Urban development. You see senators from both committees taking their positions. We just wanted to set the scene. We have Kelly Odonnell standing by again, as she said an hour ago, her usual position in the hallway outside the hearing room. Kelly . Brian, ive been drifting between where dr. Hearings is and behind us is the building where the cia director designates hearing is going on. At a time where the Intelligence Community could not be more at the center of the national conversation, this congressman who has been a part of the Intelligence Community from the elected official side, he has been read in on what the i. C. Has been doing over the years through his role as a member of congress. He was also on the Benghazi Committee and that for conservatives is something that is considered a check. For those who are democrats and concerned about how that all went down, that is an area of concern. So expect democrats to press him on things like that. Also, the ability to work with this new president. He does not have a long relationship with donald trump and we have seen how the president elect has at times been complementary and critical and raising questions and doubts about the trustworthiness of the Intelligence Community, although he also said very directly at his press conference yesterday that he does trust them. But then as we have seen him do would make other comments, even invoking the sort of world war ii era idea over frustration over leaks. And James Clapper put out a state to smooth out the reports that were Opposition Research over time. So part of that will also be on the morale of the men and women who serve secretly, quietly with very little attention for their successes and plentyf negative attention for their failures in the Intelligence Community. It is a huge task. He is well known here on capitol hill, but it will be interesting to see how democrats approach the questioning. Republican feel good about him as a choice and also to work with the expected choice for the director of intelligence, recently retired senator from indiana, indiana key mike pence indiana, dan coates and they have to build a new level of trust with a new administration, a turning of the page. It will be very important for mike pompeo to answer for those issues. This is the intelligence committee. A brief health update. We were looking at members of the committee. And there was senator feinstein. She i think less than 48 hours ago had a heart pacemaker put in. She is looking fit and ready for this hearing. And there at the bottom of your screen, the kansas republican senator and onetime nominee of the Republican Party bob dole. Were happy to say he, who has been fighting ill health on and off for months and years, is looking very well today and got to his seat under his own power. So were happy to see that. You see there mark warner, the vice chair of the committee and he was talking with senator feinstein earlier. Also californias newest senator Kamela Harris and as part of this committee, theyre about to get under way. We can see the introductory remarks will be beginning shortly. But as kelly appropriatel reported, a lot of activity today in the senate, as you see congressman pompeo getting ready to begin. The ben carson hearing on the right for housing and urban development. On the left, the pompeo hearing and we go back to the general mattis confirmation hearing. Senator jack reed of rhode island, the ranking member, the democrat we must add because its armed services, a west point graduate, u. S. Military Academy West Point and then we will be hearing from the veteran fourstar marine general, now retired james mattis. And the defense investments that have been made for platforms and equipment are in jeopardy. In addition, we must be aware that simply adding additional funding or increasing defense spending at the expense of other Government Agencies creates other problems and is not an effective longterm solution. One of your first task of the enough administration will be to submit a fiscal year 2018 budget that addresses these issues and goes to the point the chairman made of repealing the budget control act. General mattis, if confirmed you will be grappling with many extraordinary difficult issues. Earlier this week this Committee Held a hearing on civilian control of the armed forces, which was illuminating and instructive. I hope you will candidly share with the committee this morning the actions you will take to ensure your tenure reflects and protects the principle of civilian control of the military if you are confirmed. When he assumes office, President Trump will become commander chief of our armed forces. I continue to hope the gravity of the office of the president and the magnitude of challenges our country faces will lead him to be more conscientious and thoughtful in his comments. He has made statements involving north korea and most troubling have been comments praising russia. They believe you will be the saucer that cools the coffee. I look forward to hearing how you intend to manage your relationship with the department of defense. I thank you for the committees careful process and i look forward to hearing from the nominee. There are standard questions we are required to ask. I would go through those very quickly and point out in order to exercise its legitimaslative mandate will i ensure your staff complies with deadlines established for requests of communications including questions for the record and hearing . I will. Will you cooperate in providing witnesseses . Yes. Will those witnesses beprire . I yes. Have you assumed any duties or undertaken any actions which would presume to impede the confirmation process . I have not. Welcome before the committee, general mattis. Thank you, its an honor to come before you as the president