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Evening Brief: Pentagon to Review Vaccine-Related Discharges, M23 Rebels Agree to Withdraw From Eastern Congo, Hunger Crisis Deepens in Afghanistan

BY Guy D. McCardle

Pentagon reviews vaccine discharges, EU eyes Russian assets, M23 rebels to withdraw. Here’s what’s making headlines this Tuesday evening.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signs a memorandum on April 23, 2025, regarding the discharge of service members who refused the COVID-19 vaccine. Image Credit: Department of Defense / DVIDS.

Tuesday’s winding down. Here’s a quick look at what made headlines today, December 16, 2025. 

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Pentagon to Review Vaccine-Related Discharges for Possible Upgrades

The Pentagon will review the records of about 8,700 service members who were involuntarily separated for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine, including more than 3,000 who did not receive honorable discharges.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed the military services to proactively examine the cases and refer eligible ones to discharge review boards for possible upgrades.

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Under guidance issued this month, the services must identify eligible former service members within 30 days and complete reviews within one year. Individuals do not need to apply for consideration.

The review follows the 2023 rescission of the vaccine mandate and coincides with the Pentagon’s decision to allow discharged service members to seek reinstatement through April 2026.

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US Air Force to End Long-Term Medical Beard Waivers

The US Air Force and Space Force will let all medical shaving waivers issued before March 1 expire at the end of next month, requiring affected service members to undergo reevaluation to remain in compliance.

Under new guidance from the Air Force Surgeon General, no single shaving profile may last longer than six months, and members who accumulate more than 12 months of waivers within two years will be referred to their commander.

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The policy shifts approval authority for medical shaving waivers from medical officers to unit commanders and may include preventive education or recommendations such as laser hair removal. Religious shaving waivers are not affected.

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— Department of War 🇺🇸 (@DeptofWar) September 19, 2025

The change follows a Pentagon directive to eliminate permanent medical shaving profiles and return to pre-2020 grooming standards, amid concerns that long-term waivers had expanded beyond severe medical cases.

 

US, Vietnam Repatriate Possible Remains of Missing Airman

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) received possible remains of a US service member during a repatriation ceremony at Gia Lam Airfield in Hanoi on December 13.

The remains are believed to be associated with a US Air Force F-105 crash site in Vietnam’s Lao Cai Province and were handed over during the 171st such ceremony between the two countries.

Vietnamese recovery teams located the remains during joint field operations that continued despite a US government shutdown. US and Vietnamese forensic specialists examined the remains in Hanoi and determined they may belong to a US service member.

The remains will be transported to the DPAA laboratory in Hawaii for further identification.

US officials said the effort reflects decades of cooperation between Washington and Hanoi to account for Americans missing from the Vietnam War, from which 1,067 service members have now been identified.

 

South Korean Shipyard Wins First US Navy Repair Contract

South Korea’s HJ Shipbuilding & Construction has secured its first US Navy maintenance contract, marking a new step in maritime cooperation between Washington and Seoul.

The Busan-based shipbuilder will conduct a mid-term maintenance, repair, and overhaul availability on the dry cargo ship USNS Amelia Earhart (T-AKE-6), a 40,000-ton logistics vessel that supports US naval operations worldwide.

The deal follows US inspections of HJ Shipbuilding’s facilities and reflects the Navy’s push to expand shipbuilding and maintenance capacity through allied partnerships amid global shipyard backlogs.

US and South Korean leaders have prioritized deeper cooperation in the sector, with Seoul committing major investments in US shipbuilding and industry leaders on both sides pursuing joint strategies in naval construction and repair.

 

Zelenskyy Says US-Backed Peace Proposal Near Completion

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said negotiations with US officials on a framework to end Russia’s war in Ukraine could be finalized within days, after which American envoys would present the proposals to Moscow. He said talks in Berlin produced a workable draft, though major issues remain unresolved, especially the status of Ukrainian territory occupied by Russian forces.

US and European officials say there is broad agreement on security guarantees for Ukraine, including European-led forces to support Ukraine’s military and a US-led mechanism to monitor a ceasefire. Russia has signaled resistance, with the Kremlin rejecting any temporary truce and reiterating demands for territorial recognition.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine will not accept Russian control over occupied regions and warned that a Russian rejection would prompt calls for tougher sanctions and expanded Western military support.

