Morning Brief: Game On for Air Force-Navy Football Despite Shutdown, Taiwan Monitors Chinese Military Ahead of National Day

· Guy D. McCardle

US Air Force’s Jamari Bellamy throws during pregame warm-ups against Navy at the US Air Force Academy, October 5, 2024. (DVIDS)

Good morning, it’s Friday, October 3, 2025. A Portland judge weighs whether to block Trump’s National Guard deployment as the government shutdown leaves troops unpaid. The Air Force–Navy game will still go on. In Asia, Marines resume airfield construction in Okinawa, Lebanon gets $230 million in US aid, and Taiwan braces for Chinese moves ahead of National Day. In the Middle East, Hamas readies its response to Trump’s Gaza plan while Israel intercepts the last aid flotilla. Russia unleashes its biggest energy strike on Ukraine, Pakistan raids insurgents after a deadly Quetta bombing, and the Philippines pushes back on China’s Scarborough Shoal reserve plan.

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Portland Judge Weighs Emergency Order on Trump’s National Guard Deployment

A federal judge in Portland will hear arguments Friday on whether to block President Donald Trump’s order, deploying 200 Oregon National Guard troops to protect federal property in the city.

Oregon and Portland officials argue the deployment is unjustified and would escalate tensions, while the Trump administration says troops will have a limited role safeguarding federal facilities.

Legal experts say the court could delay action until troops arrive, block the deployment outright, or allow it under restrictions.

The case hinges on whether local law enforcement is sufficient and whether the president met legal standards for federalizing the Guard.

 

Partial US Government Shutdown Halts Non-Essential Operations, Leaves Troops and Civilians Facing Unpaid Work

The partial US government shutdown that began Wednesday after Congress failed to pass funding measures threatens to leave thousands of sailors, Marines, Coast Guardsmen, and civilian workers without pay.

Essential operations, including nuclear shipyard repairs and Military Sealift Command missions, continue with personnel working unpaid until funding resumes.

Troops received paychecks October 1 under the previous budget, but future payments are uncertain if the shutdown extends beyond October 15. Military families have been directed to financial aid resources, and some banks are offering support.

Commissaries, schools, and exchanges remain open under temporary funds, though public-facing naval museums and installations have closed.

Backpay will be issued once the shutdown ends.

 

Air Force-Navy Football Game to Proceed Despite Government Shutdown Disruptions

The Air Force-Navy football game in Annapolis will take place as scheduled Saturday, but the government shutdown is affecting some service academy athletic programs.

At the Naval Academy, civilian coaches who also teach PE are impacted, though football staff remain unaffected.

Air Force athletics has also been hit, with civilian staff on furlough, reduced media updates, and no live streaming of home events.

Both academies said all intercollegiate competitions will continue, with support from their athletic associations.

 

Marine Corps Airfield Construction in Okinawa Resumes After Weather Delay

Work on a new US Marine Corps airfield in northern Okinawa restarted this week after a four-month pause due to typhoon concerns, Japan’s Ministry of Defense said Friday.

A vessel returned to Oura Bay near Camp Schwab to resume driving sand piles into the seabed for land reclamation.

Officials said the pause will not delay the project, which is expected to continue until at least 2033 and cost nearly $6 billion, with the airfield potentially ready by 2036.

The long-delayed relocation from Marine Corps Air Station Futenma has faced years of legal and environmental challenges before construction resumed.

 

US Approves $230 Million for Lebanese Security Forces Amid Push to Disarm Hezbollah

President Donald Trump’s administration has approved $230 million in aid for Lebanon’s security forces, including $190 million for the Lebanese Armed Forces and $40 million for the Internal Security Forces, according to sources in Washington and Beirut.

The funds, released before the end of the US fiscal year, aim to strengthen Lebanon’s institutions as they move to disarm Hezbollah and implement UN Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 conflict with Israel.

Lebanese leaders have tasked the army with ensuring all weapons are under state control by year’s end, though Hezbollah continues to resist pressure to give up its arsenal.

 

Hamas Says Response to Trump’s Gaza Peace Plan Coming ‘Very Soon’

Hamas will issue its response “very soon” to US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan to end the Gaza war, senior official Mohammed Nazzal said Friday on Al Jazeera.

Nazzal confirmed ongoing deliberations with Palestinian factions and mediators Qatar, Turkey, and Egypt, while rejecting a “take it or leave it” approach.

The plan, accepted by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, requires Hamas to release all 48 Israeli hostages, disarm, and accept limited Israeli troop presence in a buffer zone.

