Morning Brief: Ex-Midshipman Charged After Lockdown, Zelenskyy Urges Europe Air Shield, China-Philippines Standoff at Scarborough Shoal

· Guy D. McCardle

Ukrainian first responders extinguish a blaze after a Russian strike. (@ZelenskyyUa/X)

It’s Wednesday, September 17, 2025. Today’s top stories: a former Naval Academy midshipman is charged over a threat that triggered a lockdown and accidental shooting, and a retired Navy admiral gets six years for bribery. The Pentagon will discharge troops with long-term shaving waivers, while Texas names a former US Cyber Command chief to lead its new cyber agency. Overseas, an M23 rebel parade threatens Congo peace hopes, a UN panel accuses Israel of genocide as its Gaza offensive intensifies, Russian strikes wound 20 in Ukraine, and a China-Philippines clash at Scarborough Shoal leaves one sailor hurt.

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Ex-Naval Academy Midshipman Charged Over Threat That Triggered Lockdown

Federal prosecutors charged former US Naval Academy midshipman Jackson Fleming, 23, with transmitting a threat in interstate communication after an online post prompted a lockdown and shooting incident at the academy in Maryland last week.

Fleming, from Chesterton, Indiana, was arrested Friday. His attorney said he will contest the charge and expects him to be cleared.

The threat led to a false active shooter report, during which security forces mistakenly shot a midshipman in the shoulder; the injured student and a security officer with minor injuries were released from the hospital Friday.

Fleming attended the academy from mid-2021 until early 2024.

 

Retired Navy Admiral Robert Burke Gets Six-Year Prison Term for Bribery Scheme

A federal judge sentenced retired Admiral Robert P. Burke to six years in prison for accepting a bribe while serving as the Navy’s top commander in Europe and Africa.

Prosecutors said Burke agreed to award a Navy training contract to the company Next Jump in exchange for a promised $500,000 salary and stock options after retirement.

A jury convicted him in May of conspiracy and bribery.

The judge said Burke betrayed public trust and his oath of office. Prosecutors sought a 10-year sentence, citing the damage to the Navy’s integrity, while Burke’s lawyers argued his actions were an isolated lapse in an otherwise distinguished career and said they will appeal.

Next Jump co-CEOs Yongchul “Charlie” Kim and Meghan Messenger, accused of offering the job, faced a mistrial after a hung jury.

 

Pentagon Orders Troops With Long-Term Shaving Waivers to Face Discharge

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed that service members who require shaving exemptions for more than a year must be separated from the military.

Under the new policy, commanders can still grant temporary shaving waivers, but they must include a medical treatment plan, and troops who remain unable to shave after a year will be discharged.

The change affects all military branches and aims to reinforce grooming standards, which Hegseth said are central to the military’s warrior ethos.

Most shaving waivers are for pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB), a condition that disproportionately affects Black men. The memo does not clarify what treatments will be provided, who will pay for them, or whether exceptions for special forces or Arctic duty will continue.

The policy follows other recent grooming rule tightenings across the services.

 

Texas Names Ex-US Cyber Command Leader TJ White to Head New State Cyber Agency

Governor Greg Abbott appointed retired US Navy Vice Admiral Timothy James “TJ” White to lead the new Texas Cyber Command, a state agency created to defend against cyberattacks.

White, former commander of the US National Cyber Mission Force and several Navy cyber units, will serve through February 2027.

Abbott said White’s expertise is critical as Texas faces constant cyber threats from criminal groups and foreign adversaries.

The Texas Cyber Command, based at the University of Texas at San Antonio, will handle cybersecurity response, forensics, training, and threat management, taking over responsibilities previously handled by the Department of Information Resources.

 

M23 Rebel Parade in Eastern Congo Casts Doubt on Impending Peace Deal

The M23 rebel group staged a weekend parade of more than 7,000 new recruits in Goma, eastern Congo, raising concerns about the viability of a pending peace deal aimed at ending the conflict.

The deal, expected to be signed in Washington, would require Rwanda to withdraw support for M23 and return captured territories to Congolese control.

The display of force comes amid reports of continued skirmishes despite a Qatar-brokered ceasefire.

Rights groups warned that civilians and surrendered soldiers may be coerced into joining M23, and residents expressed fear that peace hopes are fading.

The conflict has killed at least 3,000 people, displaced millions, and sparked UN reports of atrocities by both M23 and Congo’s military.

 

UN-Backed Panel Accuses Israel of Genocide in Gaza, Urges Global Action

A United Nations Human Rights Council-commissioned panel concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and urged the international community to stop it and hold Israeli leaders accountable.

The three-member Commission of Inquiry, led by former UN rights chief Navi Pillay, found Israel met four of the five acts defined under the Genocide Convention, citing mass killings, widespread harm, destruction of essential systems, and blocking aid.

It named Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant as having incited genocide.

Israel rejected the report as “distorted and false” and accused the commission of bias.

The panel’s findings carry no legal force but could support ongoing cases at the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court.

 

Israel Launches New Gaza City Ground Offensive as Strikes Kill 13

Israeli forces expanded a new ground offensive in Gaza City on Wednesday while overnight airstrikes across the territory killed at least 13 people, including women and children, according to hospital officials.

The operation, launched Tuesday to destroy Hamas’ military infrastructure, threatens to prolong the nearly two-year war and delay any ceasefire efforts.

Qatar condemned the offensive as part of a “war of genocide,” while over 20 aid groups urged countries to pressure Israel to halt the assault.

Meanwhile, workers evacuated thousands of archaeological artifacts from a threatened warehouse, and UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that peace in the Middle East is impossible without a two-state solution.

 

Russian Strikes Wound 20 in Zaporizhzhia as Zelenskyy Urges Europe to Build Air Defense Shield

Russian rockets hit the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia overnight, wounding 20 people including four children, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday.

Zelenskyy urged European leaders to create a continent-wide air defense system as Russia continues heavy attacks, launching thousands of drones, glide bombs, and missiles in recent weeks.

The strikes damaged more than 20 apartment buildings and also hit a civilian logistics center near Kyiv and a university in Kharkiv.

Zelenskyy called for tougher sanctions on Russia, saying only severe economic losses will push Moscow toward diplomacy.

Ukraine has ramped up its own long-range drone attacks, with its military reporting a strike on an oil refinery in Russia’s Saratov region.

 

China, Philippines Clash at Scarborough Shoal as Water Cannon Attack Injures Sailor

China’s coast guard accused a Philippine vessel of ramming one of its ships near the disputed Scarborough Shoal on Tuesday, while the Philippines said Chinese forces blasted its fisheries ship with water cannons for nearly 30 minutes, causing major damage and injuring a crew member.

The confrontation came days after China declared part of the shoal a national nature reserve, prompting a Philippine diplomatic protest.

Manila said a Chinese navy warship also announced live-fire drills, alarming local fishermen.

The Philippines had deployed vessels to resupply over 35 fishing boats in the area.

The US, UK, Australia, and Canada criticized China’s actions as coercive and warned against using environmental claims to assert control over the shoal.

 

Sources: News Agencies