US News

• Army officials said the service will fall about 10,000 soldiers short of its planned end strength for this fiscal year, and prospects for next year are grimmer. AP
• The U.S. Department of Defense is nearing an agreement with Lockheed Martin Corp for around 375 F-35 fighter jets for $30 billion. Reuters

Ukraine

• A Ukrainian military official told The Times on Monday that Ukraine is preparing to target Russia’s Black Sea fleet with Western-provided arms. AWC Miami Herald
• Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov on Tuesday openly offered Ukraine as a venue to test NATO weapons against Russia. AWC
• The Department of Justice consulted with the Senate Judiciary Committee on a proposal to use laws designed to target the mafia to seize Russian assets. The DoJ legal scheme won immediate support from the committee’s top members. The Institute 
• The European Union plans to ease some sanctions on Russia by unfreezing funds belonging to top Russian banks to allow the shipment of more grain and fertilizer, Reuters reported. AWC
• The International Trade Commission revoked hefty anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties on urea ammonium nitrate fertilizers from Russia and Trinidad and Tobago, concluding that those imports did not hurt American producers. Reuters

China

• China’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday that a visit to Tawian by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi would seriously undermine China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the United States would bear the consequences of its response. Reuters
• Pelosi is set to lead a delegation to Taiwan next month despite repeated warnings from China that the visit will escalate tension between Washington and Beijing. AWC
• The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Benfold sailed through the Taiwan Strait. Press Release

Middle East

• A military strike on Syria would destabilize the region, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, told Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. Reuters 
• With just two short weeks left in the current Yemen ceasefire, officials are heading to Oman and Southern Yemen to try to negotiate a further extension, potentially adding another six months to the deal. AWC
• The US claims to kill two members of al-Shabaab with an airstrike. Miami Herald AWC