Hamas objects to the lack of a timeline for withdrawal and insists it will not surrender Palestinian rights.

Egypt has called for further discussion, citing “gaps” in the proposal, while analysts say Hamas leaders abroad may face Arab and US pressure but fighters on the ground are unlikely to disarm.

The war, sparked by Hamas’s October 2023 attack, has killed over 66,000 Gazans, according to local health authorities.

 

Israel Intercepts Final Gaza Aid Flotilla Ship as Global Protests Erupt

Israel intercepted the last vessel of the Global Sumud Flotilla on Friday, stopping all 42 boats that attempted to deliver aid and activists to Gaza.

The flotilla, which included Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, set sail last month to challenge Israel’s blockade.

Organizers accused Israel of unlawful abductions, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the navy for preventing the boats from entering what he called a war zone.

The interceptions sparked protests in cities worldwide, including Barcelona, Dublin, Paris, Berlin, and Buenos Aires.

Meanwhile, Israeli strikes on Gaza killed at least 52 people on Thursday, Gaza officials said, as the war approaches its two-year mark with more than 66,000 Palestinians killed.

 

Police Identify Victims of Manchester Synagogue Attack as UK Probes Terror Motive

Greater Manchester Police named Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, as the two men killed in Thursday’s car and knife attack outside Heaton Park Congregation Synagogue. Three others remain hospitalized.

Police fatally shot the attacker, 35-year-old British citizen Jihad Al-Shamie, minutes after he drove into pedestrians and stabbed victims while wearing a fake explosives vest.

The assault, which occurred on Yom Kippur, is being treated as a terrorist attack, though the motive remains under investigation.

Britain’s chief rabbi linked the crime to rising antisemitism, while Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged stronger protection for the Jewish community.

Antisemitic incidents in the UK have surged since the Israel-Hamas war began in October 2023. Three additional suspects have been arrested in connection with the case.

 

Russia Launches Largest Drone and Missile Attack on Ukraine’s Energy Infrastructure

Russia carried out a major overnight assault on Ukraine, firing 381 drones and 35 missiles that struck energy facilities in Kharkiv and Poltava regions, Ukraine’s energy ministry said Friday.

Private energy provider DTEK confirmed operations were suspended at several gas facilities in Poltava.

Ukraine, preparing for a fourth winter of war, is boosting gas imports to secure supplies.

Recent strikes have already caused blackouts, and earlier this week a drone attack briefly cut power to the Chornobyl nuclear plant.

 

Pakistani Forces Kill Seven Insurgents in Balochistan Raid After Quetta Bombing

Pakistani troops killed seven militants in a raid on a hideout in Sherani district, Balochistan, the military said Friday.

The operation followed a car bombing in Quetta that killed 10 and wounded 30.

Weapons and explosives were recovered, and the military linked the dead men to the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army, which it claims is backed by India.

Balochistan has long faced separatist violence and Taliban-linked attacks. Separately, a roadside bomb in Peshawar wounded eight people, including four police officers.

 

Philippines Monitors China’s Scarborough Shoal Reserve Plan, Warns Against Militarization

The Philippines is closely monitoring China’s plan to establish a nature reserve at the disputed Scarborough Shoal, with Armed Forces Chief General Romeo Brawner warning Friday that Manila “will not allow” a repeat of China’s 1990s occupation and militarization of Mischief Reef.

Brawner said any construction at the shoal would be a “different story” and noted the Philippines could respond diplomatically or through other means.

China has controlled Scarborough Shoal since a 2012 standoff, despite a 2016 Hague ruling invalidating Beijing’s sweeping South China Sea claims.

Manila has called the reserve plan a “pretext for occupation,” while Beijing insists it is for environmental preservation.

 

Taiwan Monitors Chinese Military Moves Ahead of National Day, Warns of ‘Severe Threats’

Taiwan’s defense minister Wellington Koo said Friday the armed forces are monitoring Chinese activity for early warning signs ahead of Taiwan’s October 10 national day but would not speculate on whether Beijing will stage war games as it did last year.

Koo visited the Penghu Islands, home to a key air base, and addressed troops in front of a Sky Bow III missile battery, calling Penghu a critical defense zone.

China, which views Taiwan as its territory, has staged frequent drills and maintains near-daily military presence around the island.

President Lai Ching-te is set to deliver a keynote speech at next week’s celebrations, which Beijing often denounces as “separatist acts.”

 

Sources: News Agencies