coffee mug. and my last question for you, what is in your wallet? >> i'll give you an insight into my wallet. when i did make the deal with capital one, they insisted obviously i had to carry capital one credit cards and destroy my other credit cards. i had to be a customer of theirs, i do have capital one credit cards. and another thing i saved my daughter when she was a little child she made for me, made us both license to veterinarians to the state of california. i have drawn with her by hand when she was 5 years old, my license as veterinarian in the state of california. that and my capital one. >> do you practice? >> yes. >> how about a round of applause for our speaker today? [ applause ] thank you for coming. >> thank you.

>> i'd also like to thank the national press club staff. including journalism institute and broadcast center for organizing today's event. finally, here's a reminder you can find more information about the national press club on our website. also, if you'd like to get a copy of today's program, please check out our website at www.press.org. thank you all for coming and we're adjourned. >> live now on capitol hill where in a moment we'll hear from defense secretary panetta and joint chiefs chairman mark dem city testifying on syria's anti-government uprising and the

violence there. syria's conflict is in its 13th month, a death toll of at least 9,000 in that country. a half dozen u.n. monitors were allowed into the country by bashar al assad this week. and our live coverage getting under way now here on c-span3. >> the meeting will come to order. i was informed that first votes

could happen between 10:10 and 10:25, secretary has a hard close time at 12:30 so we're going to be as expeditious as we possibly can here. good morning ladies and gentlemen. the house armed services committee meets today to receive testimony on the security situation in syria from the secretary of defense, the honorable leon panetta and the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, general martin dempsey. gentlemen, thank you for your distinguished service to our nation and thank you for being here today. the syrian conflict is now in its second year and the situation remains both uncertain and dire. as we convene a tenuous cease-fire is in place. it comes on the heels of violence at the hands of the assad regime. though assad committed to a cease-fire, reports indicate that he continues to inflict violence on the syrian people.

president assad's crack down including human rights violations, killings, use of force against noncombatant civilians including children, and interference with the provision of medical aid and humanitarian assistance. to date united nations estimates the death toll from the crisis at 9,000. while other estimates put the death toll as high as 12,000. over a year ago in the mids of the arab spring the syrian people peacefully took to the street, calling for the opportunity to elect their leadership through a free and fair democratic process. this desire for freedom and justice from an oppressive regime embodies the essence what if is driving the opposition, and is one that we can relate to and should support. the president has stated that the violence in syria must end and that assad must go. it remains completely unclear how the president will

accomplish these goals. in addition to the humanitarian concerns that i believe we all share, i'm very concerned about the implications for regional conflict. as recently as april 10 assad-backed military units shot across the border into syrian refugee camps in turkey, killing five individuals. additionally violence spilled into lebanon and iraq could begin to behave erratically as it considers a sunni controlled government succeeding the assad regime on its western border or alliances forming between sunni syria opposition and iraq's own sunni population. more over, the situation present as strategic opportunity to deal a blow to known supporters of terrorism in the region as iran continues to back the assad government as hezbollah have enjoyed support and residence in

syria on the other hand there is much we do not know about the opposition. syria also maintains robust air defenses that limit military options. therefore, i'm not recommending u.s. military intervention, particularly in light of our grave budget situation unless a national security threat was clear and present. nevertheless, these reflections lead me to wonder what the united states can do to stem the violence and hasten president assad from power. we also need to understand what we are doing to secure the security -- ensure the security of one of the world's largest stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons. to paraphrase general petraeus, how does this all end? i look forward to your insights into the security situation and our way forward in syria. mr. smith. >> thank you, mr. chairman. in the interests of time let me say i agree completely with the

chairman's opening remarks. the assad regime has made a clear and awful choice to simply kill as many of his own people as he can to maintain power. it's an international outrage that should be condemned by all nations. i applaud both the department of defense and secretary of state and your u.n. representative for their work to call attentionthis outrage and try to build international support to stop it. i think we need greater support and nations like russia and china should rise to the challenge and work with us to find a solution to this problem and they clearly have not done enough. i also agree with the chairman on the fact i don't see a military option for us in this area for a wide variety of reasons, i have a longer statement which i'll submit for the record that explains that. but we should look at every possible option for how we can stop this. i agree that the has profound impacts for a region that was already unstable in many ways. so i look forward to the testimony from our witnesses today to hear what our best

options are going forward to try to contain this and give this committee a full briefing on where the situation is at and where they see it going as difficult as that prediction might be. i thank the chairman and i thank both of our witnesses for their leadership and being before us today. with that i yield back. >> thank you. secretary panetta. >> thank you, mr. chairman, representative smith, members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to be able to discuss what is obviously a very tense and fluid situation in syria. widespread demands for political change in syria started more than a year ago. in emerging out of the arab spring that was impacting on other countries and it obviously then hit syria as well. but rather than trying to meet legitimate demands of the people

