STAFF：It＇s the sound.
SEC. MATTIS：OK. Yes， this is still probably a quieter place than anywhere else on the plane. But the three lines of effort， build a more lethal force and the second one was to engage and build more partnerships and allies and the third one is to reform the Pentagon＇s internal business practices so that we use every dollar we get wisely and move －－ make change at the speed of relevance.
The second line of effort of building more trusted relationships with allies and partners， that＇s why we go out here on trips like this， to －－ for the normal consultations with each other. The U.S.， as you know， is a Pacific power. Five of our states plus the territory of Guam have Pacific shorelines. California， Oregon， Idaho， Alaska， Hawaii， Guam. We＇re very committee to this region， as you know.
My first trip abroad， when I came into the job about a year ago now， was to the Pacific， up to Japan and South Korea. The －－ as you know， the president was also out in the Pacific just a couple months ago. So again， bottom line， we＇re working by， with and through allies and partners from the president＇s level， from my level down to our mil－to－mil engagements.
And what we want out here －－ I think we＇ve said it many times but it －－ it bears repeating －－ a peaceful， prosperous and freer Asia with a free and open regional order defined by the rule of law. And what we＇re looking for here is －－ is that small nations get the same respect， the same regard as large nations， larger nations. Every nation matters and there should not be any bullying or shredding of trust toward others.
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