Fox News 2015 GOP primary debate: on Homeland Security

Ben Carson: Don't tie military's hands in terrorism fight, even torture

CARSON: What we do in order to get the information that we need is our business, and I wouldn't necessarily be broadcasting what we're going to do. We've gotten into this mindset of fighting politically correct wars. There is no such thing as a politically correct war. The left, of course, will say Carson doesn't believe in the Geneva Convention: Carson doesn't believe in fighting stupid wars. And what we have to remember is we want to utilize the tremendous intellect that we have in the military to win wars. And I've talked to a lot of the generals, a lot of our advanced people. And believe me, if we gave them the mission, which is what the commander-in-chief does, they would be able to carry it out. And if we don't tie their hands behind their back, they will do it extremely effectively.

Ben Carson: Our armed forces are at smallest size in decades

Our friends can't trust us anymore. You know, Ukraine was a nuclear-armed state. They gave away their nuclear arms with the understanding that we would protect them. We won't even give them offensive weapons.

We turned our back on Israel, our ally. In a situation like [military action after Syria crossed the "redline" of chemical weapons], of course Obama's not going to be able to do anything. I would shore up our military first, because if you don't get the military right, nothing else is going to work.

Bobby Jindal: Name the enemy: radical Islamic terrorism

Carly Fiorina: We get warnings about terrorism, but we must connect dots

We even had warnings about the Boston Marathon bombers, and yet the dots weren't connected. So we need to get on a different mindset.

Chris Christie: Balance privacy rights but more NSA tools to fight terrorism

CHRISTIE: Yes, I do. And I'll tell you why: because I'm the only person on this stage who's actually filed applications under the Patriot Act, who has gone before the Foreign Intelligence Service court. This is not theoretical to me. When you actually have to be responsible for doing this, you can do it, and we did it, for seven years in my office, respecting civil liberties and protecting the homeland. And I will make no apologies, ever, for protecting the lives and the safety of the American people. We have to give more tools to our folks to be able to do that, not fewer, and then trust those people and oversee them to do it the right way. As president, that is exactly what I'll do.

Chris Christie: I spent 7 years putting terrorists in jail

I was appointed United States attorney on September 10, 2001. And I spent the next seven years of my career fighting terrorism and putting terrorists in jail.

Chris Christie: Modernize to have 350 ships and 2,600 aircraft

George Pataki: Preaching jihad is not protected speech, even in mosques

PATAKI: Religious liberty doesn't include encouraging a fellow American to engage in violent jihad and kill an American here. That is not protected free speech. That is not protected religious belief. That is like shouting "fire" in a crowded theater, and that is illegal, and I would do everything in our power not just to go after those who are here who we know who are here, before they can radicalize other Americans to carry out attacks, and it's not just the ones they've arrested. We have to shut down their internet capability. We have to shut down, whether or not they're in prisons preaching or in mosques preaching. No radical Islam that is allowed to engage in encouraging violence against Americans, that is not protected speech. We have got to destroy their training camps and recruiting centers.

George Pataki: Freeze government hiring except military & defense

PATAKI: I defeated Mario Cuomo. In the first day in office, my first executive order, I revoked every one of the executive orders that he had enacted over the prior 12 years. I would do that to Barack Obama's executive orders. But I'd sign a second one, as I did in New York, as well, having a hard hiring freeze on adding new employees except for the military or defense-related positions. I'd sign that executive order. I will do that in Washington.

Jim Gilmore: There will be further terror attacks; prepare for a long war

GILMORE: I chaired the National Commission on Homeland Security Committee for United States. We warned about the 9/11 attack before the 9/11 attack occurred. I was the governor during the 9/11 attack when the Pentagon was struck. And I'm going to tell you this, we need to use the benefit of our law enforcement people across this country, combined with our intelligence people across this country. We need to use our technological advantages, because what we've warned of is an international guerrilla movement that threatens this country. It's going to happen in this country, there are going to be further attacks. We have to be prepared to defend the American people, prepare them for a long war, stand up for the defense of this country, and stand up for the values of this country.

Marco Rubio: Empower V.A. to care more about vets than bureaucrats

RUBIO: God has blessed America with young men and women willing to risk their lives and sometimes die in uniform for the safety and security of our people. Unfortunately today we have a VA that does not do enough for them. I am proud that last year we helped change the law. We changed the law to give the power to the VA secretary the ability to fire any executive that isn't doing their job. And it is outrageous they've only fired one person to date. When I'm president of the United States, we're going to have a VA that cares more about our veterans than about the bureaucrats who work at the VA.

Mike Huckabee: Military is not social experiment: no transgendered soldiers

HUCKABEE: The military is not a social experiment. The purpose of the military is kill people and break things. It's not to transform the culture by trying out some ideas that some people think would make us a different country and more diverse. The purpose is to protect America. I'm not sure how paying for transgender surgery for soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines makes our country safer.

Mike Huckabee: Our B-52s are from 1962; that's pretty scary

Rand Paul: Stop funding & arming allies of ISIS

PAUL: First of all, only ISIS is responsible for the terrorism. Only ISIS is responsible for the depravity. But, we do have to examine, how are we going to defeat ISIS? I've got a proposal. I'm the leading voice in America for not arming the allies of ISIS. I've been fighting amidst a lot of opposition from both Hillary Clinton, as well as some Republicans who wanted to send arms to the allies of ISIS. ISIS rides around in a billion dollars worth of US Humvees. It's a disgrace. We shouldn't fund our enemies, for goodness sakes. So, we didn't create ISIS--ISIS created themselves, but we will stop them, and one of the ways we stop them is by not funding them, and not arming them.

Rand Paul: American Revolution was fought over 4th Amendment rights

CHRISTIE: Yes, I do. We have to give more tools to [the NSA], not fewer, and then trust those people & oversee them to do it the right way.

PAUL: I want to collect more records from terrorists, but less records from innocent Americans. The Fourth Amendment was what we fought the Revolution over! John Adams said it was the spark that led to our war for independence, and I'm proud of standing for the Bill of Rights, and I will continue to stand for the Bill of Rights.

CHRISTIE: That's a completely ridiculous answer. "More records from terrorists, but less records from other people"--How are you supposed to know?

PAUL: Use the Fourth Amendment! Get a judge to sign the warrant! You fundamentally misunderstand the Bill of Rights

Ted Cruz: Label the enemy that Obama won't: radical Islamic terrorists