the regime of bashar al assad turned instead to violence against its own people. that violence has been brutal and it has been devastating. it has put the syrian people in a desperate and difficult situation. it has outraged the conscience of all good people. and it has threatened stability in a very important part of the world. the united states has made clear that the assad regime has lost its legitimacy, and that this crisis has no effective solution without assad's departure. as the president has stated, assad must go. recent days are testing whether the assad regime will live up to all of its responsibilities to

the syrian people and to the international community, restoring calm to the cities and towns across syria is just one test for assad in the days ahead. assad is responsible for fully abiding by the transition plan that has been outlined by the joint special envoy kofi annan. he also faces deep skepticism about his motives, a skepticism based on a long train of assad's deceitful actions to date including broken promises to his own people and to the international community. the united states is committed to holding the syrian regime to its obligations. we are leading an international effort to help stop the violence

and support a peaceful political transition in syria. even as we speak, secretary of state clinton is meeting with our international partners in paris to determine what additional steps should be taken to make that happen. we know achieving that end is a tough task. from every angle, the situation in syria is enormously complex. there is no silver bullet. i wish there was but there isn't. at the same time the situation is of grave consequence to the syrian people. there are many others who are affected by what happens in syria as well, including syria's neighbors, turkey, lebanon,

iraq, israel, jordan, and all nations with a vital interest in the middle east. meanwhile, it is fair to say that iran is syria's only ally in the region. no other country stands to lose more than iran from the eventual fall of the assad regime which is why iran is supporting the regime with material, financial, and technical assistance. we also know that the complex problemses in syria cannot all be solved through the unilateral actions of the united states or for that matter any other country. they demand a coordinated international response that is uniquely tailored to the

situation we're confronting in syria. there are, however, certain principles that have guided the administration's response to unrest across the middle east. these basic principles have shaped our responses in tunisia, in egypt, in libya, and now in syria. first, we oppose the use of violence and repression by regimes against their own people. second, we support the exercise of universal human rights. and third, we support political and economic reforms that can meet the legitimate aspirations of ordinary people throughout the region. our policy in syria is very clear. we support a political and

democratic transition that fulfills the syrian people's greatest aspirations. to support that objective, the united states is leading international efforts along five tracks. first, we are supporting efforts to maintain international pressure and advance transition, political transition, in syria. we join with our partners in the united nations security council including now russia and china, in calling for the urgent comprehensive and immediate implementation of all aspects of the plan. second, we are further isolating the assad regime. we are encouraging other countries to join the united states, the european union and the arab league in imposing strong sanctions against it.

these sanctions are putting assad under greater pressure than ever before. we are undermining the financial life lines of the regime. three united states executive orders targeted senior leadership, commercial and the central bank of syria. the result is that 30% of the regime, of the regime's lost revenues, have occurred as a result of those sanctions. the u.s. and the eu have imposed a strong oil embargo. the exchange rate has depreciated by more than 50% and their gdp has been in a serious decline. approaching almost a minus 8% in 2011 and more now. third, we are strengthening and unifying the non-violent

political opposition in syria. the united states is in the process of providing direct non-lethal support including communications and medical equipment to the civilian-led opposition. for taking these actions in concert with similar steps taken by the friends of syria and other international partners to assist the opposition. fourth, we are providing emergency humanitarian assistance to the syrian people. the total commitment so far in excess of $25 million. food rations, medical supplies, water, and other relief supplies have been provided. lastly, we are reviewing and planning for a range of additional matters that may be necessary to protect the syrian people. by acting along these lines, we are increasing pressure on the assad regime every day.

make no mistake, one way or another, this regime will ultimately meet its end. there are legitimate questions about what steps are necessary to achieve this end. some arguing for an approach similar to the one we took in libya. the fact is that our recent experience in libya is helping to inform the approach that the united states is taking towards syria. first our efforts are strengthened, strengthened, by multilateral international consensus. that's extremely important to our ability to keep maximum pressure on the assad regime. second, we should maintain clear regional support from the arab world. the arab world itself. nations of the arab world are outraged at the regime and what they are doing to the syrian

people. third, we should offer substantial u.s. contributions where we can bring unique resources to bear. fourth, we should have a clear legal basis for our approach there. and that clearly involves close consultations with the congress. and fifth and finally, our approach must keep all options on the table. all options on the table. while recognizing limitations of military force, we must be prepared to take whatever action is required. but let me also say that the situation in syria is different from the one in libya. in some very important ways, this is not libya. in libya, there was widespread international support, in the arab world and elsewhere and a clear security consult authorization for military

intervention. and nato was authorized to act on that. no such consensus currently exists regarding syria. the opposition is also not as well organized and does not control territory, what we saw in libya. there are almost 100 different groups. on the one hand that indicates that this is an insurgency that is broad based. it makes it difficult to determine who to help if they cannot organize as a single opposition force. we must be mindful as secretary clinton has noted of the possibility that outside military intervention will make a volatile situation even worse. and place even more innocent civilians at risk. the united states has made clear that we are on the side of the syrian people and they must know that the international community

has not underestimated either their suffering or their impatience. the defense department as we always do, is reviewing and is continuing to review plans for a variety of possible scenarios should the president determine that further steps are necessary. in the meantime our only clear path is to keep moving diplomatically with the international community in a resolute and deliberate manner to return syria to the syrian people. if we remain dedicated to that effort i think we ultimately can prevail. thank you. >> thank you, mr. secretary. general dempsey. >> thank you, mr. chairman, congressman smith, other distinguished members of this committee. i appreciate the opportunity to appear before you today and discuss the evolving situation in syria.

