district of texas to discuss matters of defense policy, budget and many other subjects under the sun. He is the chairman of the Armed Service committee. A texan who goes back to ranting in the 13th district as far back as 1881, probably wondering what he was doing on a rainy washington dealing with the federal budget when he couldve been back home in the texas springtime but we are grateful for your service. We are both grateful for being here today. Its a momentous time in American Foreign policy and defense policy and we will get quickly to matters of the Defense Budget, defense spending and where the entire debate may go with tomorrows release of the president s budget and congress gearing up in its normal hearing steering on the subject. Just to get us energized on a good monday morning if you could please join me in welcoming the chairman to brook