親愛的總統先生：
Dear Mr. President:
我很榮幸能夠擔任我國的第26任國防部長，這讓我有機會與國防部的同仁們一同服務，保衛我們的國民與我們的理念。
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.
對於過去兩年在重要國防政策目標上的進展，我感到非常自豪：包括了讓預算基礎更為健全，改善武力整備及殺傷力，國防部的運作經過改革後，表現也更為亮眼。我們部隊的戰力讓我們在衝突之中能夠得勝，並且繼續維持美國的全球影響力。
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.
我始終抱持的一個核心信念，是我們的國力無可避免地與我們的盟邦與夥伴關係息息相關。當美國是自由世界中無可或缺的一份子，我們若不能維持一個強有力的同盟、並且好好尊重這些盟邦，我們就沒有辦法保護我們的利益，也沒有辦法好好扮演自己的角色。
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.
