The United States plans to strengthen its relations with allies around the world since diplomacy is the most effective way to overcome challenges.
At the same time, the United States will maintain strong military power because it is the main source of national strength, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in a joint statement published by The Washington Post.
“Our alliances are what our military calls “force multipliers.” We’re able to achieve far more with them than we could without them. No country on Earth has a network of alliances and partnerships like ours. It would be a huge strategic error to neglect these relationships. And it’s a wise use of our time and resources to adapt and renew them, to ensure they’re as strong and effective as they can be,” the statement read.
According to Blinken and Austin, despite the fact that alliances with other states are vital to the US national security, maintaining own powerful armed forces is a key factor to ensure this security,
“As President [Joe] Biden has said, the United States will lead with diplomacy, because it’s the most effective way to meet the challenges we face today, few of which can be solved by us acting alone. At the same time, we will maintain the world’s most powerful armed forces, because that’s a core source of our national — and collective — strength,” the officials said.
The statement comes ahead of their official visit to Tokyo and Seoul later this week. Blinken and Austin are expected to hold the so-called 2+2 negotiations with their Japanese and South Korean counterparts to discuss a wide range of bilateral and global issues.
The sides will also discuss issues related to strengthening military alliances of Washington with Tokyo and Seoul as well as Chinese activity in the East China and South China seas.
