"Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen to the House Armed Services Hearing on the U.S. Security Relationship with Russia and its Impact on Transatlantic Security. Appearing before us today are: The Honorable Alexander Vershbow; Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs; U.S. Department of Defense; Vice Admiral James A. Winnefeld, Jr., USN

Director for Strategic Plans and Policy; Joint Chiefs of Staff; The Honorable Philip H. Gordon;

Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs; U.S. Department of State.

"Even though we are limiting the scope of today’s hearing on Russia to security issues, that still presents us with a range of topics as broad as that country is wide. Once the heart of a super power, and today a power still to be reckoned with, Russia plays a major role in multiple, overlapping issues that have an impact throughout the globe. Still, as big as it is, physically and metaphorically, it has been a while since Russia has dominated our thinking in regards to security issues.

"We have had an ongoing dialogue over matters of non-proliferation with them, of course, and I am pleased that President Obama has undertaken an ambitious effort to strengthen and expand U.S. nonproliferation cooperation with Russia. It is clear that progress is already being made in this area.

"In many matters, our two sets of national interests are intertwined; both nations are concerned about extremist terrorism; both nations are concerned about the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; both nations are concerned about energy security as just some examples. There are many such areas ripe for cooperation. The US-Russia relationship remains an important one and I am glad that President Obama has reinvigorated it.

"In the last few years of course, Iraq, and then Afghanistan have been center stage and we have grown accustomed to thinking of our security challenges – and our NATO allies – through that lens. But we need look no further than the Georgia crisis of last summer to remind us that Russia also represents a significant challenge in our security landscape.

"It is clear that Russia would like to define a sphere of influence in what it calls its "near abroad" and it is equally clear that has made some of our NATO allies and other European friends nervous. So while NATO is performing an important role in Afghanistan, we must not forget that it is first and foremost a regional security arrangement, and many of our allies count on it – and therefore us – as the guarantor of European stability.

"In regards to arms control and nuclear security, President Obama has established an ambitious agenda that he described eloquently in his April speech in the Czech Republic.  I am glad to see that the Administration is working hard with its Russian counterparts to complete a modest follow-on to the START treaty that expires in December. 

"Even if a new treaty cannot be ratified by the December deadline, START should not be allowed to expire because the data exchanges and other verification provisions in the treaty contribute significantly to strategic stability and are in our national interest.

"Yet, these initiatives and other areas of mutual cooperation could be stymied by disagreements over issues such as non-strategic nuclear weapons, and especially missile defenses. The Administration’s ongoing review of missile defense requirements, and how that fits into the larger framework of US national security issues, and striking an appropriate balance in US-Russia and US-NATO relations is a necessary and difficult task.

"With luck, the Administration can find ways to work with Russia on some of these more difficult topics. But, in the end, the United States must balance its desire to "reset" the relationship with Russia with a clear calculation of our national interests, and the risks and threats we and our allies face.

"We must be careful to define these interests in the context of our overall national security strategy. At the end of today’s hearing, I believe it will be clear that Russia remains a critical influence on that strategy.

"And now, let me yield to my friend from California, the ranking Member, Mr. McKeon."

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