SOFREP Morning Brief: US Navy Relieves Admiral Overseeing Unmanned and Small Combatant Programs, Zelenskyy Meets New German Chancellor

Welcome to your Wednesday Morning Brief! Here’s a look at today’s top headlines for May 28, 2025: The US Navy fired Adm. Kevin Smith over leadership issues. The US paused student visa interviews due to new screening rules. Trump asked the Supreme Court to stop the South Sudan deportation ruling. Amnesty International accused M23 rebels of war crimes in Congo. Russia took villages in Ukraine’s Sumy region. Zelenskyy met Germany’s chancellor amid heavy drone strikes. France and Indonesia deepened defense ties. India approved a new fighter jet program after the Pakistan clashes. Chemical plant blast in China killed five, six missing.

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US Navy Relieves Admiral Overseeing Unmanned and Small Combatant Programs

Rear Adm. Kevin Smith, head of the Navy’s Program Executive Office for Unmanned and Small Combatants (PEO USC), was relieved of duty on May 27 due to a substantiated complaint investigated by the Office of the Naval Inspector General.

Acting Navy acquisition chief Dr. Brett Seidle relieved Smith, citing a loss of confidence in his leadership.

Smith, who held the position for nearly two years, previously managed the Constellation-class frigate program. PEO USC oversees key naval assets, including the Littoral Combat Ship variants, unmanned surface and subsurface vessels, and various expeditionary and mine warfare systems.

🚨BREAKING: The Navy removes Rear Adm. Kevin Smith for lack of confidence based on a complaint substantiated by an Office of the Naval Inspector General investigation.

He served as the program executive officer for unmanned and small combatants (PEO USC).

PEO USC is the Navy’s… pic.twitter.com/J6JETI85jc

— Gabrielle Cuccia (@gabbycuccia) May 27, 2025

The Navy reassigned Smith to the Naval Sea Systems Command. Melissa Kirkendall, PEO USC’s executive director, has assumed temporary leadership. The Navy emphasized its commitment to accountability and high standards for its leadership. Smith did not respond to a request for comment.

US State Department Freezes New Student Visa Interviews

The US State Department has temporarily halted new student and exchange visitor visa interview appointments as it prepares to implement expanded social media screening, according to a cable signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The move, effective immediately, excludes applicants who already have scheduled interviews.

A State Department official described the pause as temporary while consular sections await new guidance. Spokesperson Tammy Bruce emphasized that the US will continue using all tools to vet visa applicants.

This action marks the latest in the Trump administration’s broader crackdown on international students.

Exclusive: New student visa interviews are on pause as Trump’s admin weighs requiring foreign students applying in the U.S. to undergo social media vetting. https://t.co/0pWIZDlKnw

— POLITICO (@politico) May 27, 2025

Last week, the administration revoked Harvard University’s ability to sponsor foreign students, a decision now blocked by a federal court. Earlier this year, thousands of students lost their legal status but were later reinstated after legal challenges.

The expanded vetting builds on previous Trump-era policies that increased scrutiny of visa applicants’ social media. An extended delay in visa scheduling risks disrupting enrollment plans for summer and fall terms, which could financially impact universities relying on full-paying international students to offset federal funding cuts.

Trump Administration Asks Supreme Court to Halt Judge’s Order on South Sudan Deportations

The Trump administration requested an emergency Supreme Court intervention on Tuesday to block a federal judge’s order allowing migrants to challenge their deportations to South Sudan.

The move followed a scathing rebuke from Judge Brian Murphy, who accused the administration of “manufacturing chaos” and violating prior court orders.

Murphy found that a deportation flight carrying eight foreign nationals—some from countries other than South Sudan—was improperly executed without giving the individuals a fair chance to raise credible fears of harm if returned.

The judge ruled the men must be allowed to present their claims, either in the US or while in US custody in Djibouti, where the plane stopped.

Solicitor General D. John Sauer argued that Murphy’s decision delays deportations and hampers delicate diplomatic efforts to place migrants who cannot return to their home countries. The administration emphasized the men’s criminal records and labeled them national security threats.

Rubio warns court order blocking deportations to South Sudan causes ‘irreparable harm’ to foreign policy https://t.co/U6R10K1xUi

— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) May 25, 2025

Murphy criticized the administration’s suggestion to process claims abroad as logistically flawed and noted the last-minute nature of the deportation, with detainees receiving less than 16 hours’ notice and minimal legal access. He accused officials of using confusion to evade judicial oversight.

