ANALYSIS: What we learned from Defense Secretary James Mattis' 2nd trip overseas

[TomSea]

ANALYSIS: What we learned from Defense Secretary James Mattis' 2nd trip overseas
    By Elizabeth McLaughlin  Feb 20, 2017, 6:25 PM ET

 On his second overseas trip, to Europe and the Middle East, as secretary of defense, James Mattis did much of what he did on his first trip: reassure U.S. allies.

He attended the NATO Defense Ministerial in Brussels and the Munich Security Conference, telling European officials again and again that the U.S. supported NATO and was committed to European security. He also made a surprise stop in Baghdad to meet with Iraqi officials and to get an update on the fight against ISIS.

There were moments when Mattis echoed President Trump's familiar lines — that NATO members need to spend more on defense and that military leaders should not divulge their battlefield strategies. But at times, Mattis was forced to downplay or flat out deny statements made by Trump that rattled U.S. partners overseas.

Continued: http://abcnews.go.com/International/analysis-learned-defense-secretary-james-mattiss-trip-overseas/story?id=45614506