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Ben Wolfgang

Ben Wolfgang is a National Security Correspondent for The Washington Times. His reporting is regularly featured in the daily Threat Status newsletter.
Previously, he covered energy and the environment, Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign in 2016, and also spent two years as a White House correspondent during the Obama administration.
Before coming to The Times in 2011, Ben worked as political reporter at The Republican-Herald in Pottsville, Pa.
He can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.

Articles by Ben Wolfgang

Trump shares video of suspected U.S. strike on Houthis as Pentagon promises ‘24/7’ attacks

Another round of suspected U.S. airstrikes struck Yemen's Houthis over the weekend while President Trump shared dramatic video footage that appeared to show dozens of Houthi fighters killed by the American attack.

April 6, 2025

Trump weighs an economic assault on the ‘one big, juicy target left’ in Russia: Its oil

The U.S. is weighing an all-out economic assault on the lifeblood of Russia's economy, its energy exports, in what analysts say would be a dramatic, potentially high-risk move to influence the Kremlin's decision-making and force an end to its war in Ukraine.

April 2, 2025

U.S. sends carrier strike group, bombers to Mideast amid growing campaign against Yemen’s Houthis

The Pentagon late Tuesday said it is sending another carrier strike group and additional air assets to the Middle East, moves that come amid the U.S. military campaign against Houthi rebels in Yemen and strong warnings from the Trump administration to the Houthis' chief patron, Iran.

April 2, 2025

‘We don’t have the leverage’: U.S. options limited as adversaries expand their nuclear arsenals

China, Russia and North Korea are building up their nuclear arsenals at a frightening pace to intimidate Washington. At the same time, America has little diplomatic leverage to strike new, traditional arms control deals to limit that nuclear expansion.

April 1, 2025

Former head of U.S. Army Pacific says Chinese military’s ‘false optimism’ is highly dangerous

The former commander of U.S. Army Pacific says he thinks that China's attitude toward America and its military has taken a dangerous turn, one that could inadvertently spark a global war.

March 28, 2025

Tech transforms how Army builds, fixes weapons of war

Army leaders say rapid technological advances are poised to eliminate some of the massive logistical hurdles confronting a U.S. military operating thousands of miles from American shores.

March 27, 2025

Army wants machines, not soldiers, to make first contact with the enemy

The Army plans to field its first "human-machine integrated formation platoons" by 2027, a transformational shift that the Pentagon says will allow robots to make first contact with the enemy on the battlefield.

March 25, 2025

A deal or a war? On Iran, Trump’s moment of truth is arriving

It's a question that's been at the heart of America's Middle East policy for the past two decades: How far is the U.S. willing to go to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear bomb? Over the next few weeks, President Trump could provide the answer.

March 21, 2025

Key GOP lawmakers ‘very concerned’ about possible changes to Pentagon combatant commands

The top Republicans on the Senate and House Armed Services committees said Wednesday night they are "very concerned" about reports the Pentagon is weighing major changes to the military's combatant command structure.

March 19, 2025

French MEP says U.S. should give back the Statue of Liberty

America has chosen to side with "tyrants" and should return the Statue of Liberty to France, a French member of the European Parliament said Sunday.

March 17, 2025

Trump, Putin expected to speak this week about Ukraine cease-fire push, White House envoy says

President Trump is likely to speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the phone this week as the U.S. push to end the Russia-Ukraine war accelerates, U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said Sunday.

March 16, 2025

Houthi rebels vow ‘escalation’ after U.S. airstrikes in Yemen

Yemen's Houthi rebels vowed to "meet escalation with escalation" on Sunday, just hours after President Trump ordered massive U.S. airstrikes.

March 16, 2025

U.S. bombs Houthis; Trump warns ‘hell will rain down’ if Iran-backed group continues attacking ships

U.S. forces on Saturday launched major strikes against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, President Trump said, as he warned the Iran-backed terrorist group that it must stop all attacks against commercial ships in the Red Sea or "hell will rain down upon you like nothing you have ever seen before."

March 15, 2025

U.S. airstrike in Iraq kills senior ISIS leader, Pentagon says

A U.S. airstrike in Iraq this week killed the Islamic State terror network's No. 2 leader, Pentagon officials said in a statement late Friday.

March 15, 2025

Trump fires Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman C.Q. Brown, chief of naval operations also out

President Trump on Friday said he is firing Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. C.Q. Brown, while Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti was also removed from her post, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a statement.

February 21, 2025

Trump fires CQ Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

February 21, 2025

U.S., Russia agree to more talks to end war as sidelined Ukraine fumes

Top Trump administration officials left the door open Tuesday to Russia permanently retaining control of some captured Ukrainian territory, as representatives from Washington and Moscow ended their historic meeting in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh with seemingly all options on the table and a promise to continue talks aimed at ending the conflict.

February 18, 2025

U.S., Russian teams to meet as Trump presses Russia-Ukraine diplomacy; EU, Kyiv on separate track

High-level U.S. and Russian officials are set to meet in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for the first direct talks to end the Russia-Ukraine war. President Trump's fast-moving and norm-shattering brand of diplomacy has brought the two adversaries together with remarkable speed while Kyiv watches from the sidelines and European allies struggle to find their footing.

February 17, 2025

Rubio, other officials defend Russia outreach as Ukraine says it will ‘never accept’ imposed peace

Top Trump administration officials on Sunday defended their upcoming direct talks with Moscow over ending the Russia-Ukraine war, even as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed that he will "never accept" a deal negotiated without Kyiv present at the table.

February 16, 2025

Netanyahu says Israel, with America’s help, will ‘finish the job’ on Iran

Israel "will finish the job" on Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday in sharp comments that come amid growing speculation that Israeli forces could soon launch direct attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities.