Pentagon chief stresses alliances; back home, Trump tears at them

Defense Secretary Mark Esper stressed the importance of U.S. alliances during his inaugural foreign trip as Pentagon chief, though the message was undercut by President Trump disparaging U.S. allies at the same time.

Esper used terms like "ironclad" to describe the alliances between the U.S. and other nations while on a seven-day trip last week in the Indo-Pacific. He stopped in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Mongolia and South Korea.

At the same time Trump was complaining that South Korea and Japan should pay a bigger share of the cost of housing U.S. troops overseas and praising North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.

Read the full article and more in The Hill.