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Defense Secretary Jim Mattis will make his second trip as defense secretary next week, where he'll meet with NATO allies to discuss increasing the number of coalition forces in Afghanistan.

Mattis is set to leave on Tuesday for a NATO defense ministerial in Brussels, where he'll also meet separately with those ministers from countries participating in the campaign against the Islamic State. On Friday, he'll attend the Munich Security Conference in Germany.

"This trip will underscore the commitment of the United States to our NATO alliance and to defeating ISIS," Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, said in a statement.

Gen. John Nicholson, the leader of U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan, told Congress on Thursday that the train, advise and assist mission in Afghanistan is short a few thousand troops, which could come from the U.S. or from NATO allies. He said Mattis is likely to discuss raising the number of troops in Afghanistan during next week's meetings.

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Davis said there will be a series of bilateral and multilateral meetings during the conferences to allow the new secretary to meet face-to-face with his international counterparts.

Vice President Mike Pence, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, and more than a dozen members of a congressional delegation lead by Sens. John McCain and Sheldon Whitehouse are also all expected to attend the security conference in Munich.

Mattis met with German Minister of Defense Ursula von der Leyen at the Pentagon Friday morning, and Davis said Afghanistan was part of their discussion.

Mattis' first trip as defense secretary this month involved visits to Japan and South Korea to reinforce relationships with two key allies in the Pacific.

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Mattis visits Brussels, Germany next week to talk Afghanistan, ISIS fights - Washington Examiner