It is truly our shared interest for the future. Peaceful, shared interests are inherently more conducive to the economic prosperity we all seek than falling back into the risky business of developing counter-balancing alliances to head off the advantages we see going to the other side. The process involves developing mutual trust through both dialogue and action. Dialogue provides the basis for understanding. Action demands a deeper level of cooperation.
Shared success makes the process self-reinforcing.
We think naval forces have a very positive role to play in the development and maintenance of security communities. As I alluded to earlier, it was my father's principle duty over many years during and after the second World War. And it has been mine for the past three decades. We have built relationships with our regional partners and trust with the leadership of many diverse populations. Nowhere is that more evident than here in the Western Pacific where our forward deployed Naval Forces work to further those relationships while helping to provide the stability that is so essential to the economic well-being of this complex region.