Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper speaks on “Advancing a Free and Open Indo-Pacific” at the Asia Pacific Center for Pacific Studies in Honolulu, Aug. 26, 2020.
Transcript
Well, Hello. Hi. Good afternoon. And thank you, Admiral. Gonna tattle for that kind introduction. It is really great to be here with you today in honor of the 25th anniversary of your ongoing efforts to educate, connect with and empower our partners throughout the Indo Pacific. And I must say, it’s a little personal for me as well as I walked in here today I have the fortunate opportunity to work with center in the way during my time in the Senate to get to know him, to travel with him both in d. C and here and to get to know his staff. And while I have great regard for him as a lawmaker, as somebody who could always reach across the island do what’s right for our nation’s defense, I was even more impressed by the fact that he was that he had earned the Medal of Honor and World War Two for his courage under fire. And he and I had the chance to have a couple of conversations about that during his time. So thank you for that opportunity to come here and to celebrate his legacy here at your 25th anniversary for decades. AP CSS has leveraged its unique position in the region as part of the department defense to enhance our mission of forging lasting security partnerships across the Indo Pacific and advancing the security interests of the United States and our allies. This week I’m traveling throughout the region to highlight our successes when it comes to that mission and put it into contrast as we commemorate the end of World War 2 75 years ago. When we reflect on the tremendous sacrifices of the greatest generation, we’re reminded that together America and its allies delivered victory for freedom and built an international order that has brought prosperity and security to the globe for more than seven decades. Today, regrettably, that free and open system is under duress. In fact, the vision that the late Senator Inouye had for this institution upon its founding is more relevant than ever in this era of great power competition. The importance he placed on strengthening partnerships and cultivating new relationships has never been more pronounced. Indeed, our robust network of allies and partners remains the enduring asymmetric advantage we have over near pier rivals, namely China, that attempt to undermine and subvert the rules based order to advance their own interests, often at the expense of others. In light of this challenge, the national defense strategy guys us as we enhance our leath Audi, strengthen those alliances and build partnerships and reform the department to align our resource is with our highest priorities. One of the goals that drives our implementation of the NDS is to focus the department on China. To do this, we have stood up a new defence policy office on China and establish a China Strategy management group to integrate our efforts. I also directed our National Defense University to refocus its curriculum by dedicating 50% of its coursework to China. And I tasked the military services to make the PRC the pacing threat in all of our schools, our programs and our training. These efforts are critical to preparing our military’s future leaders for tomorrow’s challenges, one of which, I’d like to talk about more today. Under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, Beijing has repeatedly fallen short of its promises to do the following, abide by international laws, rules or norms, despite continuing to reap the benefits of the international system and free markets and second to honor the commitments it made to the international community, including promises to safeguard the autonomy of Hong Kong and not the military’s features in the South China Sea. Beijing self serving behaviour, however, is not isolated to just the Indo Pacific region. Increasingly, our like minded partners around the world are experiencing the CCPS systematic rule breaking behavior, debt backed economic coercion and other malign activities meant to undermine the free and open order that has benefited nations of all sizes, China included. For example, China’s illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing has wrought economic and ecological ecological damage in the Caribbean and Latin America in Africa, in the Pacific islands and beyond. Further, Beijing has failed to uphold its obligations on the rule trade organization and hampered global efforts to control the Corona virus pandemic due to its lack of transparency with the World Health Organization. Moreover, the PRC’s destabilizing actions go beyond its versus subversive political and economic activity. To advance the CCPS agenda, the People’s Liberation Army continues to pursue an aggressive modernisation plan to achieve a world class military by the middle of the century. This will undoubtedly embolden the pl ays provocative behavior in the South and East China seas and anywhere else the Chinese government has deemed critical to its interests. Unlike America’s armed forces, the P L. A is not a military that serves its nation or a constitution. Rather, it serves a political entity, the Chinese Communist Party and its attempts to undermine rules and norms across the globe. In fact, China’s global ambitions include establishing a security presence at strategic access points, such as its base in Africa, to enhance its ability, ability to project power globally and across all domains. Clearly, China seeks to undermine the free and open order itself which impacts every