secretary of defense t honorable leon panetta and the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff general 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 horrifying violence at the hands of the assad regime, yet even though assad has committed to the cease-fire, reports indicate that he continues to inflict violence on the syrian people. president assad's crack down has been ruthless 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 the united nations estimates the death toll from the crisis at 9,000.

while other estimates put the death toll as high as 12,000. just over a year ago in the midst of the arab spring the syrian people peacefully took to the streets 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 of what 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. but 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 has spilled into lebanon and iraq could begin to behave erratically as it considers the prospect of a sunni-controlled government succeeding the assad regime and its western border or alliances forming between syria's sunni opposition and iraq's own sunni population. more over t the situation presents a strategic opportunity to deal a blow to known supporters of terrorism in the region. as iran continues to back the assad government in groups such 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 the 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 that 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 the secretary of state and our u.n. representative for their work to call attention to this outrage

and try to build international support to stop it. i think we need greater support and nations like russia and china should find a solution and they clearly have not done enough. i agree with the chairman i do not see a military option. i have a longer statement i'll submit for the record that explains that. but we should look at every possible option. i agree that it has profound impacts for a region already unstable in many ways so i look forward to the testimony from our witnesses to hear what our best options are going forward to try to contain this, and to 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 for our country and being before us today. with that i yield back. >> thank you. secretary panetta. >> 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. emerging out of the arab spring that was impacting on other countries and it obviously then hit syria as well. 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. 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 complex problems in syria cannot all be solved through the unilateral actions of the united states or for that matter, any other country. we 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, and 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 annan 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 lifelines of the regime. three united states executive orders have 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 nonviolent 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. 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 measures 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 toward 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 and 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 council 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, is 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. on the other hand it makes it difficult to determine who to help if they cannot come together and organize as a single opposition force. we must also 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, 18 resolute and deliberate manner to find a way 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 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. should we be called on to help secure u.s. interests we'll be ready. we maintain an agile regional and global posture. we have solid 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,

their fees ability and acceptability. we have a further responsibility to articulate risk and the potential implications to our other global commitments. 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 variety of as to what could be done including the possibility of developing humanitarian corridors. and, you know, 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. >> mr. dempsey, you stated that serious 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. and 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. i guess one of my concerns, i think it's being set for a long time since this uprising as started that, you know, mr mr. assad's days are numbered and he can't long last, but i've worried about that ever since i was in israel last summer and had some conversations about that. what is the path for that happening? because as i said in my opening remarks, the assad regime as or the of decided they don't care what the international community thinks, they'll kill as many people as they need to stay in power. and regrettably, they are getting some sort of tacit support from important nations like russia and china and, you know, much more direct support from iran. and that, you know, 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 that -- the levers we need to pull to make sure that the assad regime, in fact, goes? or might that support not be enough to let them stay as violently as they need to? >> i think the concerns that you've indicated, congressman, are the concerns that we saul 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. the military still 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. >> if i could focus in on one part. what hope is there to get russia and china, you know, to change

their stance and actually be more aggressive about pressuring the assad regime? >> i think the fact that -- i mean, obviously, that was a concern when they initially voted against the security resolution that would have taken action here. but they have come around. they have supported the resolution that was adopted supporting annan and his effort to try to achieve a cease-fire and diplomatic pressure is being brought on both russia and china, particularly russia, that's had 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. so there is some progress being 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 applied some very significant

sanctions. they're having -- you know, they're putting great pressure on the regime itself. that pressure needs to continue. the third thing that i would indicate is that, you know, this is a broad-based insurgency. and i think it's fair to say that the intelligence community feels that because it is a broad-based insurgency, yes, he can strike back, yes, he can try to continue to hold off. 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. >> we're waiting to take you back live to capitol hill.

we expect leon panetta and martin dempsey to continue their testimony this morning. the house in a series of three votes we believe they're wrapping up the third vote now. today the house working on a small business tax measure that would provide a one-time tax cut for businesses that employ less than 500 workers. and since this is a house armed services committee hearing, we're waiting for the members to return. here's how the bbc is reporting the story on the u.n. and syria this morning. the bbc says the united nations has reached a deal with syria outlining the rules for the deployment of observers to monitor that country's cease-fire. a spokesman for u.n. arab league envoy kofi annan said the agreement covered the functions of the mission and the syrian government's responsibilities. a nominal truce is in place in syria, but reports of violence have continued. meanwhile, the u.n.'s chief ban ki-moon is due to brief the security council on the situation in new york.

earlier, mr. ban said violence had escalated in recent days and he said he wanted the observer mission to increase to 300 to be deployed over three months. some correspondents say the security council, which is not due to make a decision until next week, might be afraid to put unarmed observers on the ground if the situation continues to deteriorate at the same rate. so that, again, from the bbc. as we wait for members to make their way back to the hearing room, let's show you a portion of this morning's "washington journal," some of your phone calls and e-mails. >> if the election were held today, who would you vote for? 46% say president obama. 46% say governor romney. men, 43% for president obama, 49% for mitt romney. women, just the opposite. 49% president obama, 43% for mitt romney. republicans, 91% are supporting the gop and 88% are supporting the democrats for president

obama, and independents are breaking exactly even, 43% each, favorable ratings. president obama gets a 42%, mitt romney, 29%. unfavorable, 45% for the president and 34% for the presumptive gop nominee. do you think the candidate says what he believes most of the time or what he thinks people want to hear? president obama says what he believes 46% agree, 51% disagree. mitt romney, 27% agree, 62% disagree. and do you think the candidate is someone you can relate to? president obama, 47% say yes, 50% say no. mitt romney, 34% say yes, 60% say no. those are just some of the top numbers in the new "new york times"/cbs poll on the presidential race. why are you supporting your candidate?

we're going to begin with kevin in ft. lauderdale. kevin, you're a president obama supporter. correct? >> caller: well, i wouldn't say a supporter, but at this point, yeah, i have to support president obama. >> why? >> caller: well, first things first, i don't have any party affiliation so it's not that. it basically goes on what you're saying. listen, i'm an educator. i've got three jobs right now. i'm in financial services. i've taken a look at romney's past record. i've lived in idaho and utah. and even though i don't think president obama's doing a great job right now, i think he's got a grasp on what's going on. >> we're going to break-away from this portion of this morning's "washington journal" and take you back live now to that hearing room on capitol hill. we see secretary panetta making his way back to the witness table. live coverage resuming now on c-span3.

>> this meeting has come to order. mr. bartlett. >> thank you. mr. secretary, in your oral testimony you noted that the administration is publicly committed to sending communications equipment to syrian opposition groups and humanitarian organizations. i am aware of american companies that can provide the necessary hardware to the syrian opposition groups and humanitarian efforts. what steps is the administration taking to ensure the allocated funding and potential future allocations are dedicated to the procurement of u.s. manufactured equipment? what steps are being take on the assure american technologies are being reviewed and properly vetted? >> congressman, i think i'll yield to general dempsey on this, as well, but my sense is