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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

In this file photo, the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8) conducts flight deck operations in the Indian Ocean. Officials with U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) said the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group and 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit arrived in the Indian Ocean off Somalia's coast on Monday, Dec. 21, 2020. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist John Lill/Released) **FILE**

U.S dispatches 5,000 sailors and Marines off coast of Somalia

The Pentagon this week dispatched 5,000 sailors and Marines to the waters off the coast of Somalia, offering a show of strength to extremist groups such as al-Shabaab as U.S. ground forces prepare to exit the chaotic country.

December 23, 2020
In this Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2020, image taken from a video provided by Defense.gov, acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller speaks at the Pentagon in Washington. (Defense.gov via AP) ** FILE **

Christopher Miller visits Afghanistan amid troop drawdown

Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan Tuesday, meeting with Afghan officials and American troops as the U.S. continues a major drawdown from the country during President Trump's final weeks in office.

December 22, 2020
The U.S. Army employs a M270A1 Multiple Launch Rocket System during the first live-fire exercise from a Europe-based MLRS unit since 2004. (Image: U.S. Army, Grafenwoehr, Germany)

Army’s long-range cannon hits target 43 miles away

The Army's groundbreaking long-range cannon hit a target 43 miles away over the weekend, military officials said, marking another successful test of an artillery system that the Pentagon says will give the U.S. a major battlefield advantage over foes such as China and Russia.

December 22, 2020
In this photo made available by the U.S. Navy, the guided-missile submarine USS Georgia, front, with the guided-missile cruiser USS Port Royal, transit the Strait of Hormuz in Persian Gulf, Monday, Dec. 21, 2020. The vessels traversed the strategically vital waterway between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula on Monday, the U.S. Navy said, a rare announcement that comes amid rising tensions with Iran. (Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Indra Beaufort/U.S. Navy via AP)

Trump Iran pressure imperils Biden nuclear deal return desire

China, Russia and European nations seeking to salvage the Obama-era nuclear deal with Iran said Monday that they would welcome a U.S. return to the accord, but President Trump's escalation of pressure on the Iranian regime during his final weeks in office could hobble the incoming Biden administration's pursuit of diplomacy.

December 21, 2020
In this Feb. 16, 2013, file photo, North Korean defectors and South Korean activists prepare to launch helium balloons carrying leaflets against North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attached to them, during an anti-North Korea rally denouncing North Korea's third nuclear test at the Imjingak Pavilion near the border village of Panmunjom, in Paju, South Korea. South Korea's parliament on Monday, Dec. 14, 2020, approved a contentious revised act criminalizing the flying of leaflets toward North Korea, despite fierce criticism that it's sacrificing its freedom of expression principle to improve ties with rival North Korea. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, File)

South Korean officials defend controversial propaganda law

Top South Korean officials on Monday defended a controversial new law banning the flying of leaflets and other propaganda into North Korea by balloon, arguing that the measure will protect citizens living along the militarized border between the two nations.

December 21, 2020
Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a Security Council meeting via video conference at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, Russia, Friday, Dec. 18, 2020. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Putin congratulates Russia’s intel service after U.S. hit with massive cyberattack

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday publicly commended his country's SVR foreign intelligence service for its work protecting Moscow's interests. Many American officials and security experts believe the same Russian spy agency is responsible for a massive cyberattack on the U.S., the full extent of which is still being determined.

December 20, 2020
In this May 15, 2020, file photo, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley speaks during the presentation of the Space Force Flag in the Oval Office of the White House with President Donald Trump, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File) **FILE**

Mark Milley navigates minefield of ‘Trumpian politics’

Military insiders say Gen. Mark A. Milley has routinely demonstrated the savvy and instincts needed to navigate issues ranging from a contentious election cycle that threatened to ensnare the armed forces to private disagreements between the Pentagon and White House.

December 17, 2020