nation supporting and benefiting from this system. That is why this institutions four location and unique role on the front lines of our long term competition here in the end of Pacific is so very important. Over the past 25 years, AP CSS has served as the regional touch point for nearly 14,000 practitioners from over 100 countries, playing an important role in the department’s ongoing efforts to implement the national defense strategy and our Indo Pacific strategy. In particular, the NDS identifies the Indo Pacific as departments Priority theater, given its economic and strategic significance. More than half of all global maritime trade transits through Asia, and the region alone accounts for 60% of the world’s gross domestic product. Moreover, the Indo Pacific’s home to six nuclear nations and seven of the world’s 10 largest standing army. Further, the Indo Pacific faces some of the world’s most dynamic security challenges to include a defiant North Korea, violent extremism and a host of transnational threats, such US piracy, human and arms trafficking, natural disasters and now a global pandemic. But most importantly, the Indo Pacific is the epicenter of a great power competition with China. In light of this reality, the departments committed to implementing a comprehensive strategy for the region that is based on one preparedness to strengthening our alliances and partnerships and three promoting and expanding a network of like minded partners. First under preparedness, we’re investing from legacy systems and focusing on modernizing our forces so we can deter, compete and, if necessary, fight and win across all domains air, land, sea space and cyberspace. Thanks to our largest research and development budget in the department’s history, we are prioritising the development and deployment of game changing technologies such as hypersonic weapons, five G and artificial intelligence. We are also investing in platforms critical to the future of a free and open Indo Pacific, such a submarine’s B 21 stealth bombers, P eight maritime patrol aircraft, unmanned underwater and surface vehicles, long range precision munitions, integrated air and missile defenses, and a new class of frigates. In the coming days, I look forward to visiting Guam to see firsthand some of the investments we have made to develop the island as a strategic hub for our presence in the region. This includes the addition of air and missile defense capabilities, advanced intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance systems and our ongoing bomber Task force missions that prepare us to defend the Indo Pacific at a moments notice, Moreover, were transforming the way we fight by developing a new joint warfighting concept for the 21st century and implementing other initiatives that make us more strategically predictable, toe our partners and operationally unpredictable to our competitors. These efforts prepare a military for future conflicts that we would. We hope we won’t need the fight but must and will be prepared toe win. We recognize that many of these concepts rely on close coordination and collaboration with our partners and allies. This is why assisting countries across the region to develop their national security policies, strategies, plans and laws is so very critical. This type of work with nations such as Bangladesh, Mongolia, the Philippines and several Pacific Island nations has helped put like minded partners on a path for greater preparedness, enabling them to become more more confident in their sovereignty. That brings me to the second pillar strengthening our alliances and partnerships, a bedrock of our strategy. U. S engagement in the Indo Pacific region is rooted in our longstanding security alliances, which provide an asymmetric advantage that our adversaries simply do not have. Our shared security concerns and desire to maintain a free and open Indo Pacific have yielded countless bilateral and multilateral initiatives throughout the region aimed at strengthening and expanding defense cooperation and alignment. Notably, one of the major ways that we are enhancing the interoperability and bolstering our partners capabilities is through an improved and expanded foreign military sales programme. By streaming streamlining the FMS process, we have lowered costs and accelerated our response time to partner nation requests allowing us to deliver critical capabilities more quickly and more effectively. Today. There are more than $160 billion worth of FM’s FMS projects underway across the Indo Pacific, including 22 billion in newly initiated projects in this fiscal year alone, which is almost half of all foreign military sales globally. We’re providing F 35 aircraft to Japan, Seahawk and Apache helicopters to India and F 16 fighter jets and M one Abrams tanks to Taiwan just to name a few examples. In addition, the United States has provided nearly $400 million of assistance to bolster the maritime security and domain awareness capabilities of partners such as the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Maldives, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Further, we continue to make progress in deepening our defense relationships across the region with Thailand, for example, were co procuring striker armored vehicles and with Japan, we’re moving into the production phase of a co developed ground based interceptor missile, the SM three block to a last month, during consultations with my Australian counterpart, we signed a statement of principles that will enhance our defense relationship and posture in the region