there are huge, ungoverned spaces. al nusra, al qaeda, hezbollah, others, become more of a threat to our friends in the region and the region becomes much more of a conflagration. >> thank you, mr. secretary. secretary hagel and general dempsey, you made a number of statements throughout the spring, cautioning against intervention in the conflict in syria. why do you feel at this point that it's appropriate for us to take action? what's changed? >> senator, thank you. i'll let general dempsey respond for himself. well, first, very clear intelligence and evidence that that the assad regime used chemical weapons on its own people. so we are dealing with a new set of realities, based on facts.