Ben Wolfgang
Articles by Ben Wolfgang
UAE minister Anwar Gargash: Region’s dangers demand ‘activist’ stance
The hard realities of the modern Middle East requires a more "activist" foreign policy approach to contain hostile forces, United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Anwar Gargash said Wednesday as he laid out why his small nation has played an outsized role in conflicts in Libya and Yemen and why the UAE intends to be a regional force. Published June 17, 2020
Russian planes breach air defense zone, come within 32 miles of Alaska: Pentagon
Russian planes breached the Alaskan air defense zone on Tuesday night and came within 32 miles of Alaskan shores, the Pentagon said, and the U.S. military scrambled F-22 Raptors to intercept two separate Russian formations before they reached sovereign American airspace. Published June 17, 2020
U.S. Ambassador to Denmark Carla Sands says U.S. will fiercely defend interests in Arctic
The once-inaccessible Arctic has become the site of a major Russian military build-up and a key piece of Vladimir Putin's 21st-century economic strategy, a top U.S. diplomat warned Tuesday, vowing that the Trump administration will fiercely defend its interests as the region opens up. Published June 16, 2020
U.S. Forces Korea bans all use of Confederate flag
U.S. Forces Korea has become the latest arm of the American military to ban all use of the Confederate flag. Published June 15, 2020
U.S. Air Force plane crashes into North Sea
Searchers have discovered the body of a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot who went down early Monday in the North Sea. The pilot was discovered after the wreckage of the F-15C Eagle was located. Published June 15, 2020
Military racism review sets up clash with Donald Trump
The U.S. military may have avoided full-scale deployments to American cities, but the recent death of George Floyd has sparked a much deeper debate about race, discrimination and inequality within the ranks and has forced the Pentagon to face head-on its own checkered past. Published June 14, 2020
‘A legacy purchased with American blood:’ Trump honors West Point graduates
This year's U.S. Military Academy at West Point graduating class will continue a proud "legacy purchased with American blood" as they continue their careers in the armed forces, President Trump said Saturday during a commencement ceremony at the historic site. Published June 13, 2020
Honor Flight Network cancels all 2020 trips due to coronavirus infection risks
The Honor Flight Network said Thursday it has canceled operations this year, scrapping flights that would have brought more than 20,000 veterans to Washington to tour war memorials. Published June 11, 2020
Donald Trump on renaming U.S. military bases honoring Confederate officers: No way!
President Trump said Wednesday he will not even consider renaming up to 10 "legendary" military bases named after Confederate generals, saying it amounts to an attack on the U.S. military's record. Published June 10, 2020
U.S. F-22 fighter jets intercept Russian bombers near Alaska: report
American F-22 fighter jets intercepted Russian nuclear-capable bombers near Alaska on Wednesday, Russian media said, marking another in a series of close aerial encounters between the two nations. Published June 10, 2020
James Mattis, John Kelly attacks on Trump drag military into partisan politics
In an extraordinary break with tradition, a slew of recently servicing senior brass -- capped by retired Marine Gen. James Mattis, Mr. Trump's ill-starred first secretary of defense -- have gone public with their criticisms of the commander in chief and their concerns he is dragging the military into partisan waters. Published June 4, 2020
James Mattis shreds Donald Trump: ‘Three years without mature leadership’
Former Defense Secretary James Mattis -- a member of a group President Trump once described as "my generals" -- eviscerated the commander in chief Wednesday, saying the U.S. has suffered through "three years without mature leadership" and is dealing with a president who actively tries to divide the American people. Published June 3, 2020
Mark Esper, Pentagon chief, opposes Trump plan: ‘I do not support invoking the Insurrection Act’
Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper made a startling break with President Trump on Wednesday, saying he opposes the use of active-duty troops to help quell nationwide protests while putting clear distance between himself and the White House as questions grow about the Pentagon's role in the crisis. Published June 3, 2020
Donald Trump Insurrection Act talk spurs calls for military defiance
President Trump's idea to deploy active-duty military forces to quell increasingly violent riots in cities across the country has already sparked a sharp legal and constitutional clash. Published June 2, 2020
Federal, state leaders grapple with looting, violence amid ongoing protests
Active-duty U.S. troops were standing by outside of the nation's capital Tuesday and curfews were moved up by three hours in New York as local leaders braced for another night of rioting more than a week after a white Minneapolis police officer killed George Floyd. Published June 2, 2020
Active-duty troops on ‘short alert status’ outside Washington, Pentagon says
Active-duty U.S. troops are on "short alert status" at bases outside the District of Columbia, Pentagon officials said Tuesday, but so far forces have not mobilized in any other region of the country following President Trump's threat to use the full weight of the American military to quell riots and violent protests. Published June 2, 2020
Britain, Germany hit U.S. over George Floyd riots
The Trump administration's struggles to get control of violent nationwide protests has sparked comment and criticism from even some of America's staunchest allies, potentially driving a wedge between the U.S. and its partners as demonstrations spread around the globe and the U.S. seems paralyzed by an onset of crises. Published June 1, 2020
Oil price crash alters priorities, greases skids to new world order
The sustained plunge in global oil prices has brought deep, unexpected shifts on the geopolitical landscape, with impacts felt in the Arctic and the Middle East, and in the fortunes of the American heartland and the future of the Russian-Chinese strategic alliance. Published May 28, 2020
Russia deploys fighter jets to Libya, U.S. military says
Moscow recently sent fighter aircraft to Libya to reinforce their paramilitary forces battling against the U.S.-backed government in Tripoli, the Pentagon said Tuesday in the latest sign that Russia is doubling down on its involvement in the Libyan civil war. Published May 26, 2020
Tide of battle in Libya shifting against rebel Gen. Khalifa Haftar
Libyan government forces and their Turkish allies appear on the verge of an unexpected victory after the strategic retreat of Russian fighters over the weekend, and U.S. officials on Monday offered strong support for the government in Tripoli in its stand against Gen. Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army. Published May 25, 2020