for the next decade and beyond. Similarly, last fall, we renewed a key agreement with Singapore, extending US Ford presence and cooperation in the region for another 15 years. We’re also looking to expand our engagement with new and emerging partners throughout South and Southeast Asia. For instance, we have upgraded our defense relationship with India to a major defense partnership and we held our first ever joint military exercise with them last year, along with combined naval exercises earlier this summer. Additionally, this past spring we conducted the second ever US carrier visit the Vietnam in over four decades, a sign of our deepening relationship. We also continue to seek opportunities to build our relationships with team or last in Mongolia as well as the Pacific Islands militaries in Papa, New Guinea, Fiji and Tonga. Looking to the future, we continue to enhance our cooperation alongside our allies to maintain our technological advantage in the newest warfighting domains, cyberspace and space. One significant milestone was our expansion of Article five of the U. S. Japan Security Treaty to include cyber attacks as one of the dangers that under certain circumstances could warrant an alliance response. Likewise, the United States and our allies have taken decisive action to counter China’s attempts to manipulate, disrupt and undermine our technological edge, namely by denying access to high risk five G vendors, something Japan, Australia and New Zealand did early on. I continue to encourage all like minded partners to carefully consider the choices their choices regarding telecommunications infrastructure and assess the long term collective risks of using Chinese state back fenders. Our third and final goal and promoting a more network region is to encourage the growth of interconnected security partnerships that serves a force multiplier to advance our shared interests. A prime example is our ongoing multinational effort to enforce United Nations Security Council resolutions and sanctions on North Korea. The combined capabilities of the United States, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, France, Canada and the United Kingdom are a powerful show of support rain, forcing the will of the international community. Other examples include Japan’s provision of maritime vessels for regional capacity building the logistical support agreement being finalized between Australia and India. South Korea’s pledged to more than double its development assistance to ASEAN nations by 2020 and maritime and air patrols coordinated by Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines to God combat illicit transborder activities in the Su Lou and sell a bus, sees these efforts extended training and exercises as well. This year, the United States and the Royal Thai Armed Forces co hosted the 39th Cobra Gold exercise in Thailand for over 9000 personnel from 29 countries. Meanwhile, Canada and Japan have conducted bilateral military exercises in the Indo Pacific since 2016 and for the past five years, Australia, Japan and United States have partner with team or less for an annual engineering exercise to support capacity building. Finally, in recent years, we’ve expanded the RIMPAC exercise to include our Western Hemisphere partners such as Colombia and Peru. All participating nations play a vital role in ensuring interoperability across the Pacific and I was pleased to witness this cooperation firsthand earlier today. Together, we will continue to find new ways to enhance preparedness, strengthened partnerships and promote a more network region which allow us to protect a free and open Indo Pacific for all. AP CSS will remain an important part of that effort by encouraging candid and open exchanges on regional security issues and strengthening the intellectual interoperability. We need to be successful as we continue to implement our Indo Pacific strategy. The United States needs our allies and partners to contribute in ways that are fair and equitable. We need them to pursue close alignment of policies that uphold a free and open order and reject decisions that would benefit malign actors to our collective detriment. And we need them to make the necessary investments to improve their capability so that together we can safeguard our interests, strengthen our readiness and defend our sovereignty and our values. In doing so, we will secure freedom and prosperity for future generations, much like we did 75 years ago when Allied forces fought shoulder to shoulder against tyranny. Together we prevailed in a conflict unlike anything the world had ever experienced. And today I’m confident that we, much like our predecessors, can muster the same strength, resolve and commitment. They deter the threats of today and overcome the challenges of tomorrow. Thank you for your time. And I look forward to your questions. Thank you, Secretary s for for sharing your insights and very informative and detail information regarding some of the views we have in the region and the importance of the region for our virtual audience. I asked for your indulgence for a moment while we pause just now as we prepare and reset for our question and answer session. Thank you. Is our audience register for this event? We gave them an opportunity to submit a question for the secretary. For those that did take the time to submit a question. Thank you. These questions give us the opportunity to hear the secretary’s perspectives and the challenges and opportunities in the Indo Pacific region. Due to time constraints, we won’t be able to get to all of