Ben Wolfgang
Articles by Ben Wolfgang
Texas Navy base briefly locked down; suspect in custody
A Texas Naval air station was on a brief lockdown and a suspect was quickly taken into custody on Wednesday morning, military officials said in the latest incident at an armed forces installation. Published December 11, 2019
Mike Pompeo, Sergey Lavrov spar again over Russian meddling
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivered a face-to-face warning to his Russian counterpart on Tuesday, vowing that the Trump administration "will take action" if Moscow seeks to interfere in the looming 2020 U.S. presidential election. Published December 10, 2019
4 dead, including shooter, in gunfire at Florida naval base
A Saudi Arabian aviation student killed three people and wounded at least seven others at Naval Air Station Pensacola on Friday morning, officials said, and the assailant was later shot and killed by sheriff's deputies who responded to the scene. Published December 6, 2019
Iran ‘murdered’ over 1,000 protesters, U.S. officials say
More than 1,000 Iranian protesters may have been "murdered" in recent weeks by the country's internal security services, top Trump administration officials said Thursday, while the Pentagon skirted questions about plans to send thousands of additional U.S. troops to the region to contain Iran in the region. Published December 5, 2019
U.S. military must overhaul body armor for women, senators say
The U.S. military is not providing adequate body armor and other protective gear to all of its female service members, increasing their risk of injury and compromising their readiness for battle, a bipartisan group of senators argued Wednesday as they unveiled new legislation to overhaul the current system. Published December 4, 2019
Mark Esper, Mark Milley to testify on Syria next week
Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley will answer questions before a key House committee next week on the Trump administration's murky policy in Syria, House Democrats announced Tuesday. Published December 3, 2019
Navy to pay $22 billion for 9 nuclear-powered submarines
The Navy announced the largest shipbuilding contract in the service's history, striking a $22.2 billion deal with top defense contractor General Dynamics for nine cutting-edge, nuclear-powered submarines that officials say will bring about a "generational leap" in America's military might. Published December 3, 2019
Donald Trump rattles U.S. allies with defense payment demands
He takes a businessman's bottom-line approach to the country's foreign alliances, but President Trump's drive to extract more money for the deployment of U.S. troops abroad comes with its own hefty price tag. Published December 2, 2019
Donald Trump sees military orders modified in Syria, Afghanistan
Nearly a full year after President Trump first said he was withdrawing all U.S. troops from Syria and two months after he doubled down on that directive, Pentagon officials last week announced that they had restarted combat missions against the Islamic State group and "reset" inside the country with hundreds of American troops on the ground. Published December 1, 2019
Xi Jinping dubbed China ‘general secretary’ shows Trump administration pressure increase
The Trump administration, with a simple change in rhetoric, has signaled a subtle shift in its approach to China in recent weeks -- and in the process has deepened a rift with the Communist Party leadership in Beijing. Published November 28, 2019
Richard Spencer out as Navy secretary
Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer was fired Sunday after apparently proposing a secret deal with the White House regarding the fate of Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher, leading to a loss of "trust and confidence" in the Navy leader among top officials inside the Pentagon. Published November 24, 2019
Donald Trump overrules Navy on Edward Gallagher case
President Trump widened a rift with top U.S. military commanders Thursday by publicly ordering the Pentagon to abandon a process that could have resulted in booting Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher out of the elite unit -- an unexpected power play by the commander in chief that has left the Navy in what one former senior Pentagon official called a "no-win situation." Published November 21, 2019
Pentagon: No plans to withdraw troops from South Korea
The Pentagon on Thursday morning vehemently denied South Korean media reports that it is planning to withdraw as many as 4,000 U.S. troops from the Korean peninsula. Published November 21, 2019
Two U.S. service members killed in Afghanistan helicopter crash
Two American service members died in a helicopter crash Wednesday in Afghanistan, military officials said in a statement. Published November 20, 2019
U.S. walks out of defense spending talks with South Korea
Talks on boosting South Korea's financial support for the U.S. military defense aid in the country broke down Tuesday as Seoul firmly rejected the Trump administration's reported demand for a fivefold increase in the annual bill to cover the cost of American troops on the peninsula. Published November 19, 2019
Amazon JEDI lawsuit threatens to ensnare Donald Trump
The White House faces a "very ugly" legal battle with Amazon over the handling of a massive contract to handle the Pentagon's vast cloud computing needs, experts say, and top administration officials ultimately may have to reveal under oath whether President Trump personally interfered in the process. Published November 18, 2019
Defense chief Mark Esper: ‘Wealthy’ South Korea should pay more for U.S. protection
Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper on Friday stood by the Trump administration's demand that South Korea pay more for U.S. military protection, saying the "wealthy" country is fully capable of ponying up additional money to cover the costs of the 28,500 American troops stationed there. Published November 15, 2019
Iranian attacks abate as Pentagon unveils Gulf task force
It's attracted just six members and has faded from the headlines, but a Pentagon-led Persian Gulf maritime coalition has played a key role in snuffing out Iranian ship seizures in the vital Strait of Hormuz, analysts say, and has left Tehran searching for a new strategy to challenge U.S. power in the region. Published November 14, 2019
Amazon to protest Microsoft $10 billion JEDI contract
Amazon Web Services will protest the Pentagon's award of a $10 billion war cloud contract to Microsoft, claiming that "political influence" may have led to the decision and possibly setting up an explosive legal battle with the Trump administration. Published November 14, 2019
Military veteran candidates fare no better than civilians in Congress elections
Despite the conventional wisdom that a stint in the military is an asset on the campaign trail, a Washington Times analysis of the 2014, 2016 and 2018 election cycles found that veterans scored no better than their civilian counterparts. Published November 14, 2019
