We are charting a new course for our alliances and partnerships,
one that is grounded in the realities of power and interests.
It is a course that will leave America stronger, our allies and partners more capable,
and the Pacific region more stable and secure.
The foundation of this new approach is moving away from a model of dependency and toward one of true partnership,
embracing a perspective that our partners in Asia have understood for decades.
Now perhaps because of distance or perhaps because of the hard-learned lessons of history,
the default Asian lens on America has been clearer and far more pragmatic than in other regions.
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.
There is undeniable strength in this clarity,
and it's what makes our Pacific allies and partners such reliable counterweights in the face of regional threats.
When our interests align, we act together with focused resolve.
When our interests diverge, we adjust pragmatically, without the drama or the moralizing.
I think Western Europe might take note.
This is a mindset we fully embrace.
The era of the United States subsidizing the defense of wealthy nations is over.
We need partners, not protectorates.
We seek alliances built on shared responsibility, not dependency.
This is the maturation of our alliances in a new era.
It's a vision that puts our alliances on a sustainable footing,
ensuring they are fit for the challenges of this century,
not the last.
The shift is not a matter of choice, it is a matter of strategic prudence.
The national defense strategy makes clear that the old, toothless, utopian,
and globalist course of foreign policy was headed for a disaster that all changes under President Trump.
Our approach is one of flexible,
practical realism that looks at the world with a clear-eyed perspective that is essential for serving vital interests.
And nowhere is this clarity more important than in the Pacific.
This region has profound implications for U.S. security and prosperity.
It's the world's largest and most dynamic market area.
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.
When we look across the region today,
there is rightful alarm regarding China's historic military buildup
and the expansion of its military activities in the region and beyond.
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.
The Department of War is working with the utmost focus to prevent any such unraveling.