English subtitles for clip: File:Vice President Pence Makes Remarks to US Service Members Abroad the USS Ronald Reagan.webm

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The Vice President:
Lieutenant General Martinez,

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Major General Chiarotti, Vice Admiral Aucoin,

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Vice Admiral
Doman, Rear Admiral Williams,

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Rear Admiral
Carter, Rear Admiral Inoue,

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Rear Admiral Shimo,
Captain Donnelly, ChargĂŠ Hyland,

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Ambassador Sasae,
Director-General Mori,

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members of United States
Forces of Japan, the Japan

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Self-Defense Forces, it is
my high honor and distinct

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privilege to join you
here today on America's

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flagship -- the USS Ronald
Reagan -- where every day,

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all of you prove
it can be done.

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(Applause.)

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You all look sharp out
there, but at ease.

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It's so good to
be with you today.

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I bring greetings from the
President of the United

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States of America, your
Commander-in-Chief,

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President Donald Trump.

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(Applause.)

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I spoke to the President
this morning, just before

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I boarded the ship.

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He said to tell you
that he's proud of you.

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And he said to me, "I wish
I could be where you are."

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And I know he meant it,
from the bottom

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of his heart.

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The President sent me here
today to thank you -- to

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thank you for your service
-- all of you, American

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and Japanese, who have
stood up, who've stepped

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forward to protect our
countries, our values,

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and our very way of life.

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You are the sons and
daughters of freedom,

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willing to defend it with
your life -- so that your

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families, your fellow
countrymen, and future

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generations may continue
to call themselves free.

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Give yourselves a
round of applause.

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All of America
is proud of you.

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(Applause.)

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The Good Book tells us,
"if you owe debts pay

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debts, if honor, then
honor, if respect,

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then respect."

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I stand before you
today, on behalf of your

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Commander-in-Chief, to pay
a debt of gratitude to

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each of you and to express
the well-deserved respect

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of the President of the
United States and the

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American people for all of
you who wear the

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uniform of this country.

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Our prayers for you, for
your families, your safety

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rise every day into
the heart of heaven.

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In a word, you are the
best of us -- heroes all.

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And you are here, the
Americans among you so far

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away from home, because
the United States of

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America and Japan are
bound by history, a

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time-honored treaty,
and the abiding

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oath of friendship.

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The United States-Japan
alliance is the

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cornerstone of peace,
prosperity, and freedom

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in the Asia Pacific.

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And let me be clear: Under
President Donald Trump,

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the United States stands
unwavering in our alliance

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and unyielding in our
resolve to defend all that

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we have built together
over these generations.

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(Applause.)

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Our bond with Japan
is strong and growing

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stronger by the day.

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In February, only weeks
after he took his oath of

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office, President Trump
welcomed Prime Minister

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Abe to the White House,
where they reaffirmed in

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their words "their strong
determination to further

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strengthen the
U.S.-Japan alliance."

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You here, on the deck of
this great ship, are the

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physical manifestation of
that alliance, and I have

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to tell you it is deeply
inspiring to stand before

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you today, and see what I
see gathered

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here on this deck.

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Every American would be
inspired and proud if

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they had this view,
and I know I am.

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(Applause.)

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As the President and the
Prime Minister made clear,

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the United States will
strengthen its presence in

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the Asia Pacific, Japan
will assume a larger role

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and responsibility in our
alliance in the years

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ahead, and both of our
nations will continue to

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expand our cooperation
for our common defense.

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Under President Trump, the
United States' commitment

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to Article 5 of our
Security Treaty

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is unwavering.

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And our treaty covers
all of the territories

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administered by Japan,
including the

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Senkaku Islands.

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It's fitting that today
I deliver this message

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aboard this great ship,
a majestic ship, the USS

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Ronald Reagan, here at
Yokosuka Naval Base.

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Her steel deck literally
signifies the ironclad

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alliance our country
enjoys with Japan and our

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enduring commitment
to the Asia Pacific.

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(Applause.)