the Semitic questions. So we have selected those that reflect the most common concerns off the region as well. A specific concerns from the sub regions. This is Secretary, frankly says I listen closely to your remark, remarks Judy addressed and touched on all these questions I we have assembled to ask from you from the audience. So it’s so if you’re ready, sir, I would like to tee up the first question. Mr Secretary of the United States has made clear that it supports a free and open in the Pacific. What are some of the core ways the department strategy helps to make this a reality Well, thank you. You know, I dressed some of that my remarks, but let me emphasize and provide some color. No force. The first and foremost, we have the national defense strategy that says we’re gonna pursuit three lines of effort one is building are improving, hardly Falih and already miss to strengthening our alliances and partnerships. And three reforming. And so, uh, Aziz, you may know of the past year, we’ve undergone a significant reform effort to free up time money manpower to put back into number one and number two, and that has yielded nearly $6 billion in our first go around. We’re putting those monies back into the technologies I mentioned hyper Sonics, ai five, g robotics, um, advanced air missile defense capabilities, many things that are critically important in all regions of the world. But in some cases, particularly this part of the world, when you think about long range precision fires or you think about how we can use air missile defenses in this part of the world, so that’s the first means by which we do it. And then through the four military cells process, we can extend those capabilities to our allies and partners, which has the benefit not just improving their capability and capacity. But it really improves upon the relationship and builds interoperability because now we know we can talk to each other. We can. If you could talk to one another in exchange data, then you could fight alongside one another and you could use the same tactics and techniques and procedures. So all that is a very important and things we want to continue. I’d also add that we are trying to enhance our relationships in other ways. How do we expand, for example, the I Met program, which you may be familiar with the the military education and training programmes, something I experienced during my time in the services well, very important to building those long term relationships that will endure through through time and through the ages. So building that is very important as well, with regard to allies and partners. Again, it’s important to strengthen our longstanding alliances, but the importance of reaching out to new partners. So my first during my first month on the job, the first trip I made was to the Indo Pacific region, and I visited not just with our Australian allies and Japanese. But I went in visited countries like Mongolia eventually in other places where we could build a broader network, which gets to that third pillar of our Indo Pacific strategy. So when you look at all these functions were trying to do is get out, build a network and in aspire to allies and partners in a way that were there to let them know that we’re committed to that free and open Indo Pacific, that we want to help each country build its own capabilities, that we want to help them secure their own sovereignty, that we want to help maintain those those norms and expectations that they have served us all now for well over seven decades. And that’s where committed Teoh and those are just some examples by which we’re doing it. Yes, sir. Thank you for that. And what struck me on that remark is the network of relationships of like minded nations. And that’s why it’s a collective effort. Thank you, sir, in keeping with the same theme, Mrs Secretary, it’s been two years since the National Defense Strategy identified this long term strategic competition with China. And I know you mentioned this in your remarks, and it’s one of the department’s most pressing priorities. Have you’ve alluded to what adjustments has the department made in that time to address this growing threat again? I mentioned some of those of my remarks. We’ve established a new office on China with the deputy assistant secretary. I have the China Strategy Management Group that coordinates all of our efforts. We’re updating all of our plans. One of things I’ll spend time out here this week within dope. A calm Advil Davidson to do is to talk to our plans, but and also to talk to how he sees the region in the future. And how do we make need to make adjustments with regard to the disposition of forces, those types of things? I have directed a change in course work for our senior service colleges, and, if identified, China’s the pacing threat for a military. So there are a number of things like that that were pursuing across the board, and by the way, it’s what, while Indo pay com is the epic epicenter, if you will of this great power competition way. Actually, no, it’s a global competition. China and Russia are in all parts of the globe, and we need to be able to deal with them, whether it’s in the Centcom Bor or the Arctic in tow. Pay com or your and so what it is is appealing for those like minded nations to make sure we’re doing everything we can to address that. And again, with regard to our own capabilities, we continue to make these big investments on the next generation of technologies that we think will be critical to making sure we can maintain that deterrent capability for years to come. That begins