Europe

• The State Department IG finds that the US Ambassador to the UK, Woody Johnson, is inappropriate and ineffective. The report says he made inappropriate sexual statements and threatened to fire staff who gave him the bad news. The staff then felt they could not be honest with the ambassador. [Link]
• Pompeo says the US will ensure freedom in Belarus. [Link]
• NATO says it will shift its focus from Central Europe to the Black Sea. [Link]

Taiwan

• Taiwan says it is in talks with the US to buy underwater mines and cruise missiles. [Link]

Middle East

• CENTCOM head General McKenzie says the US is now focused on Iran. [Link]
• The US and Israel are pushing reforms to the UN Peacekeeping mission in Lebanon. The reforms will weaken Hezbollah. [Link]
• Israel cuts Gazan fishing after some incendiary balloons from Gaza landed in Israel. Subjecting all Gazans to the fishing restriction is collective punishment. [Link]
• General McKenzie believes ISIS is rebuilding in western Syria. [Link]
• Secretary of State Pompeo defends selling weapons to Saudi Arabia. The weapons have been used to kill Yemeni civilians. [Link]

Africa

• US special forces were active in 22 African countries last year. [Link]