general marty dempsey, chairman of the joint chiefs, as well as admiral james who is the vice-chairman, and members of the carter transition team. i said as i walked in to ash, if anyone is made for this job, if there's a job description that fits the person, this is the guy that fits the job description. it's kind of fitting that we are here the roosevelt room, a lot of renaissance men, from teddy to franklin. they get sworn in in this room. ash, you are a genuine scholar of strategic military affairs, and nuclear weapons policy. a profoundly capable manager demonstrated time and again with universal respect and affection of the people you work with. reflected in a near unanimous vote in the united states senate. we have to talk more. [laughter] i tell you what, they used to be the good old days. i'm glad you got us back in harness, got the senate back in harness. a physicist with a genuine expert on the acquisition and technical capabilities that are going to help guarantee the united states military is second to none in the world. this man has a driving intellectual force behind all

and marty dempsey mistook me briefly for ashton kutcher. >> yeah.ll see the resemblance, don't we? >>> from e on-line the queen's looking for a driver and yes, it is the perfect job. buckingham palace wants someone who can stay calm under pressure and give strong attention to detail. for about 24,000 british pounds a year around $37,000. you would be required to work 48 hours per week benefits, though, include 33 vacation days, a place to live and royally prepared meals. >>> and in canada yesterday a legislature pat martin was called out for leaving his seat during a vote. he offered up a pretty original and somewhat uncomfortable excuse. >> i realize i did inadvertently leave my seat briefly in the middle of the debate. i can blame it on a sale at the hudson bay. they had men's underwear on for half price. i bought a bunch that was clearly too small for me. i find it difficult to sit for any length of time. mr. speaker. i apologize if it was necessary for me to leave my seat briefly, but i did not mean to for fit my right to vote. >> got to give it

always reassured in each of those hearings as will drive to the hill in the morning knowing that marty dempsey was next to me. what you have meant to our military, marty, and what you continue to do for this country, thank you very much. i see another great icon of the united states senate with us today. senator john warner, who we all worked closely with and benefited from. to our distinguished colleagues senators legal and warner, thank you. i am grateful that you would take the time to visit us on this location. -- occasion. to the civilians and commanders, thank you. thank you for your unflagging service and your commitment to this country. i want to particularly acknowledge bob work, our deputy secretary of defense. i thank him for the strong partnership over the last year. my appreciation as well to ash carter. his service and partnership during my first year of the pentagon, and for his continued commitment to public service. my heartfelt thanks to my security and advance staff. each of you have played critically important roles for which my family and i will be always grateful. to my p

and to join, my wonderful deputy bob lark, my fantastic chairman marty dempsey, i've known and worked with you before. it's wonderful to rejoin the team with you. i have some special friends here, deputy secretary of energy leader sherwood, i'm very grateful that you would come today and take your time to be with me. all the rest of my team to be, eric ron, thank you all very much for being here. i am honored to rejoin the men and women of the defense department in what is the highest calling, which is the defense of our country. starting today, i want to make three commitments to them, and to the country, and to the president, and to the vice president. and my fellow citizens. the first is to help our president make the best possible decisions about our security and the security of the world. and then, to ensure that our department executes those decisions with its long accustomed competence and effectiveness. and while we deal with the challenges to our national security, i also want to make sure that i help our leadership grab hold of the wonderful opportunities that lie before thi

and to join, my wonderful deputy bob lark, my fantastic chairman, marty dempsey, i've known and worked with you before. it's wonderful to rejoin the team with you. i have some special friends here, deputy secretary of energy leader sherwood, i'm very grateful that you would come today and take your time to be with me. all the rest of my team to be, eric, ron, thank you all very much for being here. i am honored to rejoin the men and women of the defense department in what is the highest calling, which is the defense of our country. starting today, i want to make three commitments to them, and to the country, and to the president, and to the vice president. and my fellow citizens. the first is to help our president make the best possible decisions about our security, and the security of the world. and then, to ensure that our department executes those decisions with its long accustomed competence and effectiveness. and while we deal with the challenges to our national security, i also want to make sure that i help our leadership grab hold of the wonderful opportunities that lie before t

general marty dempsey, chairman of the joint chiefs, as well as admiral james winnifeld, vice-chairman, and members of the carter transition team. i said as i walked in, tash, if anyone is made for this job, if there's a job description that that the person, this is the guy that fits the job description. it's kind of fitting that we are here the roosevelt room, a lot of renaissance men, from teddy to franklin. they get sworn in in this room. ash, you are a scholar of strategic military affairs, and nuclear weapons policy. a profoundly capable manager demonstrated time and again with universal respect and affection of the people you work with. reflected in a near unanimous vote in the united states senate. we have to talk more. [laughter] i tell you what, they used to be the good old days. i'm glad you got us back and harness, got the senate back in harness. a physicist with a genuine expert on the acquisition and technical capabilities that are going to help guarantee the united states military is second to none in the world. this man has a driving intellectual force behind all that he

i want to thank vice president biden, secretaries kerry and hagel, and general marty dempsey for theirhip in advancing our strategy. as we meet this challenge in iraq and syria, we all agree one of our weapons against terrorists like isil a critical part of our strategy is the values we live here at home. one of the best antidotes to the hateful ideologies that try to recruit and radicalize people to violent extremism is our own example as a diverse and tolerant society that welcomes the contributions of all people including people of all faiths. the resolution we've submitted today does not call for the deployment of u.s. ground combat forces to iraq or syria. it is not the authorization of another ground war like afghanistan or iraq. the 2600 american troops in iraq today largely serve on bases, and, yes, they face the risk that is come with service in any dangerous environment, but they do not have a combat mission. they are focused on training iraqi forces including kurdish forces. as i have said before i'm convinced that the united states should not get dragged back into another p

reassured in each of those hearings as we would drive to the hill in the morning, knowing that marty dempsey was next to me. and for which you have meant to our military marty and which you continue to do for this country, thank you very much. i see another great icon of the united states senate with us today senator john warner who we all worked closely with and benefit from and to our distinguished colleague, senator lugar, warner, thank you for what you've done to this country, as so many of you here today, and i'm grateful that you would take the time to visit us on this occasion. to the chiefs of the services, our senior civilian leaders and the combatant commanders, thank you. thank you for your unflagging service and your leadership and your commitment to this country. i want to particularly knowledge bob bork. bob bork our deputy secretary of defense, i thank him for his leadership and our strong partnership over the last year. and my appreciation as well to ash carter. for ashes of service and his partnership during my first year at the pentagon, and for his continued commitment to