 

EU Races to Unlock Frozen Russian Assets to Fund Ukraine Loan

European Union envoys moved Tuesday to narrow divisions over a plan to use frozen Russian assets as collateral for a large loan to support Ukraine’s economic and military needs through 2027, ahead of a high-stakes leaders’ summit in Brussels.

Ukraine needs funding by early 2026 to help cover an estimated 135 billion euros ($157 billion) shortfall, and EU leaders face pressure to reach a decision quickly.

The proposal centers on roughly 210 billion euros ($247 billion) in Russian central bank assets frozen since Moscow’s 2022 invasion. One option would be to use the assets as collateral for a reparations-style loan, with Ukraine repaying only after sanctions are lifted and Russia agrees to pay war reparations.

The plan faces resistance from Belgium, where most of the assets are held, over legal and security risks, while other EU states warn that a delay risks undermining Ukraine’s stability.

European Council President António Costa has urged leaders to stay at the summit until a deal is reached.

 

Lithuania Arrests 21 in Balloon-Based Cigarette Smuggling Ring

Lithuanian authorities arrested 21 people accused of running a criminal network that smuggled cigarettes from Belarus into Lithuania using specially equipped weather balloons.

Prosecutors said the group operated with strict coordination, launching balloons under favorable conditions and tracking their movement by GPS to recovery points inside Lithuania. More than 140 officers carried out over 80 searches, seizing cigarettes with Belarusian excise stamps, tracking equipment, signal jammers, firearms, luxury vehicles, and property.

The arrests follow Lithuania’s recent declaration of a national emergency after repeated balloon incursions disrupted airspace, forced airport closures, and heightened security concerns along the Belarus border.

The suspects face charges including participation in a criminal organization, smuggling, and aiding another state in actions against Lithuania.

 

Benin Jails Dozens Over Failed Coup Attempt

Beninese authorities jailed about 30 people, mostly soldiers, in connection with a failed coup attempt earlier this month, legal sources said Tuesday.

The suspects were placed in pretrial detention after appearing before a special court in Cotonou and face charges including treason, murder, and endangering state security.

The arrests follow a December 7 incident in which mutinous soldiers briefly claimed on television that Beninese President Patrice Talon had been deposed before loyalist forces, backed by Nigerian and French military support, quickly regained control.

Several suspects, including the alleged coup leader, remain at large.

The case unfolds as Talon nears the end of his final term amid criticism over authoritarianism and ongoing security challenges in northern Benin.

 

M23 Rebels Agree to Withdraw From Eastern Congo City After US Request

The AFC/M23 armed group said it will withdraw its forces from the city of Uvira in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo following a request from US mediators.

The Rwanda-backed group seized the city last week near the Burundi border, raising concerns about the collapse of recent peace efforts and the risk of wider regional conflict.

In a statement, the group said the withdrawal aims to support ongoing peace processes and rebuild trust, calling for Uvira to be demilitarized and for a neutral force to monitor a ceasefire.

The move follows a US-brokered road map signed by Congo and Rwanda in Washington and a separate ceasefire framework negotiated in Doha that has yet to take hold on the ground.

 

Hunger Crisis Deepens in Afghanistan as Aid Shrinks

More than 17 million people in Afghanistan are expected to face crisis levels of hunger through the winter, an increase of about 3 million from last year, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification and the United Nations World Food Program (WFP).

The agencies cited economic decline, drought, reduced international aid, and the return of more than 2.5 million Afghans from neighboring countries as key drivers of worsening food insecurity.

Nearly 4 million children are acutely malnourished, including about 1 million who require hospital treatment, while food assistance currently reaches just 2.7 percent of the population.

The UN warned the situation is especially severe as Afghanistan enters winter with minimal international food support, though conditions are expected to ease somewhat after the spring harvest.

 

Police Probe Philippines Trip in Bondi Beach Terror Attack

Australian police said the two gunmen behind the deadly attack on a Hanukkah event at Sydney’s Bondi Beach had traveled to the Philippines weeks before the assault and appeared to be inspired by Islamic State.

The attack, Australia’s worst mass shooting in nearly three decades, killed 16 people, including one of the alleged attackers, and is being investigated as terrorism targeting the Jewish community.

Authorities said the suspects, a father and son, visited Manila and Davao in November, though investigators have not confirmed links to militant groups or training abroad. Police found improvised explosive devices and ISIS-related flags in a vehicle linked to the younger suspect.

The shooting wounded at least 25 people and renewed scrutiny of gun licensing laws after officials confirmed the older suspect legally owned six firearms.

 

Sources: News Agencies

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