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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

President Donald Trump speaks as he meets with business leaders, Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2018, at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Donald Trump’s ‘Space Force’ meets resistance in Pentagon, insiders say

The Pentagon is moving ahead with President Trump's call to establish a "Space Force" as a potential sixth branch of the U.S. armed forces, with top officials scrambling to tamp down reports of disagreement between military leaders and the White House ahead of a high-profile speech Thursday by Vice President Mike Pence.

August 8, 2018
In this still from a video provided by Venezolana de Television, Presiden Nicolas Maduro, center, delivers his speech as his wife Cilia Flores winces and looks up after being startled by and explosion, in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Aug. 4, 2018. (Venezolana de Television via AP) ** FILE **

Nicolas Maduro drone assassination attempt raises copycat fears

The use of explosives-laden drones in an assassination attempt against Venezuela's president over the weekend has sent concern soaring among security officials over the growing threat that even consumer-level drones rigged with rudimentary bombs now pose to heads of state around the world.

August 6, 2018
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, charged with a host of crimes including murder, conspiracy and terrorism in connection with the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, is in legal limbo as his defense team stalls for time. (Associated Press/File)

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed’s 9/11 trial date delayed indefinitely

Despite having been captured in 2003 and first charged more than a decade ago in the 9/11 attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has yet to receive a trial date. Defense Department officials overseeing the military commission proceedings can offer little in the way of a timeline.

August 5, 2018
A group of men identified by Nigerian police as Boko Haram extremist fighters and leaders are shown to the media, in Maiduguri, Nigeria, Wednesday, July 18, 2018. A Nigerian police official says authorities have arrested 22 Boko Haram extremist leaders and members who are responsible for the kidnappings in Chibok and more than 50 suicide bombings. (AP Photo/Jossy Ola) ** FILE **

U.S. military confirms it has armed drones in Niger

Months after an extremist attack killed four U.S. soldiers, the American military began arming drones in Niger in the latest example of how the use of lethal unmanned aircraft continues to extend across Africa and the Middle East.

July 30, 2018
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan a former cricket star, makes his first trip to the White House on Monday since his election 11 months ago. (Associated Press/File)

Questions hover over U.S. ties as Imran Khan prepares to take over

Pakistan's cricket star-turned-incoming prime minister said over the weekend he's ready to move the nation past its tumultuous election and form a coalition government — but deep questions remain about the controversial Imran Khan's seemingly pro-Taliban sympathies and whether he can be trusted to crack down on terrorists operating within his borders.

July 29, 2018
A TV screen shows a satellite image of North Korea's Sohae launch site, during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Kore, Tuesday, July 24, 2018. A U.S. research group says North Korea has started dismantling key facilities at its main satellite launch site in what appears to be a step toward fulfilling a commitment made by leader Kim Jong-un at his summit with President Donald Trump in June. The signs read: "North Korea begins dismantling satellite launch site." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

North Koreans dismantle ballistic missile test site

New satellite imagery suggests that President Trump's landmark summit last month with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un has returned its first significant dividend, providing evidence that Pyongyang has begun to dismantle portions of a key missile test site.

July 24, 2018
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New Orleans District Commander, Col. Rick Hansen, talks to media at the 17th Street Canal pumping station in New Orleans, Wednesday, May 20, 2015. With hurricane season approaching, the Corps is running through its plans and testing pumps and floodgates built around New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina struck 10 years ago to better protect this low-lying metropolis from flooding. Corps officials said they found a few minor problems during the testing and were fixing them. Otherwise, officials said the system is ready and in better shape than ever before. Hurricane season starts on June 1 and lasts until Nov. 30. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Army Corps of Engineers, environmentalists fights over Sandy rebuilding

Six years after Superstorm Sandy battered the Atlantic Coast, the Army Corps of Engineers this summer rolled out its plans to secure the New York shoreline -- and once again found itself in a bitter fight with environmentalists who say the blueprint is an ecological disaster waiting to happen.

July 24, 2018
Capt. Philip Gunn participates in a flyover during the interment ceremony of retired Brig. Gen. Robinson Risner on Jan. 23, 2014, at Arlington National Cemetery. (Image: Air Force) ** FILE **

Pentagon says it’s unaware of any U.S.-Russia military agreement in Syria

Top Pentagon officials said Thursday they've received "no direction" about military cooperation with the Russians in Syria, throwing cold water on reports that President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin had reached a wide-ranging agreement during their Helsinki summit earlier this week.

July 19, 2018
The Pentagon, as seen in an undated aerial photo. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)

Austin, Texas, selected for Army Futures Command

Leaders in Austin, Texas, say their city is ready to play a central role in the Army's biggest reorganization effort in over more than decades and that the "unique combination of resources" in and around the state capital make it the ideal partner for the Pentagon.

July 15, 2018
Capt. Philip Gunn participates in a flyover during the interment ceremony of retired Brig. Gen. Robinson Risner on Jan. 23, 2014, at Arlington National Cemetery. (Image: Air Force) ** FILE **

Pentagon picks Austin, Texas, to host Army Futures Command

Defense Department leaders will announce Friday morning they've picked Austin as the epicenter of the Army's biggest reorganization effort in over four decades, according to The Associated Press, tapping the Texas capital to host the prestigious Army Futures Command.

July 13, 2018