Dear Mr. President:

亲爱的总统先生:

I have been privileged to serve as our country’s 26th Secretary of Defense which has allowed me to serve alongside our men and women of the Department in defense of our citizens and our ideals.

我有幸担任我国第26任国防部长，让我有机会与国防部全体人员并肩服务，保护我们的公民，守护我们的理想。

I am proud of the progress that has been made over the past two years on some of the key goals articulated in our National Defense Strategy: putting the Department on a more sound budgetary footing, improving readiness and lethality in our forces, and reforming the Department’s business practices for greater performance. Our troops continue to provide the capabilities needed to prevail in conflict and sustain strong U.S. global influence.

我为过去两年来我们“国防战略”中阐述的一些关键性目标取得的进展感到自豪：让国防部预算基础更加健全、提高部队战备能力和杀伤力、改革我部业务实践以取得更佳绩效。我们的军队继续提供在冲突中取胜和维持美国强大全球影响力所需的能力。

One core belief I have always held is that our strength as a nation is inextricably linked to the strength of our unique and comprehensive system of alliances and partnerships. While the US remains the indispensable nation in the free world, we cannot protect our interests or serve that role effectively without maintaining strong alliances and showing respect to those allies. Like you, I have said from the beginning that the armed forces of the United States should not be the policeman of the world. Instead, we must use all tools of American power to provide for the common defense, including providing effective leadership to our alliances. NATO’s 29 democracies demonstrated that strength in their commitment to fighting alongside us following the 9-11 attack on America. The Defeat-ISIS coalition of 74 nations is further proof.

我一直怀有这样一个核心信念：我们一国的力量与我们联盟和合作伙伴这个独特且全面的体系的力量密不可分。尽管美国仍是自由世界不可或缺的国家，如果不维系强大的联盟并尊重这些盟友，我们便无法保护我们的利益或有效履行职责。和您一样，我一开始就说过：美国的武装部队不应该成为世界警察。相反，我们必须动用美国力量的所有工具来提供共同防御，包括为我们的联盟提供有效领导。911袭击事件后，北约29个民主国家承诺与我们并肩作战，就已经展示这种力量。74国组成的打击ISIS国际联盟进一步证明这一点。

Similarly, I believe we must be resolute and unambiguous in our approach to those countries whose strategic interests are increasingly in tension with ours. It is clear that China and Russia, for example, want to shape a world consistent with their authoritarian model — gaining veto authority over other nations’ economic, diplomatic, and security decisions — to promote their own interests at the expense of their neighbors, America and our allies. That is why we must use all the tools of American power to provide for the common defense.

同样，我相信我们在应对战略利益与我们日益紧张的国家时，必须坚定且不含糊。例如，中国和俄罗斯显然希望塑造一个符合他们威权模式的世界——获取对其他国家经济、外交和安全决策的否决权——以邻国、美国和我们盟友为代价促进自身利益。这就是我们必须动用美国力量的所有工具，提供共同防御的原因。

My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades of immersion in these issues. We must do everything possible to advance an international order that is most conducive to our security, prosperity and values, and we are strengthened in this effort by the solidarity of our alliances.

40多年来对这些问题的思考，强烈支撑并让我坚信这一观点：在尊重盟友的同时要认清恶意行为者和战略竞争对手。我们必须尽一切可能，推进最利于我们安全、繁荣和价值观的国际秩序，联盟的团结让我们在这方面的努力得以加强。

Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position. The end date for my tenure is February 28, 2019, a date that should allow sufficient time for a successor to be nominated and confirmed as well as to make sure the Department’s interests are properly articulated and protected at upcoming events to include Congressional posture hearings and the NATO Defense Ministerial meeting in February. Further, that a full transition to a new Secretary of Defense occurs well in advance of the transition of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in September in order to ensure stability within the Department.

因为您有权选择在这些和其他问题上与您观点更为吻合的国防部长，我相信辞去当前的职位是正确之举。我的任期将于2019年2月28日结束，因此有充足的时间提名和确定继任者，确保在接下来的国会听证会和2月的北约防长会议等活动中，本部利益获得充分表达和维护。此外，完全过渡到新国防部长，正好在9月份参谋长联席会议主席交接之前，也能确保国防部内部的稳定。

I pledge my full effort to a smooth transition that ensures the needs and interests of the 2.15 million Service Members and 732,079 DoD civilians receive undistracted attention of the Department at all times so that they can fulfill their critical, round-the-clock mission to protect the American people.

我承诺全力实现平稳顺利过渡，确保215万军人和732,079名我部文职人员需求和利益时刻得到不被干扰的关注，以便他们履行保护美国人民这个关键性、全天候的使命。

I very much appreciate this opportunity to serve the nation and our men and women in uniform.

我非常感激为国家和军人服务的机会。

Jim N. Mattis

吉姆·N·马蒂斯