Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you Admiral Harris for being here today.  We understand how difficult this time must be for you and General Brooks, and we thank you for appearing here today on his behalf as well.

It is clear to me, especially after the thoughtful discussion we had on Tuesday with our outside panel, that there is no set of options that lead to a quick and certain strategy on North Korea.  While I believe that we should pursue and exhaust every diplomatic option to bring the North Korean regime to the negotiating table, those options are quite limited.  China provides the lifeline for North Korea and China, for its own national security interests, seems unwilling to exert the type of pressure that is needed to convince the regime that denuclearization is the only path forward.  Even if China were willing to exert that type of pressure, it seems that Kim Jong-un is so determined to pursue his nuclear program that he is willing to risk impoverishing and starving his own population to achieve his dream of becoming a nuclear capable state.

There are military options, but they are risky.  A comprehensive strike on nuclear facilities may precipitate a catastrophic retaliation against the civilian population of Seoul, or against our bases and servicemembers in South Korea or Japan.  A surgical strike, while less risky, may not deter the North Korean regime, and runs the risk of emboldening Kim Jong-un.  Complicating factors, of course, are the stockpile of chemical and biological weapons at his disposal, and road mobile missile launchers spread across the countryside.

North Korea’s nuclear and missile program is an immediate and grave national security threat.  Admiral Harris, I ask that you tell us how you are preparing for every contingency on the peninsula.

While North Korea poses an immediate national security threat, we must not lose sight of the potential long-term threat that China poses to the rules-based order in the Asia Pacific region.  Whether it be economic coercion of its smaller, more vulnerable neighbors, or undermining the freedom of navigation that we all depend upon, China has not demonstrated a willingness to rise as a responsible global leader.  Therefore, I believe it is critical that we empower and engage countries in Southeast Asia and South Asia to protect their own waterways, and provide them with economic alternatives to maintain regional stability, preserve U.S. standing in Asia, and allow the economic growth and stability that has characterized the region for the last fifty years to continue.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I look forward to your testimony, Admiral Harris.