elects nominee for the position of secretary of defense. I permit my written statement be accepted for the record. Without objection. I want to thank all of you for taking time to see me during my courtesy calls and i thank up for your willingness to consider my nomination. I have testified previously in front of this committee and ive always held it in the highest regard. And based on my past years experience, i do trust this committee and each member of it and if confirmed, i will demonstrate that trust. I wish to thank former senator William Cohen for so kindly introducing me this morning and equally grateful to senator sam nunn for his strong support. It is humbling for being considered for this position. I thank the prentelect for putting trust and confidence in me. I was enjoying a full life prior to this nomination, i was not involved in the president ial campaign and was not seeking or envisioning a position in any new administration. That said it, would be the highest honor if i am confirmed to lead those who volunteer to support and defend the constitution and the people. It is only with the advice and consent of the senate that i can be confirmed. I know the senators of this committee are well aware of the many Global Security challenges we face. We see each day a world awash in change. Our country is still at war in afghanistan and our troops are fighting against isis and other terrorist groups in the middle east and elsewhere. Russia is raising grave concerns on several fronts and china is shredding trust along its periphery. Increasingly we see islands of stability in our hemisphere, democracies here in europe and in asia under attack. Our armed forces in this world must remain the best led, the best equipped and the most lethal in the world. These demanding times require us to put together a Strong NationalSecurity Team here in washington. If confirmed i will lead the department of defense and be a forthright member of that team. I will need to be the strongest national advocate for military personnel and their families. I will foster an atmosphere of harmony and trust at the department with the interagency unter tments and collect committees. I will work to make sure our strategy and military calculus are employed to reinforce security. In addition to ensuring collaboration across government and the adoption of an integrated strategy, we must also embrace our International Alliances and security partnerships. History is clear nations with strong allies thrive and those without them wither. If you confirm me, my watch words will be solvency and security in providing for the protection of our people and the survival of our freedoms. My priority as secretary of defense will be strengthen military readiness, strengthen our alliances and bring business reforms to the department of defense. Our military is the envy of the world recognizing americas awesome determination to defend herself. I will endeavor to keep our unique, allvolunteer force second to none. We open our door to all patriots eligible to meet the standards, provide them with the training essential to their success and ensure all Service Michael phelps are treat members are with dignity and defense. Civilcontrolled military is a fundamental tenet of the military commission. The commander in chief and secretary of defense must impose a strategic calculus in the Decision Making process and effectively direct its actions. Civilian leaders bare these responsibility because of the espirit de corps of our nation. If the senate consents and the full Congress Passes an exception to the sevenyear requirement, i will provide strong civilian leadership of military plans and decisions and the department of defense. I recognize under the constitution it is the congress that raises sustained and supports our armed forces through annual authorizations and appropriations. For many years i have watched you in action and testified before you. I look forward to collaborating closely for the defense of our nation. I am mindful of the extraordinary privilege it is to be nominated for this position. I will hold service members, civilians and their families foremost in my thoughts and work to give the department the best chance for victory if you confirm me. Finally on a personal note, i have worked at the pentagon twice in my career. A few people may know im not the first person in my family to do so. When the wartime spring of 1942 my mother was 20 years old and worked in military intelligence, she was part of the first wave of Government Employees to move into the still unfinished pentagon. She had come to america as an infant and lived on the banks of the Colombia River in the pacic rthwest. Little could she imagine in her youth that more than 90 years after she immigrated to this country and 75 years after she first walked through the doors of the War Department one of her sons would be sitting here before you today. Thank you. May i take your questions. General, i neglected, would like to introduce members of your family who are here with us today . Thank you, senator. Theyre safely west of the rockies as well right now. [ laughter ] very quickly, our uniform military leaders have said have testified before this committee that the budget control act has put the men and women serving in uniform at greater risk. Do you agree with that . I do, sir. I believe that we are in serious trouble in afghanistan as the taliban is able to mount greater and more serious attacks on capitals across that nation. Do you agree that nation . They have made advances and eroded some of our successes, chairman. And the afghan the a a is sustaining unsustainable over a period of time losses. I need to review the actual casualty figures and recruitment, sir, but i believe thats correct. Do you believe that we have a strategy