title: Mattis directs Joint Chiefs head to prepare to carry out Trump's South Asia strategy
text: AMMAN (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Tuesday that he had directed the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to carry out President Donald Trump’s South Asia strategy after a rigorous interagency review which he would discuss with NATO allies. “I have directed the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to make preparations to carry out the president’s strategy,” Mattis said in a statement. “I will be in consultation with the Secretary General of NATO and our allies—several of which have also committed to increasing their troop numbers,” he added. 