with our strategic nuclear triad, which we’re modernizing all three legs off but also gets into our naval forces. Marine Forces, Army, Air Force, all for them are developing a different doctrine, new techniques and tactics, a new ways of war fighting. I spent time out today on the USS Essex to see what they’re doing to watch to live missile shots, so it’s a very exciting time for each more services. As we look ahead and think about how we can continue to maintain peace and stability and security in the Indo Pacific region and deter Chon and hopefully, uh, continue to work with the People’s Republic to get them back on a trajectory that is more in line with the international rules based order that we expect of all countries. Yes, sir. What strikes me about those remarks is Theodore apt ability that the department has done to adjust to a very complex security environment. Thank you. So the next two questions, if you don’t mind, I’m gonna combine because it talks about allies and partners and I know to write your whole remarks. You emphasized the importance, and it’s one of our priorities strengthening allies and partners. So I’m gonna ask 32 questions in that. First, what road do you see for the United States allies and partners in supporting US efforts on great park competition, that’s the first one. And second is what are some of the steps the department is taking to build the capabilities of his allies and partners in the region? Sure, I mean, those are both very critical is I’ve said many times, whether it’s in Europe, the Middle East or here, in particular, our allies and partners are an asymmetric advantage advantage that neither China nor Russia, uh, can imitate nowhere near and Why is that? Because I think most countries understand that what the United States stands for his democratic values, human rights, the free and open Indo Pacific, respecting all nations and and their sovereignty. And so when we speak to this, that’s those are the values that we speak Teoh. I think those are the values that United States is represented since its founding and certainly has pushed hard in the seven decades since the end of World War Two, which will commemorate in the coming days here. So that is the pill we make to our allies and partners. As I go around the region and speak to him, I hear over and over and over again and look in many cases, some countries are capable of speaking publicly about the concerns they have about China. But many aren’t. You know, the the hand of Beijing is heavier on a country the smaller one is, and particularly for some of the smaller countries. They feel that coercion. They see the bowling that is happening out there and they recognize the important role that the United States plays in this emerging involving great power competition. And they want to be part of a team. The team that we’re trying to build that will continue a spouse, those important values that we have out there and have for many times. Look, that’s building capability, which is the second part of your question is one of things we do through four military cells, interoperability and training, which we’re doing this weekend. RIMPAC. You know, Cobra Gold I mentioned with Thailand. 39 years we’ve been doing that. And there’s other exercises in the region we’ve been doing for decades. So they see that, too. And then they see the work of this center and what you’re doing. Just another example of how we’re trying to bring countries together, how we’re trying to build that broader network and how we’re building it around values, course sets of common interests, things that pull us together, things that draw and bind freedom loving people all around the world. That’s what we appeal to. Thank you, sir. And I have to admit, in our travels around the region and our discussions, the values and the principles of the free and open in the Pacific, it resonates so well. As you know, Prime Minister Robbie had mentioned that years ago, and that is something that people turn around and say, Hey, we have different views. Different priorities, however common those principles and standards of sovereignty, individual liberty, open commerce for all while very like a glue for discussion and cooperation, sir. So we have a number of questions here, if I may, that ask about the applications of priorities and rose by subregion. So those earlier questions air big picture. And so we’ve asked and looked at many questions. And so we tried toe put it into, uh, inputs from different subregions. The first one comes from Southeast Asia. What specific road do you see from the Ozzy on nations in preserving a free and open Indo Pacific and anything specific in regards to the role in the South China Sea? Look, I think ozone is critical. I had the chance last fall to attendees Aw Z on Defense Ministers Conference, where we discussed many of these same ideas and I had the opportunity conduct the number of bilaterals. Look, I think our Ozzie and partners recognise that the United States believes in governments and transparency, accountability, accountability and Ozzy on centrality Azaz Very important as well and we’re committed to advancing that. And I noted before about our longstanding partnerships and presence. We’ve been a partner with Austan for over four decades. 