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And we are standing on a
ship named after my second

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favorite President.

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Our 40th President, Ronald
Reagan, was a great

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President who powerfully
reminded us that

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peace only comes
through strength.

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You are that strength.

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Today, over 50,000 U.S.

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troops and a further
50,000 civilians and

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family members are
stationed here in Japan.

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And the United States will
continue to deploy more of

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our most advanced military
assets to the region

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in the years ahead.

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Beyond this noble ship and
the carrier strike group

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that it leads, by the year
2020, this ocean will

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boast 60 percent of
our Navy's fleet.

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And the skies above
already have F-35 Joint

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Strike Fighters
flying for freedom.

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(Applause.)

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And you can rest assured, the

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full range of the United States
military capability is

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dedicated to the
protection of Japan.

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Japan, you are our friend
-- you are our ally -- and

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on that foundation, we
will face the

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future together.

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Under President Donald
Trump, the United States

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once again will stand with
our allies and stand up to

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our enemies.

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(Applause.)

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And I can assure you
President Trump will

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unfailingly support the
brave men and women in

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uniform who defend our
freedom every single day.

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We're the proud parents of
a United States Marine,

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stationed as we speak at a
naval air station in the

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South of the
United States.

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And I have to tell you, as
the parent of someone in

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the service, it is the
greatest privilege of my

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life to serve as Vice
President to a President

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who is so dedicated to the
men and women of our armed

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forces, their families,
and our veterans.

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I can tell you from my
heart: President Donald Trump

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will be the best
friend America's Armed

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Forces will ever have.

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(Applause.)

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The President and I will
honor your commitment and

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secure America's safety
through historic

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investments in our
national defense.

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Just as President Ronald
Reagan restored the armed

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forces in his day, so too
President Donald Trump

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will make the strongest
fighting force in the

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world even stronger still.

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Just look at what
President Trump has

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already accomplished.

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In his first 100 days,
President Trump has taken

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decisive action to end the
era of budget cuts for

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America's military.

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(Applause.)

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President Trump has
submitted a budget which

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will rebuild our military
and restore the arsenal of

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democracy with the largest
increase in defense

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spending since the days
the namesake of this ship

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sat in the Oval Office.

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(Applause.)

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And in just the past two
weeks, the world witnessed

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the strength and resolve
of our new President in

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the decisive action that
he took in Syria and

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Afghanistan.

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The enemies of our freedom
and this alliance would do

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well not to test the
resolve of this President

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-- or the capabilities of
the Armed Forces of the

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United States of
America and our allies.

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(Applause.)

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Make no mistake: Unde
President Donald Trump,

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the United States will be
strong -- stronger

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than ever before.

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For as history attests,
when America is strong,

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the world is safe.

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(Applause.)

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A strong America --
militarily, economically,

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and diplomatically -- is
vitally important to this

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region and all
who call it home.

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It was through the bravery
of our servicemembers and

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the spirit of our people,
that America established

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the foundation of peace
and freedom that endures

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in the Asia Pacific
to this very day.

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And under President Trump,
the United States will

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continue to defend
prosperity and ensure

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security on these seas,
and between our lands.

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Today, as in ages past,
American leadership

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lights the way.

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The United States stands
with all our allies and

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our partners in the region
to keep the peace, enrich

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our people, and advance
the common good.

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Together, we will defend
the rules-based order upon

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which the region's
progress,

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past and future, depends.

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We will protect the
freedom of navigation and

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overflight and other
lawful uses of the sea, in

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the South China Sea and
elsewhere, and we will

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ensure the unimpeded flow
of lawful commerce on

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the Seven Seas.

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(Applause.)

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And we will uphold
international rules and

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norms, promote peaceful
diplomatic dialogue to

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address issues of regional
and international concern,

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and we will defend human
rights -- because the

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dignity and worth of every
person is an eternal

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value of the United
States of America.

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Under President Trump,
the United States will

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faithfully defend all that
we hold dear -- for we

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know that if we falter,
the light of truth and

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freedom in the world could
swiftly be extinguished.

