Senator donnellys question about your concern about count fitted parts. And i believe you said that you do have a concern about that. I just wanted to ask you one question though. You do have a concern about counterfeit parts. I i heard that correctly. Yes. I was wondering if you are aware of any technological product that can be embedded in parts to ensure it is not a counterfeit part. Senator im not aware of any specific chip or whatever that you can embed in it. What i am aware of is that our Quality Control folks at places like crane indiana that the senator was talking about are exceptionally good at spotting those counterfeits. I am aware of a particular product i would love to talk with you further in a different context. Regarding your Energy Efforts we do need a sustained longterm commitment to research and development in this area and meeting our Energy Security needs and preserving the superiority of our forces in the face of Energy Supply challenges in the 21st century are
Those are not easy things. The last thing, theres four parts to the department of defense. There are the four services, the three departments. Army, navy, air force. But theres also the department of defense. Can i take a shot at that, sir . Whoever. Im going to defend my two Service Chiefs here. Their staffs have not grown. Were not growing. The staffs are staying steady. Were doing a 20 reduction in headquarters staff. But, again its what we call the fourth estate. The department of defense agencies. So thats where the growth is coming. Its not in the department. Thank you. Let me go back to my questions. Admiral, we sort of decided on this rebalance to asia before the latest provocations from russia. If sequestration returns in october, what sort of gaps will this create towards rebalance strategy. One of the Top Priorities we have is presence. You wont see a Budget Reduction in our forward presence. Japan, singapore and guam will continue to increase. We are increasing the forces i
One of the Top Priorities we have is presence. You wont see a Budget Reduction in our forward presence. Japan, singapore and guam will continue to increase. We are increasing the forces in the european command as we look at how were going to deploy in the future. Strictly for the reason you stated with the instability in the africom and the ucom region. Its not dramatic, but it is there. So the asia pacific wont take a hit from the sequestration and our european presence will not take a hit from sequestration. Those will take place elsewhere . Those forces forward wont be as dramatic. As you know ive been worrying about afghanistan. General dempsey told our committee theres a terrorist network that stretches from afghanistan to nigeria. He went onto say i think afghanistan is and will remain an anchor point for that pressure. Do you agree with that. I think a plat form for which the United States can protect its swres is absolutely correct. Am i right to worry ant those are based on mo
Care situation, where they see a doctor, an officer in a clinic. It is much more efficient for their health and as a result will be better for the taxpayer. But those are the tough conversations that we needed to have to deal the issues. Anything else you might want to do to deal with those issues has to come out of that 29 . We are underselling of the National Defense right now, we are going from a 600 ship navy to a 260 ship navy in a world that is more dangerous and then anytime and my life. The air force is a fine the most antiquated planes than they have in the air forces history. That is the National Defense that we are not investing in. The programs that you are talking about, if we want to make tuition at more affordable, if we want to make sure that we cut taxes so people have more money in their pockets rather than sending it to washington, we better deal with the other stuff as well. We have to have this honest conversation, because if we dont, nothing else will be possible.
Or not. That is a big problem. Let me add one other point which we have not confronted until lately. We used to be concerned and still should be about someone from abroad coming to america and caring out a terrorist attack. That threat is still there. Then we should be concerned about someone in this country going abroad and being radicalized in coming back. And that threat is still there. Now we face the threat of someone who is in this country has never let this country, and yet is radicalized online, and as a result is inspired to carry out a terrorist act. All three of these risks exist and they are real. You can listen to all the hyperbole about how theyre listening to your phone calls and everything, got for did that happens to, the first question people will want to know is why did we know about it and why did we stop it. This is not a game. I sit on the Intelligence Committee of the United States senate for four and a half years , i have no region to exaggerate. The rest of thi