40 plus years. We’ve been there with Ozzy on, and I look forward to continue building our relationship with ASEAN and those countries both not only just multilaterally but bilaterally as well. And I’ve had the chance to visit Vietnam, for example, and meet with them. I’ve had the chance to visit Thailand and meet with the ties and each of these countries and many of these awesome partners. I’ve either visited them or had chance to speak to them on the phone. Talk to my counterparts and the same themes keep coming up over and over and over again. So again, ah zone is critically important. Southeast Asia is an important part of the world. We see Southeast Asia, particularly the South China Sea area, is where China seems to be flexing its muscles the most and conducting some of its worst behavior. I’ve spoken before about the sinking of ah, Vietnamese fishing vessel Um, the coercion we’ve seen around the nine countries, their ability to extract minerals or patrolling, for example, from their economic zones. We see the intrusion of Chinese fishing vessels in territorial waters. So all these things are seem to be concentrating to South China Sea. And that’s where Rosanna will play an important role as well as a sui. Look ahead, sir. Thank you, sir. And it should not be lost to our virtue audience that in our national security strategy, it not only talks about the importance of allies and partners, but also the criticality of working closely with regional institutions like Ozzy on absolutely ceremonies shift toc ana. And we do have several questions of if you indulge me, sir, how important is it to the department that it strengthens its relationship with Pacific island nations? And what are we doing to build these partnerships? And then the last is what is being done to counter the growing Chinese influence in that region. Look, the Pacific Island countries air very important, very critical to the region and to our strategy as well. And we have great respect for them and their sovereignty. And I think we need to spend more time, attention and investment on these important countries. So this week alone, I will be visiting uh, Palau in the coming days. I look forward to spending a whole day. They’re allowing talking to them about their defense needs and exchanging views on any number of issues to include Chinese, the Chinese presence in the region. I just got off the phone not long ago with the defense minister for Papa New Guinea. We discussed a number of issues areas where the United States and PNG or cooperating where we think there’s a lot of opportunities. And I’ve had similar conversations with countries you know all throughout the region. So a very important part of the world when you look at the vastness of of the Pacific and the important strategic importance of Pacific Island countries, many costs cut across, see lines of communication critical to a navigation and any number of issues and all important people’s with different cultures and backgrounds in history’s many, which are intertwined with the United States and in different roles. So it’s something that we in the department offense, and it’s certainly our partners in the department state will continue to pay more attention to it, conduct more outreach with yes sir. And in that third question on the growing influence of China and what we’re doing to counter that influence in the region. Yeah, look, I said earlier that, you know, the smaller the country, the heavy of the hand of Beijing, and you see this all the time, whether it’s debt diplomacy, whether it’s some type of economic coercion where they’re trying to buy their way into a port or, you know, trying toe hold out that carrot of economic assistance. But they always come with strings and catches and everything else. And we’ve seen that I think most vividly here in the past several months with Corona virus. Here is a country where, from which the Corona virus Kobe, 19 emerged. They were very opaque, unwilling to share what they knew. And we saw this pandemic spread globally and on. And then they tried to capitalize it on it later, by trying to promote how, ah, their view that maybe the Chinese system is better than everybody else’s, too, to pretend to prevent the pandemic book. What we expect is what we expect of everybody on that is those norms and rules of behavior that is sharing and being transparent and being accountable and not trying to take advantage of others when countries air down. You know, we were trying with United States of put forward millions of dollars to many of our partners to help them through this cove in 19 Crisis and other countries have reciprocated. Um, that hasn’t been the case with China per se. And so rather than this being a period for one country tryingto China trying to take advantage of the situation, trying to capitalize on others misfortune, they should act like most countries, that is trying to help one another and try and help us through these tough times. And we will get there. But we will get their together. So it’s important that we do that. And again, it’s important that we be attentive to the needs of Pacific Island countries, countries of all sizes, shapes, situations, Aziz. We work our way through the Corona virus pandemic, the economic crisis that has resulted from that. And until we get our stuff back up on our feet and then continue build forward again, this great international order and system that has served us so very well for decades and preserving that Yes, sir. Thank you. And I think your remark about listen to their needs and think will resonate so well back in Moshi. Ana and I do know with the deal d, working closely with the Pacific Honest Forum Australia, New Zealand and other like minded countries that want to go in there and collaborate and collectively come and bring together capacities and capabilities. It’s not just one country that would solve