Ben Wolfgang

Russia ‘hybrid warfare’ plan employs cyberattacks, military action

Russia will use high-tech disinformation campaigns combined with "limited" military actions as the cornerstones of a grand plan to divide the West and re-establish itself as a global force -- a broad geopolitical strategy that analysts and insiders fear has caught the U.S. and its allies flat-footed.

Afghan security forces held contractors ‘at gunpoint,’ stole $780,000: Watchdog

Afghan security forces held contractors "at gunpoint", locked them in containers, and confiscated nearly $800,000 worth of equipment from August 2011 to November 2013, according to a shocking new report from the Pentagon's Afghanistan watchdog.

‘Factually incorrect’: Joint Chiefs chairman blasts report claiming 1,000 troops will stay in Syria

The Pentagon on Sunday night denied reports the U.S. will keep about 1,000 troops in Syria and said President Trump's plan to withdraw forces will proceed.

Patrick Shanahan, Joseph Dunford deny Trump ‘slush fund’

Acting Defense Secretary Patrick M. Shanahan on Thursday defended the Pentagon's $718 billion fiscal 2020 budget request in the face of Democratic complaints that the Trump administration is setting up a slush fund to finance the president's priorities.

Acting defense secretary Shanahan backs investigation into former employer Boeing over 737 MAX 8s

Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan told lawmakers Thursday that he supports a full federal investigation into the Boeing 737 Max 8 jetliners, two of which have crashed in recent months and have been temporarily grounded in virtually every nation's airspace.

Afghan leaders complain of exclusion from U.S., Taliban talks

Current and former high-level Afghan officials on Wednesday slammed the Trump administration's push to reach a peace deal with the Taliban, saying the escalating talks were tantamount to a "back-door deal" between Washington and the terror group at the expense of an elected government in Kabul.

Ethics group lodges complaint against Pentagon chief Patrick Shanahan

A leading Washington watchdog on Wednesday filed a formal complaint and asked the Defense Department inspector general to investigate whether acting Pentagon chief Patrick Shanahan violated ethics rules by lobbying for major military contractor Boeing, where Mr. Shanahan worked for three decades.

U.S. ramps up Venezuela sanctions, targets Russia-based bank

The Trump administration on Monday ramped up its economic sanctions on Venezuela, targeting a Russian bank that officials say has provided illicit financing to Venezuela's embattled socialist president, Nicolas Maduro.

Heather Wilson, Air Force secretary, resigns

Patrick Shanahan overshadowed by James Mattis in defense secretary audition

Acting Defense Secretary Patrick M. Shanahan's bid to win confirmation as long-term Pentagon chief is suffering on Capitol Hill because of a simple fact: He's not James Mattis.

Juan Guaido defiantly returns to Caracas

With thousands of supporters gathered in the streets of Venezuela, Juan Guaido defied government threats and returned home Monday, in a spectacle that analysts say could mark a major turning point in the global push to install the young opposition leader as his country's rightful president and oust incumbent socialist President Nicolas Maduro from power.

Pentagon cancels South Korea military drills

The U.S. and South Korea will end an annual series of key military drills, both nations said Saturday night in a major announcement aimed at boosting diplomatic outreach to North Korea and saving a potential denuclearization deal.

North Korea summit failure called win for Donald Trump

In sticking to that blueprint under a hot international spotlight in Hanoi, the real estate tycoon-turned-president may have emerged from this week's failed summit with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un as a winner.

India-Pakistan tensions boiling over

Long-simmering tensions boiled over into direct clashes Wednesday as Pakistan shot down two Indian fighter jets and took one pilot hostage, fueling the possibility of all-out war as the Trump administration and world leaders pleaded with the two nuclear-armed states and South Asian rivals to step back from open conflict.

Mike Pompeo tries to calm India-Pakistan tensions: ‘Avoid escalation at any cost’

Long-simmering tensions boiled over into direct clashes Wednesday as Pakistan shot down two Indian fighter jets and took one pilot hostage, fueling the possibility of all-out war as the Trump administration and world leaders pleaded with the two nuclear-armed states and South Asian rivals to step back from open conflict.

Guantanamo Bay prison detainees not an option for Donald Trump

President Trump's campaign promise to "load up" the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay with captives from the war on terror has gone nowhere, and he has joined his predecessor in failing to follow through on plans for the controversial prison on the southeastern tip of Cuba.

U.S. Africa Command to cut 10% of forces, top general says

The U.S. military will cut about 10 percent of its forces in Africa over the next three years, a top general said Wednesday, telling reporters the troops are needed in other hot spots around the world.

U.S. YouTube video pits Iranian citizens against regime

The Trump administration on Tuesday made a direct appeal to the Iranian people to reject what it called the "corrupt religious mafia" running their country, rolling out a targeted social media campaign to paint the government in Tehran as an oppressive force more focused on exporting violence and funding terrorism than caring for its own population.

Iran-al Qaeda alliance may provide legal rationale for U.S. military strikes

Iran is providing high-level al Qaeda operatives with a clandestine sanctuary to funnel fighters, money and weapons across the Middle East, according to Trump administration officials who warn that the long-elusive, complex relationship between two avowed enemies of America has evolved into an unacceptable global security threat.

Bashar Assad has used chemical weapons 300 times since Obama ‘red line’: Report

Syrian dictator Bashar Assad has used chemical weapons in his country's civil war more than 300 times over just the past five years, with the vast majority coming since President Obama declared in 2013 that chemical attacks constituted a "red line" that could not be crossed, a new report claims.