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Ben Wolfgang

Ben Wolfgang

bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com

Ben Wolfgang is a national security correspondent at The Washington Times, a senior member of its Threat Status team, and the host and producer of the award-winning Threat Status Podcast. Ben covers national security, foreign policy, military affairs, the defense industry and the rapidly evolving landscape of military technology.
A Pennsylvania native, he joined The Washington Times in 2011 after serving as a political reporter at The Republican-Herald in Pottsville, Pa. Over the course of his career, Ben has covered the White House, Congress, and four presidential campaigns.
His reporting has earned recognition from some of journalism's most respected organizations, including the Virginia Press Association and the Society of Professional Journalists' Washington, D.C. Chapter, among other honors.
Ben has interviewed heads of state, chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, senior military commanders, cabinet secretaries, senior government officials, and the CEOs of many of the nation's largest and most influential defense companies.
Ben is a frequent guest on broadcast media, with appearances on C-SPAN, the Sirius XM POTUS channel, and other outlets.
He can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.

Articles by Ben Wolfgang

President Barack Obama speaks at a news conference at the NATO summit at Celtic Manor, Newport, Wales, Friday, Sept. 5, 2014. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Obama vows to ‘hunt down’ and ‘dismantle’ Islamic State

Under fire for his lack of a strategy to deal with the Islamic State, President Obama on Friday struck a firm and determined note and vowed the U.S. will "hunt down" and "dismantle" the Islamist organization in the same way it went after al Qaeda in the days after Sept. 11, 2001.

September 5, 2014
President Barack Obama speaks at a news conference at the NATO summit at Celtic Manor, Newport, Wales, Friday, Sept. 5, 2014. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Obama: We’ll impose more sanctions on Russia

President Obama said Friday the U.S. and its European allies will move ahead with more economic sanctions against Russia, regardless of whether this week's cease-fire agreement between Russia and Ukraine brings an immediate end to violence.

September 5, 2014
An F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 81 deploys flares during an air power demonstration over the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70). (U.S. Navy photo.)

NATO creates new ‘readiness force’ to counter Russia

NATO on Friday created a new "very high readiness force" of several thousand troops to deployed in eastern Europe, a clear signal by the international body that further Russian aggression in the region will not be tolerated.

September 5, 2014
President Obama spoke in Estonia about the need for NATO to defend its member states, many of whom are wary of Russian incursions similar to what has occurred in the Ukrainian theater. (Associated Press)

Obama: Ukrainian military needs NATO backing

Although he's resisted bipartisan calls to send arms to Ukraine, President Obama urged NATO Wednesday to help strengthen the Ukrainian military amid conflicting reports of a tentative cease-fire plan in Kiev's five-month-old fight against Russian forces.

September 3, 2014
U.S. President Barack Obama speaks during a news conference with Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves at the Bank of Estonia in Tallinn, Estonia, Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2014. Obama is in Estonia for a one day visit where he will meet with Baltic State leaders before heading to the NATO Summit in Wales. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Obama vows to ‘degrade and destroy’ Islamic State after Sotloff beheading

A day after the Islamic State released a video showing the beheading of another American, President Obama vowed to destroy the organization, and Vice President Joseph R. Biden pledged to follow the terrorists "to the gates of hell" — but neither man offered a strategy or was willing to say the U.S. is at war.

September 3, 2014
Sacrificed: An image taken from a video released by the SITE Intelligence Group shows American journalist Steven Joel Sotloff, 31, just before his execution. (SITE Intelligence Group via Associated Press)

Islamic State beheading of second U.S. journalist accelerates calls for war

Islamist militants on Tuesday released a video purportedly showing the gruesome beheading of a U.S. journalist — the second such execution of an American in less than a month and one that has accelerated bipartisan calls for President Obama to declare war on the terrorist group known as the Islamic State.

September 2, 2014
White House press secretary Josh Earnest gestures during the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, Monday, Aug. 25, 2014, where he took questions on ISIS, Iraq, and Syria. He also received congratulations for his newborn baby. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Obama sends another 350 troops to Iraq

On the same day Islamist militants apparently beheaded an American journalist, President Obama on Tuesday ordered another 350 troops to Iraq as the U.S. continues its fight against the terrorist group known as the Islamic State.

September 2, 2014
In his Labor Day speech, President Obama tried to boost his administration's standing with the labor movement after a series of high-profile clashes. Most recently, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka took aim at Mr. Obama's economic team, saying not enough progress has been made on behalf of the working class. (Associated Press)

Obama tries to bolster union support on Labor Day

After riling unions on everything from Obamacare to the Keystone XL oil pipeline to a stagnated economy, a passionate President Obama on Monday sought to rally organized labor and energize the key Democratic constituency ahead of the November congressional elections.

September 1, 2014
** FILE ** President Obama as he speaks in the James Brady Press Briefing Room in the White House in Washington, Aug. 18, 2014. (Associated Press)

Obama uses Labor Day holiday to push for higher minimum wage

Democrats' push to raise the nation's minimum wage has taken a backseat recently to crises in the Middle East and elsewhere, but President Obama on Saturday resumed the effort and accused Republicans of not caring about the standard of living of average Americans.

August 30, 2014
The Progressive Change Campaign Committee has aided liberal congressional candidate Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey. (Associated Press)

Tea party rival group propels progressive candidates

With a very real chance of being elected to Congress in November, New Jersey Democrat Bonnie Watson Coleman makes no bones about the fact that she's benefited heavily from a well-organized progressive machine that has begun to rival the tea party in its ability to hand-pick candidates and propel them into office.

August 28, 2014
Canada's iconic coffee chain, Tim Hortons, and Miami-based Burger King say they will join forces but will operate as independent brands to form the world's third-largest quick-service restaurant company. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Sean Kilpatrick)

For Democrats, Burger King now public enemy No. 1

Burger King's $11 billion acquisition of a Canadian coffee-and-doughnuts chain has fired up Senate Democrats and led to calls for a boycott, but the iconic fast-food joint hit back Tuesday as it finalized the deal.

August 26, 2014
Burger King is in talks to buy Tim Hortons in hopes of creating a new, publicly traded company with its headquarters in Canada. The move would help the company avoid America's 40 percent corporate tax rate. (Associated Press)

Burger King may move to Canada

Without naming names, the White House on Monday appeared to condemn Burger King's acquisition of Canadian chain Tim Hortons — a so-called "corporate inversion" by which the Miami-based fast-food giant would relocate its headquarters north of the border to avoid disproportionately high U.S. tax rates.

August 25, 2014