it. It’s listening to what they need working together. And I think that we’ve seen that very actively here, particularly in the time I’ve been here. So thank you, sir, and I completely agree. I’ve spoken to my counterparts from any of those countries you mentioned Australia, Japan, etcetera. They do a lot of good work in the region and have a lot of good outreach and connectivity that that we aspire to mimic in many ways. And they provide all of us a lot of good insights, a lot of good sharing going around, and I should mention since I was just talking about Corona virus, you want to try and look for the silver lining of every cloud, and I will tell you a silver lining that has come out of the pandemic is as we’ve been prevented from traveling as much as we all would like. But I have found that the United States and many of its closest partners have turned Teoh video teleconferences like this. Yes, and we’ve actually found more opportunities to meet and talk rather than just relying on a long plane flights and annual conferences. So in some ways, it’s brought us together. Many of us a few of us have kind of made a commitment to do it more frequently those types of conferences. So we continue to share information and look for ways to again build upon that third pillar of our Indo Pacific strategy and that is building this network of nations out there. Uh and I think that will more. We can do that more. We will be better served in the long run. Thank you, sir. So let me shift to the South Asia. How are you implementing the major defense partnership with India? Why is this important? What is the impact of tensions between China and India over the line of actual control? Sure. Well, look, I think India will be one of the most consequential relationships for United States in the 21st century. You know, as I think about this, I recall that, uh What? I’ve had several tourism Department offense when I was a deputy assistant secretary and 0203 those with the early years of us trying to build this relationship. And when I came back in 2017 I was just really astounded by how far this relationship is matured and I will take in the past year, Secretary defense, I’ve had a chance toe post my counterpart here in the United States, I had a two plus two with with the secretary of State, his counterpart. I’ve spoken on the phone many times with the Minister of Defense from India and most recently, over these attentions with China, which is another example by which China tried to take advantage of the Corona virus. What was happening globally to capitalize on, uh, what was happening along the line of actual control. And so here’s another example of Chinese bad behavior that wasn’t necessary. Now that said, it’s good to see that both sides are talking about the escalating. We encourage that. But in the meantime, we’re going to continue to build that relationship with India. I spoke about our first combined exercises last year. In the past month. This summer we had the USS Nimitz cruising in the Indian Ocean with the Indian Navy, which is important. We continue a lot of good information sharing between our countries. Arm cells are important again, not just because you’re you’re selling arms, but the with United States arms sells come with a relationship, a long stay in a long term relationship. So all those things are good and moving in the right direction. And I think it’s very, very important for the world’s oldest democracy and the world’s largest democracy to continue to build along because we have so many shared values. There’s such a great relationship between our peoples, great accomplishments by Indian Americans in all 50 states. So I’m really hopeful for the future, and it’s a relationship I want to continue to build. I’ll be traveling there in the next few months as well, for for another ministerial, and I just think it’s critically important. Yes, Mr Sector, I have to agree with you. I have definitely seen increase of Milton mill relationships with India, for example, and I definitely have seen opportunities in areas like maritime security, even for other countries like Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Maldives. So great opportunity in South Asia. Sure. I’m gonna shift the Northeast Asia. Um, I was stationed there for a couple of years. Is neighbor forced? Curious. I’ll be interested in your thoughts on this. Where do we stand on North Korea? Do you think we will achieve the final and fully verify denuclearization of North Korea’s? So our policy remains the same. We want to pursue the complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearisation of North Korea. That’s our state of gold policy. It has been President. Trump has been very clear about that. He has made a lot of overtures to Kim Jong Eun. Clearly, the State Department is the lead on diplomatic effort. Look, the United States is has presented them an alternative of what? What the North Korean future could look like if they would sit down and negotiate with us and come to an agreement on that policy goal that we’ve outlined and our role department defenses to support those negotiations, which I, which I think critically important that is the best path for clearly. In the meantime, we have a responsibility, are working alongside our partners in the Republic of Korea to maintain a rightness of prepared to the stance. The fight tonight, capability suit. If things go bad, we can deter. And if necessary, fighting win. But look, we are constantly ready. Ah, good relationship with our rock partners and our other allies in the region. But diplomacy is the