WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today questioned Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson, and Commandant of the Marine Corps General Robert Neller.

On Syria:

• GRAHAM: “To the American people: You may be tired of fighting these people [radical Islamic terrorists], but they are not tired of fighting you. You can build a wall on the southern border, but that’s not going to protect you from Mideast threats. If some of us are not over there working with our partners, they’re going to come here again…Does that make sense to the Marine Corps?”

   NELLER: “We don’t want to be playing any home games, Senator.” https://youtu.be/JghGjlEOJKM?t=11s

•  GRAHAM: “To hold the territory [in Syria], there has to be a holding force or they [ISIS] will come back?”

    NELLER: “If there is a vacuum, then they will move into it, yes.” https://youtu.be/JghGjlEOJKM?t=1m39s

On sequestration:

• GRAHAM: “On 12 June, 2017, Secretary Mattis said, ‘no enemy in the field has done more to harm the combat readiness of our military than sequestration.’ Do you agree with that?”

SPENCER: “I do.”

GRAHAM: “Would you tell every member of this committee without hesitation: ‘Don’t put me back into sequestration?’”

SPENCER: “Don’t put me back in sequestration.” https://youtu.be/JghGjlEOJKM?t=2m41s