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Ben Wolfgang

Ben Wolfgang

bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com

Ben Wolfgang is a national security correspondent at The Washington Times, a senior member of its Threat Status team, and the host and producer of the award-winning Threat Status Podcast. Ben covers national security, foreign policy, military affairs, the defense industry and the rapidly evolving landscape of military technology.
A Pennsylvania native, he joined The Washington Times in 2011 after serving as a political reporter at The Republican-Herald in Pottsville, Pa. Over the course of his career, Ben has covered the White House, Congress, and four presidential campaigns.
His reporting has earned recognition from some of journalism's most respected organizations, including the Virginia Press Association and the Society of Professional Journalists' Washington, D.C. Chapter, among other honors.
Ben has interviewed heads of state, chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, senior military commanders, cabinet secretaries, senior government officials, and the CEOs of many of the nation's largest and most influential defense companies.
Ben is a frequent guest on broadcast media, with appearances on C-SPAN, the Sirius XM POTUS channel, and other outlets.
He can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.

Articles by Ben Wolfgang

Visitors are reflected at Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall, ahead of Memorial Day on Sunday, May 27, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

USS Frank E. Evans Association: Add sailors to Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Nearly 49 years after surviving a maritime collision that claimed the lives of 74 fellow sailors, Steve Kraus remains locked in a bitter battle with the Pentagon over how those Vietnam-era casualties should be honored -- and he finally may be on the verge of a major breakthrough thanks to renewed efforts on Capitol Hill.

May 27, 2018
In this photo provided by the Sadr Media Office, Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, left, greets Shiite leader Ammar al-Hakim on his arrival for their meeting in Baghdad, Iraq, early Tuesday, May 22, 2018. (Sadr Media Office via AP)

Muqtada al-Sadr, Iraqi Shiite cleric, feared to be Iranian puppet

With nationalist Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and his political allies now in the driver's seat in Iraq's parliament, U.S. military planners and diplomats are grappling with what the former militia leader's dramatic rise to power means for U.S. policy -- and whether he turns out to be the Iranian puppet many had feared.

May 23, 2018
The Pentagon vehemently denies that the White House exerted any political pressure throughout the process for awarding the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) contract, which ultimately went to Microsoft. (Associated Press/File)

Pentagon stiffens cellphone policy but avoids full ban

The Defense Department this week stiffened its policy on cellphone use inside the Pentagon but stopped short of the complete ban that had been under consideration and which would've marked a major day-to-day change for the tens of thousands of employees who work inside the sprawling facility.

May 23, 2018
Islamic State group militants hold up their flag as they patrol in a commandeered Iraqi military vehicle in Fallujah, 40 miles (65 kilometers) west of Baghdad, on March 30, 2014. (Associated Press) **FILE**

House members push tough AUMF bill; measure would expire after 5 years

A bipartisan group of lawmakers on Tuesday unveiled a bill that would give the president explicit authority to fight al Qaeda and the Islamic State -- but the measure would expire after five years and would force Congress to routinely revisit U.S. military strategy.

May 22, 2018
The Pentagon vehemently denies that the White House exerted any political pressure throughout the process for awarding the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) contract, which ultimately went to Microsoft. (Associated Press/File)

U.S. has spent $2.8 trillion to fight terrorism since 2002: Report

Over a 15-year period after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the U.S. spent a whopping $2.8 trillion on counterterrorism efforts, a leading Washington think tank said Wednesday in a study that sheds new light on the true extent of American government spending to fight terror.

May 16, 2018
A security force and a civilian lie low at the site of a suicide attack after the second bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, April 30, 2018. A coordinated double suicide bombing hit central Kabul on Monday morning, (AP Photo/Massoud Hossaini) ** FILE **

Pentagon undersold number of Afghan Security Forces: SIGAR

With the Taliban mounting a major offensive in western Afghanistan, a government watchdog said Tuesday that the Pentagon has underestimated the strength of Afghan Security Forces, selling the fighting force short by about 17,000.

May 15, 2018
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., delivers remarks at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., Monday, Oct. 30, 2017. McCain, who graduated from the Academy in 1958, returned to his alma mater to address the Brigade of Midshipmen on leadership and service to the nation. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Lindsey Graham wants White House to apologize for John McCain remark

A White House aide's remark last week that Sen. John McCain's political positions don't matter because he's near death was "disgusting" and the White House should issue an apology, Sen. Lindsey Graham told CBS News in an interview that aired Sunday morning.

May 13, 2018
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says North Korea stands on the precipice of wild economic growth the likes of which it has never seen. (Associated Press/File)

Mike Pompeo says U.S. will aid North Korea infrastructure if Kim Jong-un gives up nuclear weapons

Top White House officials on Sunday delivered an ambitious promise to North Korea: Give up your nuclear weapons program and the U.S. will open the door to economic prosperity rivaling that of any other nation in the region, laying out in clear terms the benefits the reclusive nation stands to reap as dictator Kim Jong-un prepares for a historic, high-stakes summit with President Trump next month.

May 13, 2018