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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 Jan. 1, 2020, file photo, U.S. Army soldiers from the 82nd Airborne board a C-17 aircraft at Fort Bragg, N.C., to be deployed to the Middle East. A push led by pro-Iran factions to oust U.S. troops from Iraq is gaining momentum, bolstered by a Parliament vote in favor of a bill calling on the the government to remove them. But the path forward is unclear. (Melissa Sue Gerrits/The Fayetteville Observer via AP, File)

National Defense Strategy pivot to China postponed by Middle East tensions

The Pentagon's long-term plan to refocus on "great power competition" with China has been derailed -- again -- by conflicts in the Middle East, and specialists say the U.S. military will soon face a moment of reckoning and be forced to choose which theater will be its primary focus.

January 15, 2020
Then-Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., left, shakes hands with Gen. John W. Raymond, the commander of the U.S. Space Command, Sept. 9, 2019, during a ceremony to recognize the establishment of the United States Space Command at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo. (Christian Murdock/The Gazette via AP) ** FILE **

Gen. John Raymond sworn in as first Space Force chief

Gen. John W. "Jay" Raymond was sworn in Tuesday as the first chief of space operations for the newly established U.S. Space Force, putting the service on equal footing with other branches of the military and giving it an influential seat at the Joint Chiefs of Staff table.

January 14, 2020
In this photograph taken Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020, Iranian police officers take position while protesters gather in front of Amir Kabir University in Tehran, Iran, to remember victims of a Ukrainian airplane shot down by an Iranian missile. On Monday, Jan. 13, 2020, online videos purported to show that Iranian security forces fired both live ammunition and tear gas to disperse demonstrators protesting against the Islamic Republic's initial denial that it shot down a Ukrainian jetliner. (AP Photo)

Mike Pompeo, Donald Trump back Iran protesters against Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Furious Iranian protesters took to the streets for the third straight day Monday as anger with leadership in Tehran reached a boiling point, while the Trump administration seized on the popular uprising as a potential game-changer in the struggle between the Iranian people and their government.

January 13, 2020
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before his New Year's Eve party at his Mar-a-Lago property, as first lady Melania Trump listens, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2019, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)

Donald Trump’s Iran, North Korea crises threaten reelection

President Trump has multiple options to deal with the two defining foreign policy crises of his first term as tensions rise with North Korea and Iran, but it's unclear whether he has the will to escalate on either front as his political future hangs in the balance.

January 1, 2020
Marines in Kuwait were dispatched Tuesday to the U.S. Embassy compound in Iraq after a protest led by members of the Iraqi Shiite militia Kataeb Hezbollah turned violent. (Associated Press)

Pentagon sending more troops to guard U.S. Embassy in Iraq

The Trump administration scrambled to ramp up security at the U.S. Embassy in Iraq and tamp down a brewing crisis in the Middle East on Tuesday after an Iran-backed militia launched a brazen attack that briefly breached the walls of the U.S. diplomatic compound in Baghdad.

December 31, 2019
Kenneth Braithwaite, ambassador to Norway, is expected to take the helm of the Navy. (State Department)

Kenneth Braithwaite faces Navy problems as secretary nominee

President Trump's next Navy secretary will be walking onto a command deck with a massive number of headaches, including a lingering Navy SEAL scandal, a string of shootings on bases and a competition with China to define the 21st century.

December 30, 2019
The Iranian-backed militia said Monday that the death toll from U.S. military strikes in Iraq and Syria against its fighters has risen to 25, vowing to exact revenge. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Iraq militias, Iran vow ‘confrontation’ to deadly U.S. airstrikes

A powerful pro-Iran Iraqi militia vowed direct "confrontation" with the U.S. on Monday after weekend airstrikes killed 25 of its members, and the American attacks threaten to send already tense relations between Washington and Tehran spiraling downward in the new year.

December 30, 2019
In this photo provided Sunday, Dec. 22, 2019, by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during a ruling party meeting, North Korea. North Korea said Sunday Kim has convened a key ruling party meeting to decide on steps to bolster the country’s military capability. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

Pentagon leaks commando drill to raid North Korea

The U.S. this week dramatically ramped up surveillance over North Korea ahead of Pyongyang's anticipated "Christmas gift," while the Pentagon sent an unmistakably blunt message by leaking news of a November special-operations drill that practiced taking out top North Korean officials.

December 26, 2019
This photo made available from the Mali Army, shows coffins being honored at a funeral ceremony in Gao, Mali, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019. The Mali Defense Ministry held a funeral for the 30 soldiers killed in a Monday attack on an army patrol by extremists near the border with Niger. (Mali Army via AP) ** FILE **

U.S. withdrawal from Africa creates space for terror groups return

While its Middle East "caliphate" has been shattered, the Islamic State has regrouped and quickly gained a significant foothold in Africa's unstable, impoverished Sahel region -- and experts say the U.S. is taking a serious foreign policy gamble by steering clear of major military intervention to address the growing terrorist threat.

December 22, 2019
U.S. Marine Staff Sgt. Thomas R. Sterett takes accountability of Marines boarding U.S. Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawks during Black Hawk integration training as part of exercise Fuji Viper 20-1 on Camp Fuji, Japan, Oct. 28, 2019. Fuji Viper is a regularly scheduled training evolution for infantry units assigned to 3rd Marine Division as part of the unit deployment program. The training allows units to maintain their lethality and proficiency in infantry and combined arms tactics. Sterett is assigned to 4th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, and a native of Town Falls, Idaho. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Timothy Hernandez)

Marine Corps eyes gender-integrated basic training

The push to eliminate all gender segregation at Marine Corps camps has more momentum than ever, but analysts and military insiders say there remain major real-world, physical roadblocks to coed basic training and serious questions about whether the Marines can or should follow the lead of the Army, Navy and Air Force.

December 15, 2019
In this Jan. 15, 2018, file photo, U.S. Marines stand guard during the change of command ceremony at Task Force Southwest military field in Shorab military camp of Helmand province, Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Massoud Hossaini) ** FILE **

U.S. to pull 4,000 troops from Afghanistan: Report

The Trump administration reportedly will seek to pull as many as 4,000 troops from Afghanistan in the coming weeks, moving ahead with President Trump's desired drawdown despite recent high-profile attacks by Taliban fighters.

December 15, 2019