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Ben Wolfgang

Ben Wolfgang

bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com

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

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, left, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin testify during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the conclusion of military operations in Afghanistan and plans for future counterterrorism operations, Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2021, on Capitol Hill in Washington.. (Sarahbeth Maney/The New York Times via AP, Pool)

Top generals dispute Biden’s claims on Afghan withdrawal

Top military leaders on Tuesday confirmed they advised the White House to keep at least 2,500 troops in Afghanistan and to reject an arbitrary timeline for withdrawal, seemingly contradicting President Biden who said that the Pentagon brass was on board with his Aug. 31 exit date regardless of conditions on the ground and amid warning signs of a likely Taliban takeover.

September 28, 2021
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, joined by Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley, left, glances up at the start of a meeting with Qatar Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Khalid Al Attiyah at the Pentagon in Washington, Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) ** FILE **

Pentagon leaders Austin, Milley to face Capitol Hill grilling on Afghanistan

Lawmakers will get their long-awaited chance Tuesday to grill Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark A. Milley for the first time since the disastrous U.S. exit from Afghanistan, with key senators in both parties signaling that the two men will face a steady stream of tough questions.

September 27, 2021
In this image taken from video provided by UN Web TV, Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi remotely addresses the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly in a pre-recorded message, Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021, at U.N. headquarters. (UN Web TV via AP)

Emboldened Iran mocks U.S. as Biden’s hopes for nuclear deal fade

President Biden promised to thaw diplomatic relations with Iran and to resurrect a global nuclear deal shunned by his predecessor, but nine months into his term Mr. Biden has little to show for that effort amid growing signs the administration may have misplayed its hand and created an even bolder, more belligerent regime in Tehran.

September 21, 2021
This undated photo released by Northrop Grumman Corp. in 2018 shows the first two operational MQ-4C Triton unmanned surveillance and patrol aircrafts that Northrop Grumman delivered to the U.S. Navy in Naval Base Ventura County Point Mugu, Calif. Builder Northrop Grumman says the single-engine jet can stay aloft for more than 24 hours. (Bob Brown/Northrop Grumman Corporation via AP) ** FILE **

‘Fundamental shift’ in post-9/11 era funneled trillions to defense firms

The post-9/11 era brought permanent changes to U.S. military strategy. For defense contractors, it also sparked a significant cash windfall as the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and conflicts in other hot spots in the Middle East and beyond, funneled trillions of dollars away from the rank-and-file military and toward profit-driven companies.

September 19, 2021
Secretary of State Antony Blinken testifies during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2021 on Capitol Hill in Washington. Blinken was questioned about the Biden administration's handling of the U.S. withdraw from Afghanistan. (Jabin Botsford/Pool via AP)

Blinken faces another grilling on Capitol Hill over Afghanistan exit

Congressional Republicans took Secretary of State Antony Blinken to task for the second day in a row Tuesday over the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, charging that a series of historically bad decisions by top officials across the Biden administration has disheartened allies, emboldened the Taliban and al Qaeda, and potentially put Americans at risk.

September 14, 2021
Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, joined at left by Chairman Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., discusses the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan with Secretary of State Antony Blinken who appeared remotely, at the Capitol in Washington on Monday, Sept. 13, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) **FILE**

Republicans hammer Blinken over Afghan debacle while Dems blame Trump

Infuriated Republicans demanded Secretary of State Antony Blinken's resignation Monday for his handling of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. At the same time, House Democrats mounted a well-coordinated defense of the Biden administration and tried to deflect virtually all of the blame for the chaotic, deadly exit onto former President Donald Trump.

September 13, 2021
Former President Donald Trump remembered 9/11 Saturday with a visit to New York City's Engine Co. 8 firehouse, where he praised first responders' bravery. Also on Saturday, Mt. Trump was also one of the speakers for a virtual rally sponsored by the Universal Peace Federation. The former president told participants in the "Think Tank 2022 Rally of Hope," that there is reason to be optimistic about the reunification of North and South Korea. (AP Photo/Jill Colvin)

Trump: ‘Magnificent reality’ of denuclearized Korea within reach

Saturday evening's event was part of Universal Pace Federation's "Think Tank 2022 Rally of Hope" initiative, designed to bring together prominent figures from across the world and across all sectors of society to examine all aspects of the reunification of North and South Korea.

September 11, 2021
In this May 3, 2011, file photo, local residents gather outside a house where al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed in Abbottabad, Pakistan. (AP Photo/B.K.Bangash, File)

Still going after the bad guys: 20 years after 9/11, U.S. tallies wins, losses in war on terror

America's global war on terror, with massive troop deployments, clandestine Special Forces operations and futuristic drone strikes, has killed high-profile jihadi terrorist operatives in countries across the Middle East and succeeded in hunting down much of the core leadership of al Qaeda and the Islamic State group. But 20 years after the campaign began, Islamist radical extremism is putting down fresh roots around the world.

September 9, 2021