The case highlights the administration’s controversial use of third countries for deportations, including deals with El Salvador and Panama. Murphy pointed out that the government has itself warned against travel to South Sudan due to safety concerns, questioning the rationale behind the removal plans.

Amnesty International Accuses M23 Rebels of War Crimes in Eastern Congo

Amnesty International has accused M23 rebels in eastern Congo of committing war crimes, including killings, torture, and enforced disappearances of civilians detained in the rebel-held cities of Goma and Bukavu.

In a report released Tuesday, the rights group said detainees were held without due process, often in inhumane conditions, and subjected to beatings and executions.

Former detainees interviewed by Amnesty between February and April described overcrowded, unsanitary cells with little food or medical care. Witnesses reported seeing fellow prisoners die from torture or neglect, including two killed with hammers and one shot by rebel fighters.

All detainees said they experienced or witnessed torture using wooden rods, electric cables, or engine belts.

🚨New @amnesty investigation out today as MEPs visit Kinshasa.
Rwandan-backed M23 has killed, tortured & forcibly disappeared detainees in Goma & Bukavu, eastern DRC.
These acts violate international humanitarian law & may amount to war crimes.
Read more👉https://t.co/eh2P7eqjn1 pic.twitter.com/DpXix2yXCh

— Amnesty EU (@AmnestyEU) May 27, 2025

Amnesty said M23 fighters denied access to families searching for missing relatives, amounting to enforced disappearances. The allegations come as the conflict in eastern Congo continues to worsen, with over 7 million people displaced and 100,000 fleeing this year alone.

The Rwandan-backed M23 seized Goma in January and Bukavu in February. Despite a recent pledge to seek a truce, fighting between M23 and the Congolese army persists.

UN experts estimate M23 is supported by roughly 4,000 Rwandan troops. The group has previously threatened to advance as far as Kinshasa, Congo’s capital.

Russian Forces Seize Border Villages in Ukraine’s Sumy Region Amid Push for Buffer Zone

Russian troops captured four villages in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region, local officials confirmed Tuesday, marking a new offensive aimed at creating a border buffer zone.

President Vladimir Putin had recently ordered Russian forces to secure a “security buffer” to prevent Ukrainian incursions into Russian territory, particularly from Sumy, which borders Russia’s Kursk region.

Ukrainian forces continue to resist further advances, and officials stated that civilians from the seized villages had been evacuated. The move follows last year’s brief Ukrainian occupation of Russian territory in Kursk, the first since World War II.

Russia also launched a record-setting drone assault over the weekend, firing approximately 900 drones between Friday and Sunday, including 355 in a single night. Attacks eased from Monday to Tuesday, with 60 drones launched. Russia claims to have downed 99 Ukrainian drones over seven regions overnight.

Russian officials are likely leveraging the fact that Ukraine and Russia set no concrete deadlines for the next steps in the peace process in order to delay the process altogether and prolong the war. ⬇️ https://t.co/qMjIZ4wC1K pic.twitter.com/70Z9XWuUo0

— Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) May 28, 2025

Despite recent US-led efforts to revive peace negotiations, talks have yielded little. A major prisoner swap remains the only concrete outcome from the May 16 meeting in Turkey. The Kremlin rejected the Vatican as a negotiation venue, with Geneva now under consideration.

US special envoy Keith Kellogg said Putin has yet to deliver a proposed peace framework he promised during a May 19 phone call with former President Donald Trump. Trump has criticized Putin’s latest escalation as “crazy,” prompting mixed responses from the Kremlin—ranging from public rebuke to cautious praise for US peace efforts.

The ongoing offensive signals no near-term slowdown in Moscow’s war strategy, even as Ukraine prepares for deeper engagements along its northern border.

Zelenskyy Meets New German Chancellor Amid Escalating Russian Drone Attacks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Berlin on Wednesday to meet with newly appointed German Chancellor Friedrich Merz as Kyiv pushes for more military aid in the face of intensified Russian drone and missile strikes.

Germany, already Ukraine’s second-largest military supporter after the US, has now lifted all range restrictions on weapons supplied to Ukraine.

🇺🇦🇩🇪 Zelensky has already arrived in Germany: he has a very important meeting with Chancellor Friedrich Merz today. pic.twitter.com/zjdbwIghZY

— The Ukrainian Review (@UkrReview) May 28, 2025

Chancellor Merz, just three weeks into office, is engaging in diplomatic efforts to maintain Western support and explore options for a ceasefire. The meeting comes as the war intensifies along the 1,000-kilometer front line, with Russia conducting its largest drone barrage of the conflict on Sunday.

