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Ben Wolfgang

Ben Wolfgang

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

Gen. Thomas D. Waldhauser, left, commander of U.S. Africa Command, is joined by U.S. Ambassador to Senegal Tulinabo S. Mushingi, right, while speaking during a tour of a cooperative security location Camp Cisse where the U.S. maintains a small site that allows for U.S. military aircraft to land and refuel, or for storage and use during crisis situations in Dakar, Senegal, Monday, July 30, 2018. The head of the U.S. military in Africa says it has taken steps to increase the security of troops on the ground, adding armed drones and armored vehicles and taking a harder look at when U.S. forces go out with local troops. (AP Photo/Carley Petesch) **FILE**

U.S. Africa Command to cut 10% of forces, top general says

The U.S. military will cut about 10 percent of its forces in Africa over the next three years, a top general said Wednesday, telling reporters the troops are needed in other hot spots around the world. Published February 20, 2019

Children wave Iranian flags during a ceremony celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, at the Azadi, Freedom, Square in Tehran, Iran, Monday, Feb. 11, 2019. Hundreds of thousands of people poured out onto the streets of Tehran and other cities and towns across Iran, marking the date 40 years ago that is considered victory day in the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

U.S. YouTube video pits Iranian citizens against regime

The Trump administration on Tuesday made a direct appeal to the Iranian people to reject what it called the "corrupt religious mafia" running their country, rolling out a targeted social media campaign to paint the government in Tehran as an oppressive force more focused on exporting violence and funding terrorism than caring for its own population. Published February 19, 2019

A group of suspected al Qaeda militants accused in the killing of an army general in a suicide bombing stand trial at a state security court in Sanaa, Yemen, in this April 22, 2014 file photo. (Associated Press) **FILE**

Iran-al Qaeda alliance may provide legal rationale for U.S. military strikes

Iran is providing high-level al Qaeda operatives with a clandestine sanctuary to funnel fighters, money and weapons across the Middle East, according to Trump administration officials who warn that the long-elusive, complex relationship between two avowed enemies of America has evolved into an unacceptable global security threat. Published February 18, 2019

Former President Barack Obama speaks during a campaign rally for Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams at Morehouse College Friday, Nov. 2, 2018, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore) ** FILE **

Bashar Assad has used chemical weapons 300 times since Obama ‘red line’: Report

Syrian dictator Bashar Assad has used chemical weapons in his country's civil war more than 300 times over just the past five years, with the vast majority coming since President Obama declared in 2013 that chemical attacks constituted a "red line" that could not be crossed, a new report claims. Published February 17, 2019

In this March 13, 2018, photo, President Donald Trump reviews border wall prototypes in San Diego. (Associated Press) ** FILE **

Donald Trump has up to $21 billion to use for emergency wall building

President Trump has a pool of roughly $21 billion in military construction funds he can use to build the border wall by emergency declaration, congressional aides said Thursday -- though much of that is already destined for other projects that would have to be put on hold. Published February 14, 2019

Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan talks to journalists during a press conference at the second day of a NATO defense ministers meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019. NATO defense ministers are discussing the future of the alliance's operation in Afghanistan and how best to use its military presence to support political talks aimed at ending the conflict. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Patrick Shanahan: U.S. will not unilaterally pull troops from Afghanistan

The U.S. will not unilaterally pull its forces from Afghanistan and any drawdown will be done in close consultation with NATO allies, acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said Thursday in comments that raise questions about the Trump administration's strategy to exit a war zone in which it's operated for 17 years. Published February 14, 2019

Acting Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan, left, arrives in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday morning, Feb. 11, 2019, to consult with Army Gen. Scott Miller, right, commander of U.S. and coalition forces, and senior Afghan government leaders. The unannounced visit is the first for the acting secretary of defense, Pat Shanahan. He previously was the No. 2 official under Jim Mattis, who resigned as defense chief in December. (AP Photo/Robert Burns)

Patrick Shanahan: No U.S. military Afghanistan withdraw order from Trump

With an Afghanistan peace deal seemingly within reach, Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan made a surprise trip to the country Monday to visit U.S. troops and meet with top government officials in Kabul, his first trip abroad since taking over the Pentagon's top job last month. Published February 11, 2019

This frame grab from video posted online Friday, Jan. 18, 2019, by supporters of the Islamic State group, purports to show an ISIS fighter firing a weapon during clashes with members of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, in the eastern Syrian province of Deir el-Zour, Syria. (Militant Photo via AP) ** FILE **

Leaked Islamic State recruiting documents dispel stereotypes of terrorists

A sweeping 40-page report by the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies challenges the notion that the Islamist terror group, also known as ISIS, expanded by attracting disenfranchised foreign young men with few skills who lack legitimate opportunities in society. Published February 7, 2019

President Trump's approval ratings jumped several points after his State of the Union address, but he is facing a fight over border wall money, a looming report from special counsel Robert Mueller and lousy poll numbers among female voters. (Associated Press/File)

Donald Trump says Russia nuclear treaty must include China

China's status as a rising global power has rendered Cold War-era missile pacts between Washington and Moscow obsolete, and President Trump this week signaled the only way such agreements can be preserved is if Beijing also is willing to limit its burgeoning military capabilities as well. Published February 6, 2019

Salih

Iraqi leaders slam Donald Trump’s comments over using country as base

President Trump's statement Sunday that he plans to keep U.S. troops stationed in Iraq indefinitely sparked an uproar in Baghdad on Monday, complicating an already tense relationship and potentially throwing a wrench into U.S. plans to contain Iran and monitor neighboring Syria. Published February 4, 2019

In this Oct. 26, 2010 file photograph, a worker rides a bicycle in front of the reactor building of the Bushehr nuclear power plant, just outside the southern Iranian city of Bushehr. (AP Photo/Mehr News Agency, Majid Asgaripour, File) **FILE**

Britain, France, Germany launch new trade system with Iran

Saying they remain committed to the Iran nuclear deal despite the U.S. exit last year, the United Kingdom, France and Germany late Thursday announced plans to launch a new joint system allowing them to trade with Tehran. Published February 1, 2019

Opposition National Assembly President Juan Guaido takes part in a walkout against President Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019. The 35-year-lawmaker has transformed from a little-known opposition figure into a commanding force in the nation's politics with the backing of U.S. President Donald Trump and two dozen other nations recognizing him as Venezuela's interim president. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Trump call to Juan Guaido boosts opposition for Venezuela walkout

A fresh wave of protests swept Venezuela Wednesday as U.S.-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido ramped up a pressure campaign to oust embattled President Nicolas Maduro, who remained defiant in the face of rising economic pressure and international calls for a new election. Published January 30, 2019

Although the Taliban continue attacks in Afghanistan, U.S. diplomats express optimism about reaching a comprehensive agreement to end the 18-year-old war and bring American troops home within 18 months. (Associated Press)

Taliban peace deal, Afghanistan War end in sight

Thousands of miles away from the political crises in Washington and the chaos in Venezuela, the Trump administration is making quiet, unexpected progress toward a tentative peace deal in Afghanistan, with top U.S. officials saying they are closer than ever to a comprehensive agreement with the Taliban in the 18-year conflict. Published January 27, 2019