NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb 4, 2026--
Academy Securities, the nation’s first Post-9/11 veteran owned and operated investment bank, today announced the addition of Vice Admiral Frederick J. “Fritz” Roegge to its Geopolitical Intelligence Group. The Academy GIG consists of 38 US and UK Admirals & Generals, former NASA Astronauts, and former CIA/FBI Leadership. Academy has been advising clients for over a decade and is the preeminent Advisory on geostrategic risk to the markets.
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Vice Admiral Frederick J. “Fritz” Roegge retired from the United States Navy after more than thirty years of service, concluding his military career as President of the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. Prior assignments included serving as a Secretary of the Navy Congressional liaison at the U.S. House of Representatives and commanding at multiple levels, from a single nuclear-powered submarine to the U.S. Pacific Submarine Force. After transitioning from active duty, he joined Holtec International, where he served as President of Holtec Government Services and is currently as an Executive Consultant.
“It’s an honor to welcome Admiral Roegge to our Advisory Board,” said Academy’s Chairman and CEO Chance Mims. “His breadth of service and strategic insight makes him an outstanding addition to the team.”
Admiral Roegge commented on joining the firm: “I look forward to joining my distinguished colleagues on Academy’s Advisory Board and Geopolitical Intelligence Group and to contributing to their important work.”
Admiral Roegge is an honors graduate of the University of Minnesota with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering; he earned an M.S. in Engineering Management from the Catholic University of America and an M.A. with highest distinction in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College. He was a fellow of the MIT Seminar XXI program for national security leaders and of the Harvard University Kennedy School National Security Executive Program.
“Admiral Roegge brings exceptional experience from Naval command to senior roles in national defense education,” said Academy’s Vice Chairman Phil McConkey.
About Academy Securities
Academy Securities is a FINRA registered Broker Dealer and a preeminent veteran owned investment bank with strengths in capital markets, asset management, public finance, geopolitical intel, fixed income, and equity trading. Leadership and staff have had intensive military training prior to entering and gaining in-depth financial services experience in global capital markets. We are mission driven with a high ethical code, a solid sense of accountability and strive for excellence in the pursuit of our clients’ success. Academy is our nation’s first post-9/11 veteran owned and operated investment bank and is certified as a DVBE, SDVOB, and MBE. The firm has a strong top and middle tier client base served by a national platform with offices in New York, Chicago, San Diego, Chapel Hill, Louisville, Austin, Dallas, Sacramento, and West Palm Beach. Information about Academy Securities is available at www.academysecurities.com.
Vice Admiral Frederick J. “Fritz” Roegge
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Envoys from Russia and Ukraine met in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday for another round of U.S.-brokered talks on ending the almost four-year war, a Ukrainian negotiator said.
The delegations from Moscow and Kyiv were joined in the United Arab Emirates by U.S. officials, Rustem Umerov, Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council chief, who was present at the meeting, said on social media.
Umerov said the planned two-day negotiations started with all three delegations present, after which negotiators were to break into groups according to topics and then meet as a full group again at the end.
The American team was due to include special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who also attended last month’s meeting, according to the White House.
The current talks also coincide with the expiry of the last remaining nuclear arms pact between Russia and the United States on Thursday. Trump and Putin could extend the terms of the treaty or renegotiate its conditions in an effort to prevent a new nuclear arms race.
Last month’s discussions in the Emirati capital, part of a U.S. push to end the fighting, yielded some progress but no breakthrough on key issues, officials said.
The Abu Dhabi talks were held amid Ukrainian outrage over major Russian attacks on its energy system, which have occurred each winter since Russia launched its all-out invasion of its neighbor on Feb. 24 2022.
A huge Russian bombardment overnight from Monday to Tuesday included hundreds of drones and a record 32 ballistic missiles, wounding at least 10 people. This came despite Ukraine’s understanding that Russian President Vladimir Putin had told Trump he would temporarily halt strikes on Ukraine’s power grid.
Ukrainian civilians are struggling with one of the coldest winters in years, which saw temperatures around minus 20 degrees Celsius (minus 4 Fahrenheit).
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov wouldn’t offer any details on the Abu Dhabi talks and said that Moscow wasn’t planning any comment on their results.
He said that “the doors for a peaceful settlement are open,” but noted that Moscow will press its military action until Kyiv meets its demands.
Russia is hitting Ukraine’s energy facilities because its armed forces believe the targets are associated with Kyiv’s military effort, Peskov said.
There has been a lack of clarity about how long Putin promised to observe a pause on power grid attacks, and Moscow hasn't stopped its aerial attacks on other targets in Ukraine despite a Kremlin official saying last week that Russia had agreed to halt strikes on Kyiv for a week until Feb. 1.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said late Tuesday barely four days had passed and a fresh wave of attacks targeted Ukraine's power grid, accusing Putin of duplicity.
Trump claimed Tuesday that Putin “kept his word” on the temporary pause. Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump was “unfortunately unsurprised” by Moscow’s resumption of attacks.
The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington think tank, said the developments were part of Moscow’s negotiating strategy.
“The Kremlin will likely attempt to portray its adherence to this short-term energy strikes moratorium as a significant concession to gain leverage in the upcoming peace talks, even though the Kremlin used these few days to stockpile missiles for a larger strike package,” it said late Tuesday.
Russia launched 105 drones against Ukraine overnight, and air defenses shot down 88 of them, the Ukrainian air force said Wednesday. Strikes by 17 drones were recorded at 14 locations, as well as falling debris at five sites, it said.
In the central Dnipropetrovsk region, a Russian strike on a residential area killed a 68-year-old woman and a 38-year-old man, regional military administration head Oleksandr Hancha said.
The southern city of Odesa also came under a large-scale attack, regional military administration head Oleh Kiper said. About 20 residential buildings were damaged, with four people rescued from under the rubble, he said.
Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
In this image made from video provided by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, Russian Multiple rocket launcher TOS-1A fires towards Ukrainian positions on an undisclosed location in Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