Macron Strengthens Defense Ties with Indonesia Amid Southeast Asia Tour

French President Emmanuel Macron met with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta on Wednesday to deepen defense and trade cooperation as part of a broader regional tour focused on bolstering ties in Southeast Asia.

The visit marks Macron’s second stop in the region following Vietnam, where he signed a deal to sell 20 Airbus aircraft.

Macron and Subianto, who developed close ties during Subianto’s term as defense minister, are building on an expanding defense partnership. Indonesia finalized a deal in January to purchase 42 Dassault Rafale fighter jets from France, with deliveries beginning in 2026.

🇫🇷 | 🇮🇩 Emmanuel Macron est arrivé mardi 27 mai en Indonésie, deuxième étape d’une tournée en Asie du Sud-Est, selon ont rapporté des médias français.

Le président français est arrivé mardi dans la soirée à Jakarta, en Indonésie, pour la deuxième étape d’une tournée en Asie du… pic.twitter.com/U9yUlCdYwS

— Anadolu Français (@aa_french) May 27, 2025

Jakarta also ordered two Scorpene Evolved submarines and 13 Thales ground control radars, five of which will be installed in its future capital, Nusantara.

The leaders are expected to oversee the signing of a letter of intent for additional strategic weapons systems. Indonesia is actively modernizing its military and diversifying its arsenal, which currently includes aging aircraft from the US, Russia, and the United Kingdom.

Macron’s visit also includes meetings with ASEAN officials and public appearances at Jakarta State University. On Thursday, he will tour Borobudur Temple and a military academy before heading to Singapore to address the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s top defense forum.

India Approves Advanced Fighter Jet Program Amid Pakistan Tensions

India’s Defense Minister Rajnath Singh approved a new program to develop a 5th-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) prototype, in a move to boost indigenous defense capabilities following a deadly four-day conflict with Pakistan.

The Aeronautical Development Agency will lead the AMCA project in partnership with domestic industry, aiming to enhance India’s aerospace self-reliance.

The decision comes amid rising tensions with both Pakistan and China and is part of a broader effort to modernize India’s armed forces.

India Approves Advanced Stealth Fighter Project

India has officially greenlit its fifth-generation stealth fighter program, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).

AMCA is a twin-engine, fifth-gen stealth jet with supercruise, internal weapons bay, and advanced avionics.… pic.twitter.com/jN60c8n3Yd

— Clash Report (@clashreport) May 27, 2025

India has pledged $100 billion in local defense contracts by 2033 and continues to scale up domestic production, including warships, submarines, helicopters, and hypersonic missiles.

The recent clash with Pakistan—the worst since 1999—resulted in over 70 deaths. Pakistan claimed it downed six Indian jets, including three Rafales. India has not confirmed losses but acknowledged three crashes. The conflict followed a deadly attack on tourists in Kashmir, which India blames on Islamabad.

India remains one of the top global arms importers but is gradually reducing reliance on Russian hardware by increasing cooperation with Western allies, including through the Quad alliance. A recent multibillion-dollar Rafale deal with France underlines this shift.

Explosion at Chinese Chemical Plant Kills Five, Six Still Missing

An explosion at a chemical plant in Weifang, eastern China, killed at least five people and injured 19 others on Tuesday, with six still missing as of Wednesday morning.

The blast occurred at Gaomi Youdao Chemical Co., a pesticide and medical chemical producer with over 500 employees. The cause remains unknown.

The explosion shook buildings, shattered windows, and released thick white smoke, prompting the deployment of over 230 firefighters. Residents nearby, including students at a local school, reported unusual smoke and odors; students were given masks and told to keep them on.

🚨 A powerful explosion rocked the Shandong Youdao Chemical plant in Gaomi, China, earlier today. The blast sent fireballs and thick smoke into the sky, shattering windows kilometers away. The facility is the world’s largest producer of chlorpyrifos, a key agrochemical. pic.twitter.com/1AAMtsxcCe

— BigBreakingWire (@BigBreakingWire) May 27, 2025

Environmental teams were dispatched to assess potential pollution, though no findings have been released. The incident follows a national workshop aimed at boosting chemical safety, highlighting continued risks despite government efforts. Gaomi Youdao had previously been cited for safety issues but was recently praised for hazard management.

China continues to face challenges with industrial safety. In 2024 alone, over 21,000 workplace incidents and nearly 20,000 deaths were recorded. The Weifang explosion echoes past disasters, including the 2015 Tianjin blast and a 2019 chemical plant explosion in Jiangsu.

Sources: News Agencies