that will allow us to regain control of raca . I believe we do, sir. However, i believe that strategy needs to be reviewed and perhaps energized on a more aggressive timeline. It seems to me that some of the actions were taking, 50 troops here, 200 there, smacks of mission creep. Do you think that there is some aspects of that . Chairman, im not current on this issue. If confirmed, i will get current very quickly. I just returned from a trip to the baltics, georgia and ukraine. They are incredibly worried about our commitment to them. And one of the major priorities that the baltic countries have is a permanent u. S. Military presence, not a base, but a Permanent Military presence in the baltics. Do you agree with that . Chairman, once the new National Security team is confirmed, i want to sit down with them and come up with a coherent, integrated strategy that uses diplomacy, military i understand but im specifically speaking of the baltics. I do, sir. On a trip that i took with senator graham and senator klobuchar we want close to the front lines where president of ukraine where we took part in various ceremonies with these brave ukrainians, 10,000 of whom have been slaughtered by Vladimir Putin and his invasion of crimea and ukraine. I know you can appreciate the fact that there was a ceremony where the president of ukraine gave their highest award to the mother of a young man who had just been killed by a russian sniper a couple of days before. Its always very moving and it brings home graphically what the russians have done in ukraine and crimea. Crimea in blatant violation of the budapest agreement for which they recognized crimeas what do you think we ought to do about russia, general mattis . Do you think we maybe ought to have sanctions against russia or basically sit by as we have for the last couple of years and watch their aggression by the way, including their precision guided weapons against hospitals in aleppo. The list goes on and onf the atrocities that have been committed by Vladimir Putin while we again try a reset. Ive watched three president s commit themselves to new relationship with Vladimir Putin. All three have been an abysmal failure. Should we ignore the lessons of history in our relationship with Vladimir Putin and what should we be doing . Chairman, history is not a straight jacket but ive never found a better guide for a way ahead by studying the history. Since yalta, we have a long list of trying to deal with russia and we have a short list of success. We should recognize hes trying to break the north america eye lines and we take the diplomatic, military and alliance steps, working with our allies to defend ourselves where we must. You are a distinguished student of history and as were all aware that following world war ii, a world order was established, which has held for basically the last 70 years. Do you believe that that world order is now under more strain than its ever been . I think its under the biggest attack since world war ii, sir. Thats interest russia, from terrorist groups and with what chan is china is doing in the south china sea. And that would argue for us making sure were adequately prepared to meet these challenges. I think deterrence is critical right now, sir, absolutely. And that requires the strongest military. Do you think we have a Strong Enough military today in order to achieve that goal . No, sir. I thank you. Senator reed. Thank you very much. Thank you, general, for your. And service. Your comments indicated that despite misgivings about jcpoa, theres no going back and that was enough to simulate the europeans action as well that we have to essentially stay the course. Is that still your view . Sir, i think it is an imperfect arms control agreement. Its not a friendship treaty, but when america gives her word, we have to live up to it and work with our allies. There also is, as i pointed out and as you recognized and pointed out much more eloquently challenge arising from the nonnuclear aspect, of iranian interference with shipping. There was an incident this week of provocation. How do you apply appropriate pressure to the iranians to contain their behavior in these areas without jeopardizing the solidarity of the european and World Community and the during the of the jcpoa . Chairman, once the new National Security team confirmed, well Work Together but i think to publicly display what iran is up to with their surrogates and proxies, their terrorist units that they support, to recognize the Ballistic Missile threat, to deal with the mayritime threat and to publicly make clear to everyone what theyre doing in the cyber realm all helps to constrain iran. Thank you. General, if you are to become the secretary of defense, you will be a critical component of the Intelligence Community. You produce intelligence to the Defense Intelligence agency, you can consume intelligence because it is the basis of most every recommendation or decision that you would make, and we are in a very unusual unique situation where we have the president elect disparaging t Intelligence Community, questioning its conclusions and questiinits motivations, suggesting perhaps that there would be some actions taken, perhaps bordering on retribution for intelligence hanalysis that is being done, we presume, i certainly presume, based on the trade craft and allegiance to the facts and the best judgment that they can make. Do you believe if you observe behaviors such as that, disrupting the Intelligence Community, disparaging it, undermining it, ignoring it, again, i could go on, do you feel you have an obligation to the country and constitution to inform the committee of those actions . Senator, i can tell you that in my many years of involvement in the military, i had a close relationship with the Intelligence Communi