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We gather here today, on
this deck, and in this

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place, as storm clouds
gather on the horizon.

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On Monday, I traveled to
the frontlines of freedom,

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where the vibrancy of a
free South Korea meets

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directly the repression
of North Korea.

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At the Demilitarization
Zone, I met with the brave

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men and women who watch
over that land,

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day and night.

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They know what you who
stand in the gap in this

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region already know --
North Korea is the most

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dangerous and urgent
threat to the peace and

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security of the
Asia Pacific.

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For more than a
generation, North Korea's

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leaders have sought to
develop nuclear weapons

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and the ballistic missiles
on which to deliver them.

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They have impoverished
their people and

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embittered the region in
their pursuit of

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this dangerous goal.

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For more than two decades,
from the Agreed Framework

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of 1994, the Six-Party
Talks from year 2003 to

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'09, to the strategic
patience of the recent

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past, the United States
and our allies have worked

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to tirelessly to
peacefully dismantle North

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Korea's nuclear program
and alleviate the

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suffering of its people.

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But at every step of the
way, North Korea answered

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our overtures with willful
deception, with broken

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promises, and nuclear and
missile tests -- including

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a failed missile test they
attempted just

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this past Sunday.

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As President Trump has
made clear to the world,

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the era of strategic
patience is over.

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(Applause.)

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At the President's
direction, the policy of

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the United States will
be to continue to work

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diligently with Japan, our
allies across the region,

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China, and the wider world
to bring economic and

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diplomatic pressure to
bear on the regime in

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North Korea, and we will
do so until they abandon

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their nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

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But as all of you know,
readiness is the key.

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And you, the instruments
of American policy, should

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know -- all options
are on the table.

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History will attest, the
soldier "does not bear

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the sword in vain."

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And those who would
challenge our resolve or

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our readiness should know:
We will defeat any attack

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and meet any use of
conventional or nuclear

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weapons with an
overwhelming and effective

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American response.

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(Applause.)

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The United States of
America will always seek

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peace, but under President
Trump, the shield stands

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guard and the
sword stands ready.

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Rest assured, under
President Trump's

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leadership, the United
States will continue to

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protect our people and our
allies and to strengthen

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the bonds between us --
today, tomorrow, and

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every day that follows.

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As I look out across this
deck, I see men and women

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-- American and Japanese
-- who have answered

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the call to duty.

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And you have my
deepest respect.

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In these challenging
times, it is you --

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through your voluntary
service and your sacrifice

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-- who guard the flame
of freedom, undimmed and

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undiminished, to give
to generations to come.

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The President and I have
absolute faith that you

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will accomplish this
mission and freedom will

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prevail because you follow
in the footsteps also of

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those who defended freedom in the Asia Pacific in the past.

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I stand before you deeply
humbled to be among so

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00:16:30,289 --> 00:16:33,029
many in uniform because my
own life's journey did not

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take me into the uniform
of the United States.

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But it took my father.

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Sixty-five years ago,
a young Edward J. Pence

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left his home, in
Illinois, put on the

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uniform and crossed this vast Pacific on which you serve.

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Like so many of his
countrymen, that second

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00:16:53,912 --> 00:16:55,412
lieutenant in the 45th
Infantry Division of the

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00:16:55,414 --> 00:16:58,414
United States Army landed
on the shores of

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South Korea, in the midst of
a battle for freedom, a

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rifle in hand, resolved to defend that

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freedom with his life.

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Just two days ago, I stood
at the Demilitarized Zone,

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and looked out across the
landscape -- the very

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landscape where my father
had fought, in the Battle

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00:17:17,703 --> 00:17:22,473
for Old Baldy and the
battle on Pork Chop Hill.

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00:17:22,474 --> 00:17:26,444
It was a deeply emotional
experience for me.

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There, alongside his
brothers-in-arms, American

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00:17:28,881 --> 00:17:31,881
and Korean, my dad had
helped seize the high

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ground, repulsing more than 20 enemy counterattacks.