way to go. We need to continue to pursue that goal. Uh, that I just outlined. Thank you, Mr Secretary. I remember a Korean phrase when I was there catching Cocina Coptic option, which we go together now, remains the same even now, sir. Thank you very much. So finally become the last question, sir. And this is a great question. And because it goes and looks to the future for young officers or civil servants beginning a career in the Indo Pacific, A security arena. What advice would you offer on how to think strategically about the region there, boy? Such a dynamic region, isn’t it? I mean, I’ve been working it since, uh, since least 1995 when I was a plans officer in the department of the Army when I was still in uniform. That’s how far I date on it, but it’s evolved so much over those years. But it’s very dynamic and so much going on such a diverse group of cultures and histories and, uh and challenges. I noted my remarks. How much trade passes through this region? You have seven the world’s 10 largest armies. So there’s so much going on and so much potential as well that it’s only going to evolve and be more dynamic in the future. So I think the key thing is you’ve got to be at John. You gotta be flexible. You cannot have a static view about this region. And then I think in terms of what you what we should think about pursuing it gets back to How do we network it together? How do we make these partnerships of relationships which often, if not too often, our bilateral in nature and multilateral izing? Because if you look around for all of our allies and partners, whether it’s in Northeast Asia with Japan or South Korea, or if you look further, South Australia, New Zealand visit visited both places or look further and you know other parts of the region you see again, we all have the same values and same interests and same concerns. And so we got admit that together we are stronger together than we are individually. And I think that is the challenge for not just this generation, but more so the next generation to keep building that together. We can’t let the great distances the vastness of ocean out there be the obstacle to bring us together. We’ve got to continue to build those relationships, cut across any type of boundaries and obstacles because that is the future, I think, And that will Will will ensure that the Indo Pacific remains free and open and protected and secure for everyone of the next for the rest of this century and beyond. Well, thank you so much, Mr Secretary. It reminds me of an article I read recently that we really titled The Pacific is is the region of the 21st century and then further down in the article assist. It depends. It depends whether or not countries continue to collaborate and and provide a secure and stable and prosperous region. And I think all the remarks you said sir, today leads to that with the free and open Indo Pacific. That’s right, and we have a responsibility to leave. The United States has a responsibility. Need lead. We’ve been a Pacific country and Indo Pacific country for quite a long time, sir. And we’re not going to seed this region. We’re not gonna seed Ah, an inch of ground, if you will. To another country. Any other country that thinks that their form of government, their views on human rights, their views on sovereignty, their views on freedom of the press, freedom of religion, freedom of some of these things that somehow that’s better. Uh then what many of a share and know to be the case of the importance of individual rights and democracy and sovereignty and all those things we value and we know keep us safe and secure and prosperous. Well, thank you, sir. So, ladies and gentlemen, this concludes our question and answer session Secretary Esper, sir, thank you so much for just being with us today and sharing your insights. There are very thoughtful. There were very candid and they were very, very detail. Uh, this is the island style, but far sight chat, sir. But really, for the virtual audience, you don’t feel it, but sick terrace for is very relaxed up here. You know, I wish I had my slip us and my bathrobe. But, sir, it was really wonderful. Teoh have have you here with us and the kind worse you’ve had. Do you have we have a moment. Serve its OK? Do you have any closing remarks or words to the virtual audience that that came up on the Net to listen to you, sir? Well, I felt like I’ve spoken so much already. I would just say, Look, I think again the work that you do hear this institute is critically important. It’s based on a few principles and no center. In a way, I really felt strongly about it. It’s that transparency and kind of building the willingness to have open, candid discussions to to resolve issues or to try and advance important ideas. Uh, and that’s that’s important about our democracy to whether it’s our democracy or any other country out there in the Pacific region that is so called like minded, I think, continue to advance those values. It’s important, and that’s the torch we have to hand off to the next generation. It comes beyond you and me and so many others who are sitting on the stage is today or or or engaged in these great discussions about the future of the Indo Pacific. Yes, sir. Once against her. Thank you so much for making the time to be with us tonight. But but more important, Mrs Secretary, thank you for your leadership. Thank you for your continued service to our nation and your collaborative efforts with our allies and partners are like minded countries to collectively promote a free and open Indo Pacific. Thank you, sir. Thank you.