Story highlights Mattis says N. Korea's missile program is "a clear and present danger"

US defense secretary says Americans won't abandon Asia-Pacific allies

Singapore (CNN) Amid growing threats to security, the US secretary of defense on Saturday sought to reassure nervous allies about America's commitment to the Asia-Pacific region.

"That enduring commitment is based on strategic interests and on shared values," said James Mattis, speaking at an annual Asian security conference in Singapore.

Mattis paraphrased former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, after a participant asked whether or not the world was witnessing the "destruction" of a rules-based order founded by the US in the wake of World War II.

"Bear with us," Mattis said to a ballroom packed with defense ministers and military officers from at least 22 different countries.

"Once we've exhausted all possible alternatives, the Americans will do the right thing. We will still be there," he said.