Ben Wolfgang
Articles by Ben Wolfgang
Satellite images show new activity at key North Korean nuclear lab
Satellite images taken Tuesday show new activity at the Yongbyon Radiochemistry Laboratory, a key facility in North Korea's nuclear weapons program, fueling suspicion that North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un is seeking to put public pressure on President Biden and wants to force the U.S. to make diplomatic concessions. Published March 31, 2021
Suez Canal blockage allows China, Russia push for shipping business
The Suez Canal reopened for business Monday after salvage crews freed a massive container ship that spent the past week blocking the crucial waterway, while stakeholders around the world -- including China, Russia and even American political advocacy groups -- seized on the incident to push their own agendas. Published March 29, 2021
U.S. Army, Muslim civil rights groups at odds over Islam-to-Christianity conversion story
The Army is under fire from Muslim civil rights groups and advocacy organizations that say the Pentagon is promoting anti-Islam "bigotry" with a recent news article that tells the story of an Iraqi woman who joined the U.S. military as an interpreter and later converted from Islam to Christianity. Published March 29, 2021
F-35 threatened by Pentagon budget crunch
The Pentagon's vaunted F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, a key cog in the U.S. military's 21st-century battle plan, is facing brutal blowback from all corners amid seemingly never-ending production delays and an eye-popping price tag of $1.7 trillion and climbing. Published March 28, 2021
Taliban threatens to attack U.S. troops if they’re not out of Afghanistan by May 1
The Taliban on Friday threatened "death and destruction" against U.S. forces unless all Americans leave Afghanistan by May 1, adding new pressure to President Biden as he weighs whether to honor the looming deadline. Published March 26, 2021
Biden reverses course, talks tough after North Korean missile test: ‘We will respond accordingly’
President Biden on Thursday vowed the U.S. and its allies will "respond accordingly" after the second round of North Korean missile tests in less than a week. Published March 25, 2021
Biden promises ‘we will leave’ Afghanistan but won’t give specific date
President Biden on Thursday laid down a broad marker for America's troubled military mission in Afghanistan, virtually ruling out a U.S. troop presence beyond this year while suggesting he's prepared to brush aside the May 1 withdrawal deadline put in place by President Trump. Published March 25, 2021
U.S. offensive batters ISIS with 312 airstrikes
The U.S. military and its Iraqi partners this month launched a major offensive against the remnants of the Islamic State in Iraq, unleashing 312 airstrikes and a ground assault that killed at least 27 terrorists. Published March 24, 2021
Turkey defies U.S., won’t give up Russian-made S-400 missile defense system
Turkey's purchase and installation of the Russian-made S-400 missile defense system is a "done deal" despite vehement U.S. objections, top Turkish officials said Wednesday, once again openly defying Washington and deepening a rift between the NATO allies. Published March 24, 2021
Joe Biden dismisses North Korean missile tests
North Korea's short-range missile tests last weekend fall within the bounds of "normal military activity" and will not halt U.S. efforts to restart diplomatic engagement with Pyongyang, Biden administration officials said Tuesday evening. Published March 23, 2021
‘Lightning in a bottle’: Congress poised to curb White House war powers
Congress is poised to begin unwinding two decades of virtually unchecked White House war powers and to overhaul authorities that critics say have been abused by presidents of both parties. Published March 23, 2021
China threatens U.S. over sanctions: ‘They will pay a price for their ignorance and arrogance’
China on Tuesday threatened retaliation against the U.S. over sanctions that targeted Beijing's alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang province, with top Chinese officials vowing that America and its allies "will pay a price for their ignorance and arrogance." Published March 23, 2021
Army pulls the pin on ‘gender neutral’ combat fitness test; creates separate tiers for men, women
The latest version of the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) will be gender-neutral in how performance is measured but will establish separate ranked tier systems for men and women, military officials said Monday as they rolled out the latest tweak to the Army's physical performance standards. Published March 22, 2021
Turkey joins Russia in condemning Biden’s ‘killer’ comment
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday sided with Russia in its heated diplomatic dispute with the U.S., saying that President Biden's recent claim that Russian President Vladimir Putin is a killer is "not fitting" of a world leader. Published March 19, 2021
Joe Biden ‘killer’ remark riles Vladimir Putin, Russia, deepens rift
The already chilly U.S.-Russia relationship descended into a rhetorical and diplomatic deep freeze Thursday, with Russian President Vladimir Putin bristling at President Biden's claim that he is a "killer" and invoking the atomic bombings of Japan, slavery and the murder of Native Americans in a stunning broadside against the White House and America as a whole. Published March 18, 2021
Two missile sites in western Iran used to target U.S. troops last year, dissident group says
Two secretive ballistic missile sites in western Iran were the launching pad for an attack on U.S. troops that brought the two countries to the brink of all-out war in January 2020, a leading international Iranian dissident group said Thursday, offering new detail on exactly how Tehran targeted Americans. Published March 18, 2021
Russia recalls ambassador to U.S., says relations ‘in crisis’
The Kremlin late Wednesday recalled its ambassador to the U.S., Anatoly Antonov, amid a full-blown "crisis" in relations with America. Published March 18, 2021
Joe Biden says May 1 deadline to pull U.S. troops from Afghanistan is ‘tough’
President Biden on Wednesday offered perhaps the clearest signal to date that U.S. troops will remain in Afghanistan past a tentative May 1 deadline and blamed his predecessor for crafting what he described as a shoddy deal with the Taliban that so far has failed to produce a path to a lasting political settlement. Published March 17, 2021
U.S. lines up Japan, South Korea ahead of China meeting in Alaska
The Biden administration this week is racing to line up key Asian allies ahead of a high-stakes meeting with top Chinese officials in Alaska on Thursday -- a meeting that analysts say will offer a key window into how the complex geopolitical showdown between Washington and Beijing will play out over the next four years. Published March 16, 2021
Army aims for ‘Arctic dominance’ over Russia
The U.S. Army will stand up a new headquarters in the Arctic, better prepare military units to carry out long-term missions in the icy region, and invest heavily to improve the quality of life for soldiers stationed in Alaska and beyond, the Pentagon said Tuesday in a sweeping new strategy that aims to recapture "Arctic dominance" from Russia. Published March 16, 2021
