Defense Secretary James Mattis has said he has been authorized by President Donald Trump to manage the number of soldiers deployed to Afghanistan, DoD News reported Wednesday.

“The American military effort in Afghanistan must be viewed as part of a larger regional context in South Asia,” Mattis said at a hearing of the Senate Appropriations Committee’s defense subpanel Wednesday.

“Our primary national interest and the international interest in Afghanistan is ensuring it does not become an ungoverned space from which attacks can be launched against the United States, other nations or the Afghan people,” he added.

Mattis, an inductee into Executive Mosaic’s Wash100 for 2017, said in a statement released Wednesday the authority delegated to him by Trump seeks to strengthen the U.S. military’s agility to perform operations and “does not in itself change the force levels for Afghanistan.”

He also told lawmakers that the U.S. forces have been training Afghan troops through collaboration with NATO’s Resolute Support mission and carried partnered counterterrorism efforts in Afghanistan, where approximately 13,000 U.S. and coalition forces are currently stationed.

The Defense Department has called on Congress to exempt sensitive and unclassified information on military rules of engagement, tactics, techniques and procedures from the Freedom of Information Act, the Federation of American Scientists reported Tuesday.

DoD said in the department’s proposed measures for inclusion in the fiscal 2018 defense authorization bill that public interest does not outweigh the potential risks from the public dissemination of TTP information.

Section 1003 of the proposed FY 2018 defense would authorize DoD to deny public requests for sensitive data on military TTPs and rules of engagement.

FAS reported the defense secretary will personally determine if the disclosure of specific TTP data would offer adversaries an operational military advantage.

Vice Adm. James Foggo III, director of the U.S. Navy staff, could potentially assume command of U.S. Naval Forces Europe, U.S. Naval Forces Africa and the Allied Joint Force Command in Naples, Italy.

The Defense Department said Tuesday that President Donald Trump nominated Foggo to lead the two Navy component commands and one NATO military command as well as elevate to the rank of admiral.

Foggo would succeed current NAVEUR-NAVAF and JFC Naples Commander Adm. Michelle Howard if the Senate confirms his nomination.

He has previously served as deputy commander of NAVEUR-NAVAF before his appointment as Navy staff director under the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations in November.

DoD has not yet indicated the next move for Howard, who was rumored in December as a potential candidate for the secretary post at the Department of Veterans Affairs, which eventually went to former VA undersecretary David Shulkin.

The Government Accountability Office has determined five key areas that hinder the Defense Department‘s capacity to complete its missions.

GAO said in a report published Tuesday DoD’s operational obstacles include cyberspace threats and cyber expansion requirements, escalating program costs, human capital management, efficiencies in defense business operations and a need to rebalance its military forces.

Each military branch encounters specific readiness challenges that resulted from budget constraints which then led to the lack of training, maintenance and modernization requirements.

The government watchdog agency also discovered that annual military health costs are expected to rise to approximately $70 billion in fiscal year 2028.

GAO urged DoD to address financial management deficiencies which cover improper payments to contractors and use of expensive leased facilities.

The report also recommended DoD to implement a new comprehensive compensation strategy for military personnel to meet current retention and recruitment targets.

Previous GAO reports have determined four factors which impact DoD limitations including a lack of sustained leadership involvement, gaps in strategic planning and performance monitoring, budget, resource and program misalignment as well as management control system issues.

GAO has made more than 3,000 recommendations to help the DoD address operational challenges and approximately 1,030 of the recommendations remain open including 78 priority recommendations.

The Senate voted 53-47 Tuesday to clear a potential $510 million deal for the U.S. to sell precision-guided munitions to Saudi Arabia, Defense News reported Tuesday.

The deal is part of a $110 billion weapon sales package that President Donald Trump signed with Saudi King Salman bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud in May.

Senators also voted against a resolution that seeks to block the $510 million transaction a day after Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-New York) supported the proposed measure.

Schumer opposed the munitions sale on the grounds that Saudi Arabia continues to aid terrorism through its link to Wahhabism, which he said is “responsible for much of the radicalization of Muslim youth in the Middle East in North Africa.”

Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Connecticut), Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) and Al Franken (D-Minnesota) sponsored the resolution, which sought to show disapproval of Saudi Arabia’s role in the civil war in Yemen.