the situation is tragic for the people of syria and for the region. real democratic reform should have been the assad regime's response to last year's peaceful protests, instead the regime responded with brutality. syria's internal convulsions are having consequences for a region already in turmoil. refugees are fleeing, spillover into neighboring countries is an increasing concern. and of course we also need to be alert to opportunistic extremists who may seek to exploit the situation. as well as the need to be especially alert to the fate of syria's chemical and biological weapons, they need to stay exactly where they are. with other nations the united states is applying diplomatic and economic pressure on the regime to compel assad and his accomplices to stop the killing on their own. our military's role to this point has been limited to sharing information with our partners, our regional partners but should we be called on to

help secure u.s. interests in other ways we will be ready. we maintain an agile regional and global posture. we have solid military relationships with every country on syria's border. should we be called our responsibility is clear, provide the secretary of defense and the president with options, and these options will be judged in terms of their suitability, feasibility and their acceptability. we have a further responsibility to articulate risk and the potential implications to our other global commitments. in closing i want to assure you and the nation that america's armed forces are ready to answer the call wherever that takes us. i look forward to your questions. >> thank you very much. the vote has been called. we're five minutes into the vote. i will ask questions and get as much done as we can before -- and we'll break, those of you

who desire to leave earlier to get over there to vote, i would encourage you. i think there are three votes to return as quickly as we can so we can keep this moving forward. mr. secretary, according to media reports this morning, the french president stated that action should be taken to establish humanitarian corridors. what are your views on this option? have you been aware of that? >> mr. chairman, we've looked at a variety of options as to what could be done including possibility of developing humanitarian corridors, and again, we're prepared to do whatever the international community ultimately agrees ought to be done but clearly we have made plans along those lines. >> general dempsey, you stated that syria's chemical and

biological weapons need to stay exactly where they are. what can be done and what is being done to ensure that syria's chemical and biological stockpiles are secured? >> at this point, chairman, we are as i mentioned in my statement, sharing information and intelligence with our regional partners. in the aggregate we feel like we have a good understanding of the disposition, the current disposition of syria's chemical and biological weapons. >> thank you. ranking member smith. >> thank you, mr. chairman. one of my concerns i think there's been said for a long time since this uprising started that mr. assad's days are numbered and he can't long last but i worried about that ever since i was in israel last summer, had some conversations about that. what is the path for that happening? because as i said in my opening remarks the assad regime has sort of decided they don't care what the international community

thinks. they are going to kill as many as they need to stay in power and regrettably they are getting some sort of support from nations such as russia and china and more direct support from iran. that makes them clearly different than gadhafi and libya. gadhafi had no friends anywhere. he couldn't get that assistance. with that support what are the mechanisms -- the levers we need to pull to make sure the assad regime goes or might that support not be enough to let them stay as violently as they need to. >> i think the concerns that you indicated, congressman, are the concerns that we all share. part of the problem here is that assad still seems to maintain the loyalty of the military even though there have been significant defections, that the military seems loyal and they continue to strike back at the

libyan people. even as this effort to try to achieve a cease-fire and try to reduce violence there we still see continuing artillery barrages, violating the whole effort. >> what hope is there to get russia and china to change their stance and be more aggressive pressuring the assad regime? >> i think the fact that -- obviously that was a concern when they initially voted against the security resolution that would have taken action here. but thet have come around. they have supported the resolution that was adopted supporting annan and his effort to try to achieve a cease-fire. diplomatic pressure is being brought on russia and china, particularly russia has a long standing relationship in that part of the world with syria, to bring pressure on them to exercise whatever influence they can to try to ensure that they

abide by the annan plan. there is some progress made on that front. the additional steps that are important is that the international community continues to be very unified in taking action against that regime. there are additional sanctions that can be applied. we have applied some significant sanctions, they are having -- putting great pressure on the regime itself. that pressure needs to continue. the third thing that i would indicate is that this is a broad based insurgency. and i think it's fair to say the intelligence community feels because it is a broad based insurgency, yes, he can strike back, he can try to continue to hold on. but ultimately his days are numbered and ultimately he will be taken down. >> thank you. >> thank you, mr. chairman. that's all i have. >> the committee will recess now

until we're able to return after the votes. thank you very much.

>> so this house armed services committee hearing taking a short break. the house in a series of three votes at the moment, then the house today members work on a small business tax measure that would provide a one-time tax cut for businesses that employ less than 500 workers. so as members go over and make their votes what we'll do now is show you opening statements from chairman martin dempsey and secretary panetta. >> house armed services committee meets to receive testimony on the security situation in