US News

• Advisers at 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade racked up at least 60 misconduct offenses, including incidents with alcohol, drugs and adultery; a battalion commander was fired; members of one advising team are facing punishment for their behavior in Colombia, according to internal records and interviews conducted by Army Times. Army Times

Russia

• Kosovo warns tensions with Serbs could lead to a new war. Reuters 
• Russian surveillance aircraft flew into the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone twice in the past two days, the North American Aerospace Defense Command. The Hill
• Ukrainian officials have made conflicting claims about a series of blasts at a Russian air base in Crimea that, according to Crimean authorities, killed one person and injured 14 more. Russia has downplayed the incident, saying it was caused by an accidental ammunition explosion, and is investigating the cause. On Tuesday, Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, denied that Ukraine was behind the blasts. But on Wednesday, an anonymous Ukrainian government official told The Washington Post that the explosions were an attack carried out by Ukraine’s special forces, which, if true, would mark a significant escalation in the war. AWC
• NATO has been fighting a war with Russia on Ukrainian territory, Sergey Kiriyenko, the first deputy chief of the Russian presidential staff, said. Newsweek

China

• Taiwanese officials say 17 Chinese fighter jets crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait Wednesday as tensions over the disputed Island continue to flare. Fox
• For the first time in over two decades, China released a new white paper on Taiwan that lays out Beijing’s goals for the island. The document emphasizes that China’s goal is for “peaceful reunification” but also makes clear that it won’t rule out military force if foreign intervention and “separatist forces” go too far. AWC

Afghanistan 

• Reuters reports the White House has failed to investigate the American failures in Afghanistan. Reuters

Middle East

• The White House on Wednesday warned that Iran will face serve consequences for an attack on any US citizen. The Hill
• President Joe Biden said the US is certain that the Syrian government is holding American journalist Austin Tice, who went missing in the war-torn country a decade ago. AP
• Saudi and UAE-backed forces are fighting each other in Yemen. The UAE has carried out airstrikes in support of its forces. MEE

Africa

• The US claims it killed four members of al-Shabaab in three airstrikes. Military Times AWC
• Mali’s military government has received several fighter jets and helicopters from Russia, which has become a close ally in its fight against Islamist militants. VOA
• Forty-two Malian soldiers died in an attack at the weekend by suspected jihadists, the army said Wednesday in a document naming the fatalities, revising an earlier figure of 21 dead. France 24