U.S. Secretary for Defense Jim Mattis, center, and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, right, gesture to delegation members outside the room prior to a meeting on the sidelines of a NATO defense ministers meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2017. NATO defense ministers start two days of talks looking to expand the military alliance's command structure and drum up more troop contributions for Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo, Pool)
The Associated Press
BRUSSELS (AP) - U.S. officials say the planned deployment of hundreds more U.S. Army trainers to Afghanistan early next year probably will increase the total number of American forces there to almost 16,000.
About 15,000 U.S. forces are in Afghanistan, after President Donald Trump ordered about 3,800 troops to the country this fall to increase efforts to advise Afghan forces and conduct counterterrorism missions. Those troops are already in Afghanistan.
The Army's new training brigade will head to Afghanistan early next year.
U.S. officials say Pentagon chief Jim Mattis has made clear he's committed to a force level based on needs, not an arbitrary number. So they believe the trainers will add to the U.S. total there.
The officials weren't authorized to publicly discuss the troop numbers and spoke on condition of anonymity.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, right, speaks with U.S. Secretary for Defense Jim Mattis during a meeting of the North Atlantic Council at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2017. U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and his NATO counterparts start two days of talks in Brussels looking to expand the military alliance's command structure and drum up more troop contributions for Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
The Associated Press
U.S. Secretary for Defense Jim Mattis, left, attends a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, second right, on the sidelines of a NATO defense ministers meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2017. NATO defense ministers start two days of talks looking to expand the military alliance's command structure and drum up more troop contributions for Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo, Pool)
The Associated Press
U.S. Secretary for Defense Jim Mattis, left, shakes hands with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg prior to a meeting on the sidelines of a NATO defense ministers meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2017. NATO defense ministers start two days of talks looking to expand the military alliance's command structure and drum up more troop contributions for Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo, Pool)
The Associated Press
British Defense Minister Gavin Williamson, left, speaks with U.S. Secretary for Defense Jim Mattis during a meeting of the North Atlantic Council at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2017. U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and his NATO counterparts start two days of talks in Brussels looking to expand the military alliance's command structure and drum up more troop contributions for Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
The Associated Press