Ben Wolfgang
Articles by Ben Wolfgang
Trump Space Force, parade scuttled with inflating cost
An eye-poppingly high price tag sank President Trump's plans for a military parade through the streets of Washington. Now, some experts say opponents are using the same creative budgeting to scuttle -- or at least delay -- the creation of a U.S. Space Force. Published October 1, 2018
James Mattis trip to Beijing canceled as U.S.-China tensions rise
Defense Secretary James N. Mattis' planned trip to Beijing has been scrapped, Pentagon officials confirmed Monday in the latest sign of deepening tensions between the U.S. and China. Published October 1, 2018
F-35 jet crashes in South Carolina; incident comes same week plane flew first combat mission
An F-35B fighter jet crashed near Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort in South Carolina late Friday morning, military officials said, just days after the cutting-edge aircraft flew its first combat mission in Afghanistan. Published September 28, 2018
Lockheed Martin again cuts price for military’s F-35 jet
In a move that's sure to please President Trump, top military contractor Lockheed Martin said Friday it's slashing the price of the groundbreaking F-35 aircraft just a day after the fighter jet flew its first combat missions in Afghanistan. Published September 28, 2018
Poland ‘Fort Trump’ offer aims to cement U.S. military ties
For a man who built a billion-dollar brand around the use of his name on everything from steaks to casinos and high-rises before coming to the White House, President Trump is now looking at a potential military deal with Poland he will find hard to refuse. Published September 27, 2018
Benjamin Netanyahu claims Iran has ‘secret atomic warehouse,’ still pursuing nuclear weapons
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday accused Iran of housing nuclear materials in a "secret atomic warehouse" in what he says is proof Tehran continues to move ahead with a covert weapons program. Published September 27, 2018
Vaclav Klaus seeks European revolution against EU
NEWSMAKER INTERVIEW: Former Czech President Vaclav Klaus argues that Europe desperately needs to be liberated from the clutches of globalists and multiculturalists, and from a European Union bent on imposing open borders and crushing the principle of sovereign rights. Published September 25, 2018
Rod Rosenstein investigation needed, Republicans say
Top Republicans on Sunday called for the appointment of a new special counsel to examine the apparent deep-seated, anti-Trump animus inside the Justice Department, citing revelations that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein discussed secretly recording the president. Published September 23, 2018
Trump administration tells Iran ‘look in the mirror’ on military parade attack responsibility
Top Trump administration officials pushed back hard Sunday against Iranian claims that the U.S. and its allies were behind a deadly attack on a military parade over the weekend, saying that Tehran is fully responsible for fomenting a climate of unrest and instability inside its own borders and across the Middle East. Published September 23, 2018
Mike Pompeo blasts Russia on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’: ‘They have not proven helpful’ anywhere
Russia has worked against U.S. interests in Ukraine, Syria, and in other hot spots across the globe, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a blistering takedown of Moscow that comes on the eve of a key United Nations summit in New York City. Published September 23, 2018
Army misses recruiting goal for first time in over a decade
Blaming increased competition in a strong private-sector economy and the fact that "nobody wants to talk" to recruiters on the phone or face to face these days, Army officials said Friday they missed their recruiting goal this year for the first time in well over a decade. Published September 21, 2018
Space Force faces same resistance as Air Force at founding
Its advocates were seen as "revolutionaries" seeking to upend the military status quo and add yet another layer of bureaucracy to the nation's bloated defense establishment. Published September 20, 2018
Syrian missile accidentally brings down Russian plane, killing 15; Moscow blames Israel
Just 24 hours after a last-minute deal stopped a looming government assault on the Syrian rebel stronghold of Idlib, the inadvertent downing of a Russian reconnaissance plane over the Mediterranean Sea provided a stark illustration of how difficult it will be to forge a lasting peace deal, as Russia and Israel traded blame for the incident and the deaths of all 15 crew members on board. Published September 18, 2018
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Vladimir Putin set Syria deal on demilitarized zone
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday that he had struck a deal with Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan to table a planned offensive against the Syrian rebel stronghold of Idlib, a last-minute agreement that led all sides of the 7-year-old conflict to breathe a sigh of relief despite a host of unanswered questions about whether the so-called demilitarized zone will hold. Published September 17, 2018
Bashar Assad’s Idlib attack to test U.S. Syria, Russia policy
With Bashar Assad and his Russian allies on the verge of victory in Syria's civil war, the Trump administration is facing new pressure to respond forcefully and prevent a bloodbath of historic proportions -- but analysts say the U.S. has virtually no good options, as seven years of muddy American policy toward Syria has left Moscow holding all the cards. Published September 16, 2018
Adam Kinzinger’s blistering assault on U.S. strategy: ‘It’s time to act’ in Syria
In a blistering takedown of U.S. policy toward Syria, Rep. Adam Kinzinger on Thursday said "it's time to act" in the war-torn nation as dictator Bashar Assad's forces prepare to launch an assault on Idlib that many fear could one of the bloodiest campaigns in the ongoing war. Published September 14, 2018
Mike Pompeo: U.S. allows military aid to Saudi Arabia in Yemen war
The Trump administration on Wednesday said it was sticking with Saudi Arabia and its allies, telling Congress that they are doing all they can to avoid civilian casualties in Yemen's bloody civil war. Published September 12, 2018
Mattis, Pompeo ‘certify’ that UAE, Saudi Arabia trying to reduce civilian casualties in Yemen
Top Trump administration officials on Wednesday came to the defense of Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, arguing that the two nations are doing their best to reduce civilian casualties in the bloody, three-year-old conflict in Yemen. Published September 12, 2018
U.S. to resume military exercises in Korea, Mattis says
The U.S. military will move ahead with all future military exercises on the Korean Peninsula, Defense Secretary James N. Mattis said Tuesday, suggesting that America's brief suspension of the drills as a show of "good faith" toward North Korea has not paid dividends in the struggling denuclearization talks with Pyongyang. Published August 28, 2018
James Mattis: U.S. urges Russia to stop looming chemical weapons attack in Syria
Defense Secretary James N. Mattis said Tuesday the U.S. is in close consultation with Russia in the hopes of preventing a looming chemical weapons attack in Idlib, Syria -- an attack that could lead to new American military strikes against Syrian dictator Bashar Assad's government and surely would add a new spark to an already volatile situation on the ground. Published August 28, 2018
