Defense Secretary James N. Mattis will make his first visit to China this week for talks with the People's Republic's military leaders amid growing tensions over Beijing's militarization of islands in the South China Sea. Mr. Mattis told reporters en route to Alaska aboard an Air Force E-4B jet, a militarized Boeing 747, that he plans to gauge China 's strategic approach to the United States during talks in Beijing.

FILE - In this Aug. 4, 2017 file photo, from left, White House Staff Secretary Rob Porter, White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, and White House senior adviser Jared Kushner walk to Marine One on the South Lawn of the White Ho... WASHINGTON - One of President Donald Trump's top White House aides resigned Wednesday following allegations of domestic abuse leveled against him by his two ex-wives. Staff secretary Rob Porter said in a written statement that allegations that became public this week are "outrageous" and "simply false."

Registration will allow you to post comments on newstimes.com and create a newstimes.com Subscriber Portal account for you to manage subscriptions and email preferences. 29 photos of the US's war in Afghanistan - a fight James Mattis says 'we are not winning ... right now' At the end of 2014, after more than 13 years of combat operations, 9,800 US troops were to remain in Afghanistan.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Defense Secretary James 'Mad Dog' Mattis arrive in Australia for crunch talks on the London terror attack and North Korea Top U.S. cabinet ministers have arrived in Australia for critical talks on terrorism and North Korea in the wake of two attacks in Britain. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Defense Secretary James Mattis landed in Sydney on Monday night for meetings with Australian counterparts on Monday.

In this image provided by the White House, President Donald Trump receives a briefing on the Syria military strike from his National Security team, including a video teleconference with Secretary of Defense, Gen.

In this Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017, file photo, Senate Armed Services Committee Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., questions Defense Secretary-designate James Mattis on Capitol Hill in Washington during Mattis confirmation hearing before the committee. Gillibrand, one of a handful of Senate Democrats seen as potential candidates for president in 2020, has won praise from liberal bloggers for voting against nearly all of President Donald Trump's picks.

Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan is to hold a first meeting today with his newly sworn-in American counterpart James Mattis. The two former soldiers-turned-cabinet-members are to meet at the Pentagon for a scheduled 45-minute discussion on a broad range of topics including military co-operation both abroad and closer to home.

The wife of an Iraqi national who was detained at the John F. Kennedy International Airport, at her sister's home in Houston, Jan. 28, 2017. President Donald Trump enacted an order Friday that blocks entry into the country for citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries, including Iraq.

Lonely leaders: James Mattis, top, was sworn in as secretary of defense, and John Kelly, above, became homeland security secretary on Friday. Other Cabinet nominees are waiting.

In a Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017 file photo, Senate Armed Services Committee member Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. questions Defense Secretary-designate James Mattis on Capitol Hill in Washington, during the committee's confirmation hearing for Mattis.

Defense Secretary-designate James Mattis listens to questions from Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., about his views on women and gays serving in the military, during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Defense Secretary-designate James Mattis listens at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017.

On Thursday, retired Marine Gen. James Mattis took to the stand for his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee as President-elect Trump's nominee for secretary of Defense.

In this Nov. 29, 2016 photo, Attorney General nominee Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., is shown while meeting with Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, on Capitol Hill in Washington. A failed voting fraud prosecution from more than 30 years ago is likely to re-emerge as a contentious issue during Jeff SessionsA' confirmation hearing for attorney general.

Retired Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis would be good, Nunes recalled telling the Trump transition team.

Donald Trump's move to pack his administration with military brass is getting mixed reviews, as Congress and others struggle to balance their personal regard for the individuals he's choosing with a broader worry about an increased militarization of American policy. No fewer than three combat-experienced retired Army and Marine leaders, with multiple deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, are on tap for high-level government jobs normally reserved for civilians.

In this Nov. 19, 2016, file photo, President-elect Donald Trump shakes hands with retired Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis as he leaves Trump National Golf Club Bedminster clubhouse in Bedminster, N.J. Trump said at a rally on Dec. 1, that he will nominate Mattis as defense secretary.

President-elect Donald Trump has said he would nominate retired General Marine Corps James Mattis to be his defense secretary. Mattis, who is known as "Mad Dog" and renowned for his tough talk, retired in 2013 after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Trump's one-time presidential rival, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, appeared to be next in line for the nod -- reportedly as housing secretary -- after he posted on social media that an announcement was imminent President-elect Donald Trump and Betsy DeVos after their meeting at Trump International Golf Club, in Bedminster Township, New Jersey on November 18, 2016. AFP PHOTO The 70-year-old property tycoon also told the Times that he is "seriously, seriously considering" appointing widely respected retired Marine general James Mattis as his defence secretary.

UPDATE : Romney under "active consideration" for secretary of state position, according to The Wall Street Journal . President-elect Donald J. Trump also met with Michelle Rhee, former chancellor of DC's public schools, who would invite a fight with teachers unions should she be selected as education secretary : Trump also met with well-known education activist Michelle Rhee and her husband, Kevin Johnson, mayor of Sacramento; Betsy DeVos, another education activist; and with retired Marine Corps Gen.