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We are charting a new course for our alliances and partnerships, 

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one that is grounded in the realities of power and interests.

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It is a course that will leave America stronger, our allies and partners more capable, 

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and the Pacific region more stable and secure.

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The foundation of this new approach is moving away from a model of dependency and toward one of true partnership, 

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embracing a perspective that our partners in Asia have understood for decades.

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Now perhaps because of distance or perhaps because of the hard-learned lessons of history,

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the default Asian lens on America has been clearer and far more pragmatic than in other regions.

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Our partners in Asia have long understood that the bedrock of a durable partnership is not based on idealistic values but on the concrete alignment of national interests.

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There is undeniable strength in this clarity, 

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and it's what makes our Pacific allies and partners such reliable counterweights in the face of regional threats.

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When our interests align, we act together with focused resolve.

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When our interests diverge, we adjust pragmatically, without the drama or the moralizing.

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I think Western Europe might take note.

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This is a mindset we fully embrace.

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The era of the United States subsidizing the defense of wealthy nations is over.

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We need partners, not protectorates.

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We seek alliances built on shared responsibility, not dependency.

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This is the maturation of our alliances in a new era.

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It's a vision that puts our alliances on a sustainable footing, 

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ensuring they are fit for the challenges of this century, 

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not the last.

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The shift is not a matter of choice, it is a matter of strategic prudence.

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The national defense strategy makes clear that the old, toothless, utopian, 

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and globalist course of foreign policy was headed for a disaster that all changes under President Trump.

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Our approach is one of flexible, 

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practical realism that looks at the world with a clear-eyed perspective that is essential for serving vital interests.

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And nowhere is this clarity more important than in the Pacific.

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This region has profound implications for U.S. security and prosperity.

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It's the world's largest and most dynamic market area.

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It's why our national defense strategy directs the Department of War to set the military conditions required to achieve a lasting and favorable balance of power in the Pacific region.

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When we look across the region today, 

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there is rightful alarm regarding China's historic military buildup

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and the expansion of its military activities in the region and beyond.

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We share a clear-eyed assessment of that security environment and a mutual understanding that a Pacific dominated by any hegemon would unravel the regional balance of power and undermine the equilibrium we all seek to preserve.

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The Department of War is working with the utmost focus to prevent any such unraveling.