Perform include theater cooperation exercises with partner nations, forces and contingency operations. Require our forces to maintain a high level of readiness and training the availability such as would you just noted the big island and others are critical to the marine corps ability to conduct operations in the pacific. Could you share your thoughts on the importance of training ranges, specially as we continue the rebalance in the asiapacific region . Senator, if were going to be what we need to do to be ready we have to have ranges that support our ability to use our weapons and to maneuver the force. One of the great advantages of a Training Area is ever able to go up there and drop bombs and shoot artillery and a lot of the things we need to do. That is him whenever space up there plus we have actually deployed there. We need to go up there, its like whether even though its only a matter of miles it doesnt matter to the pickup and you move. Where ever we go we have to be concerne
Contingency over seas in the near future . You would have to do one of two things. You would either have to grow the force. We believe that the force is 186,000 marines. And elsewhere, we could take services that are deployed in the far east and okonawa. We did that in the combat in iraq. And its only through the past few years we have been able to reestablish our presence in the pacific. We have some options. The other option is we go all in. We activate our reserves and we go and do what needs to be done. We have done that before too. You can do that for a short period of time but as you mentioned, that is not sustainable. What is a short period of time . In your best estimate i dont want to hold you to it. But we are wrestling with Big Decisions about the middle east and Irans Nuclear capableility and there are some in the senate that i believe are tempted by the idea that we can go in and bomb iran and set off what could be a war much bigger than any contingency we have been trying
Whether we would based on a standard allow women to serve in infantry artillery tanks light armory reconnaissance, we formed a task force of volunteers. And we put them together as a unit. They trained up and went to 29 palms and the Warfare Center and did a series of tests. And the tests are complete and it will provide information to inform about whether or not he will request the waiver. And i have not seen all the data. I have seen some of it. And when we first sent volunteer female marines inligsed to determine their ability to complete that course. The number that went they had an about a 36 Completion Rate and again, we are still looking at this. We are we have not made any sort of predecision. So again whatever we do, it is about individual standards. It is about the capableeableility of the unit and that unit becoming better, or at least as good as it is now. So that decision is is going to come. I believe we have ainformation, we are working with the army. And im sure i know
We are live of the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia today. Our continuing coverage of the National Governors Association Annual summer meeting being held this year at greenbrier. The association is composed of executives from the states territories, and districts of the u. S. It is chaired by governor hickenlooper of colorado and the vice chair is governor herbert of utah. The form that is about to get started focuses on state efforts to combat drug use. Steve bashir is chairing the session. But Coverage Today on cspan. If i could have your attention, lets take our seats so we can get the joint session started. First of all, good morning, welcome. I am governor steve bashir from kentucky. I chaired the health and Human Services committee. We will call this meeting to order. Welcome all the governors who are here. This is a joint session of the health and Human Services committee and the Homeland Security and Public Safety committee. Joining me as vice chair of our committee is vice c
Goods or Something Like that. It is effective but just a different level of intensity. All right well, we have a lot of green cards here to which we were not able to get for which i apologize. But i think that also reflects the level of engagement of our consumers of Health Policy information here. Thank you for spending your beautiful friday afternoon inside a very cool hearing room helping us grapple with one of the most multifacetted set of problems in Health Policy these days. Thanks to anthem and the National Consumer league for helping us think through this topic and assemble a great panel. Speaking of said panel help me thank this panel for some wonderful discussion. [ applause ] well come back to this topic in september. Thanks very much. Tonight ot the communicators, Michael Oreilly on key issues before the fcc like Net Neutrality and regulating the internet and influence on policy making making. When an item is made before an open Commission Meeting and presented to the commi