President Donald Trump praised the nation's armed forces on his first stop of his trip to Asia, telling service members in Japan on Sunday morning that "no one, no dictator, no regime and no nation should ever underestimate American resolve."
"We will never yield, never waver and never falter in defense of our freedom and our great American flag," Trump said at Yokota Air Base west of Tokyo.
He spoke to U.S. service members and those of the Japan Self-Defense Forces shortly after deplaning Air Force One with first lady Melania Trump.
President Trump is scheduled to spend three days in Japan, having his first meetings Sunday with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
He also told reporters on the plane that he would meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Vietnam during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit next week.
"That flag stands for the values of our republic, the history of our people, the sacrifice of our heroes and our loyalty to the nation we love," Trump told the crowd.
"As long as I am president, the service men and women who defend our nation will have the equipment, the resources, and the funding they need to secure our homeland, to respond to our enemies quickly and decisively.
"And, when necessary, to fight, to overpower — and to always, always, always win.
"This is the heritage of the American armed forces, the greatest force for peace and justice the world has ever known."
President Trump also will visit South Korea, China and the Philippines during his 15-day Asia trip.
Besides trade, he is also expected to discuss with rising nuclear threat from North Korea and dictator Kim Jong Un.
In what was clearly a stern warning to Pyongyang, President Trump told the crowd: "We dominate the sky. We dominate the sea. We dominate the land and the space.
"Not merely because we have the best equipment … but because we have the best people.
"Each of you embodies the warrior creed," the president said. "Your devotion, prowess and expertise makes you the most fearsome fighting force in the history of our world.
"Together with our allies, America's warriors are prepared to defend our nation using the full range of our unmatched capabilities."
In saluting Japanese forces, President Trump noted that Tokyo was once the nation's enemy.
"Our alliance is a testament to the transformative power of freedom," he said. "Today, nations that once waged war now stand together as friends and partners in pursuit of a much better world.
"And we're getting there. We're getting there faster than you think.
"With your presence here today, shoulder to shoulder, you put hope into every soul that yearns for peace."
Trump later tweeted about the speech:
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