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Kristina Wong

kwong@washingtontimes.com

Kristina Wong was a national security reporter for The Washington Times.

Articles by Kristina Wong

** FILE ** U.S. Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, right, and his South Korean counterpart Gen. Jung Seung-jo, left, salute as they inspect members of an honor guard upon arriving for the Military Committee Meeting (MCM) at the Defense Ministry in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Sept. 30, 2013. (AP Photo/Korea Pool via Yonhap)

U.S. considering working with allies to develop moderate Syrian military, police forces

The top U.S. military officer took time Tuesday from an official visit aimed at allaying regional concerns about the U.S. commitment to Asia in order to discuss ideas Pentagon officials are mulling for assisting armed forces in Middle Eastern countries such as Lebanon and Jordan, and training moderate opposition forces in Syria.

October 1, 2013

Two Marine Corps generals fired for failure to secure base in Afghanistan

The Marine Corps' military chief fired two of the service's two-star generals for failing to secure a base in Afghanistan that was attacked by Taliban insurgents last year, an attack that resulted in two Marine deaths and the destruction of $200 million worth of aircraft.

September 30, 2013
Ali Nori Nadir, a Sunni Kurdish interpreter, said those who have aided U.S. troops in Iraq are captured and killed under unknown conditions, and the government blames "insurgents" or "al Qaeda." (Photograph provided by Ali Nori Nadir)

Iraqi interpreters feel frightened and ‘fooled’ as U.S. visa program ends

As a U.S. visa program for Iraqi interpreters nears its end Monday, one of those former military aides fears that he — as well as thousands others like him — will be left behind to face the wrath of insurgents who view him as a traitor amid intensifying sectarian combat in Iraq.

September 26, 2013
** FILE ** Military personnel have their identification checked as they enter the Washington Navy Yard on Thursday, three days after a gunman opened fire inside a building and killed 12 people in September 2013. (Associated Press)

Navy plans security changes in wake of Navy Yard rampage

The Navy is recommending that all available police documents be included in reports used for determining eligibility for security clearances, in the wake of last week's Washington Navy Yard shooting spree.

September 23, 2013
Alexis

Delays beset veterans health care system

Getting treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder can be an arduous process for veterans who regularly must deal with administrative and medical delays, health care professionals say.

September 19, 2013
Swarms of police stand outside the Navy Yard as workers are evacuated from the area as police search for a gunman, in Washington, D.C., Monday, Sept. 16, 2013. (Andrew S. Geraci/The Washington Times) ** FILE **

Navy family to rally after ‘horrific blow,’ Mabus vows

Saying the service had suffered a "horrific blow," Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus on Monday vowed Navy personnel would rally as a family from the attack that left 13 people dead at one of the Navy's oldest and most storied bases.

September 16, 2013
** FILE ** Russian President Vladimir Putin smiles at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow on Sept. 12, 2013. (Associated Press)

Pentagon: Putin is wrong on Syria gas attack

The Pentagon issued Thursday a strong rebuke to Russian President Vladimir Putin's op-ed in the New York Times, which lectured the U.S. on the use of the force and working through the U.N. to resolve international conflicts.

September 12, 2013
Afghan drivers take a break on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Sept. 11, 2013. (AP Photo/Ahmad Jamshid)

Corruption still rampant in rebuilding Afghanistan: report

After spending 12 years and nearly $100 billion in rebuilding Afghanistan, the U.S. still lacks a "comprehensive anti-corruption strategy" for its reconstruction activities there, according to a report by the U.S. government watchdog in the country.

September 11, 2013
** FILE ** Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel testifies on Capitol Hill on Sept. 10, 2013, before the House Armed Services Committee hearing on the proposed authorization to use military force in Syria. (Associated Press)

Hagel: Russia’s offer to Syria depends on threat of U.S. attack

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Tuesday that, in order for Russia's offer to help Syria transfer its chemical weapons to international control to succeed, "the threat of U.S. military action must continue to be very real and credible."

September 10, 2013
A U.S. soldier talks on the phone as Afghan children wait to receive Afghan National Army's humanitarian aid in the Andar district of Ghazni province, west of Kabul, Afghanistan on June 22, 2007. (Associated Press) ** FILE **

Some U.S. troops to stay in Afghanistan after 2014

Some U.S. combat forces will need to remain in Afghanistan after NATO's mission ends in 2014, top commanders in the war-ravaged country say as they await guidance from the president on how many U.S. troops will remain as part of a training and advising operation.

September 8, 2013
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, left, and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey, right, arrive for a closed-door intelligence briefing for members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2013, on Capitol Hill in Washington, as Barack Obama seeks congressional authorization for military intervention in Syria. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Dempsey outlines possible targets for strike on Syria

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Wednesday outlined for members of Congress potential targets for a limited U.S. attack on Syria, including those "directly linked to the control of chemical weapons."

September 4, 2013

Any long Syrian operation likely to run into spending issues

The Pentagon can absorb the cost of a limited strike on Syria, defense officials and analysts say, but a longer, more involved engagement could collide with financial constraints as the Oct. 1 start of the new fiscal year approaches.

September 3, 2013