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00:17:37,423 --> 00:17:41,463
And they seized the high
ground of freedom, which

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prevails in South
Korea to this day.

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(Applause.)

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Sixty-four years ago last
week, my dad was -- had a

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medal pinned on his chest
for his valor on

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the field of battle.

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But like most of our
nation's heroes, my dad

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never talked much about
his time in combat.

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I believe that he carried
in his heart something

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that you understand in
ways that I perhaps never will.

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My dad never thought
of himself as a hero.

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He often would say that
the heroes were the ones

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that didn't get
to come home.

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He lost friends -- young
shining faces filled with

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promise -- who gave the
last full measure of

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devotion for your sake,
and for mine to defend our

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freedom and to plant freedom in that ancient land.

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And they succeeded.

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So now it's our turn
in this generation.

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And more to the point,
it's your turn.

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Today, we best honor the
sacrifices of those who

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have gone before by
defending the freedom they

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fought and bled
and died to secure.

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And on behalf of your
Commander-in-Chief, this

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00:19:00,038 --> 00:19:02,538
we know you will do.

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As President Ronald Reagan
said in his time, "we must

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realize that no arsenal,
or no weapon in the

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00:19:09,615 --> 00:19:14,415
arsenals of the world, is
so formidable as the will

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00:19:14,419 --> 00:19:18,629
and moral courage of
free men and women.

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00:19:18,624 --> 00:19:21,924
It is a weapon our
adversaries in today's

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00:19:21,927 --> 00:19:24,267
world do not have."

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00:19:24,263 --> 00:19:29,273
(Applause.)

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00:19:32,905 --> 00:19:34,945
For generations, the
United States has stood

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00:19:34,940 --> 00:19:38,680
guard over the Asia
Pacific, protecting

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00:19:38,677 --> 00:19:40,947
freedom through our
strength of will and

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00:19:40,946 --> 00:19:42,716
strength of arms.

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00:19:42,714 --> 00:19:46,084
With our friends and with
our allies, with Japan and

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00:19:46,084 --> 00:19:48,154
so many others, we have
ushered in an era of

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00:19:48,153 --> 00:19:51,653
unprecedented peace and
prosperity on these seas

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and between our lands.

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00:19:53,692 --> 00:19:57,062
Our choice today is the
same as in ages past:

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00:19:57,062 --> 00:20:01,332
Security through strength,
or an uncertain future of

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00:20:01,333 --> 00:20:05,203
weakness and
faltering will.

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00:20:05,203 --> 00:20:10,113
Let me assure you, under
President Donald Trump,

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00:20:10,108 --> 00:20:14,848
the United States has again chosen the way of strength.

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00:20:14,846 --> 00:20:19,856
(Applause.)

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00:20:23,255 --> 00:20:25,525
Under President Trump, the
United States has chosen

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00:20:25,524 --> 00:20:28,024
prosperity and security
and an unwavering

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00:20:28,026 --> 00:20:31,066
commitment to
the Asia Pacific.

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00:20:31,063 --> 00:20:33,363
And in the name of the
generations that came

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00:20:33,365 --> 00:20:38,235
before, together with our
allies, with confidence in

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00:20:38,236 --> 00:20:42,136
all of you, and in the
Commander-in-Chief who

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leads you, I know we will
together go forth to meet

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00:20:49,414 --> 00:20:51,014
the glorious future that
awaits, a future of

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00:20:51,016 --> 00:20:57,086
freedom for ourselves
and our posterity.

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Thank you.

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00:20:59,591 --> 00:21:02,091
Godspeed on the USS
Reagan's imminent

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00:21:02,094 --> 00:21:03,294
deployment.

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00:21:03,295 --> 00:21:04,665
God bless you.

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00:21:04,663 --> 00:21:06,503
God bless Japan.

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00:21:06,498 --> 00:21:09,498
And God bless the United
States of America.

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(Applause.)