; and (C) with respect to priority actions in the Indo-Pacific region, We will redouble our commitment to established alliances and partnerships, while expanding and deepening relationships with new partners that share respect for sovereignty … and the rule of law. . (12) Secretary of Defense James Mattis stated, Winston Churchill noted that the only thing harder than fighting with allies is fighting without them. History proves that we are stronger when we stand united with others. Accordingly, our military will be designed, trained, and ready to fight alongside allies. . (13) The 2018 National Defense Strategy (NDS) states, Mutually beneficial alliances and partnerships are crucial to our strategy, providing a durable, asymmetric strategic advantage that no competitor or rival can match … [and the United States] will strengthen and evolve our alliances and partnerships into an extended network capable of deterring or decisively acting to meet the shared challenges of our time. . (14) The unclassified summary of 2018 NDS, an 11-page document, mentions the term allies or alliances over 50 times. (15) The 2018 NDS states, China is a strategic competitor using predatory economics to intimidate its neighbors … [and] it is increasingly clear that China…want[s] to shape a world consistent with their authoritarian model—gaining veto authority over other nations’ economic, diplomatic, and security decisions. . (16) Foreign policy experts have long contended that the first priority of the People's Republic of China on the Korean Peninsula is to ensure that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea remains a buffer between China and the democratic South Korea and the United States forces deployed on the Korean Peninsula. (17) China continues to provide the Democratic People's Republic of Korea with most of its food and energy supplies and, until recently, accounted for approximately 90 percent of the total trade volume of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. (18) On June 30, 2017, President Donald Trump stated, Our