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Ben Wolfgang

Ben Wolfgang

bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com

Ben Wolfgang is a national security correspondent at The Washington Times, a senior member of its Threat Status team, and the host and producer of the award-winning Threat Status Podcast. Ben covers national security, foreign policy, military affairs, the defense industry and the rapidly evolving landscape of military technology.
A Pennsylvania native, he joined The Washington Times in 2011 after serving as a political reporter at The Republican-Herald in Pottsville, Pa. Over the course of his career, Ben has covered the White House, Congress, and four presidential campaigns.
His reporting has earned recognition from some of journalism's most respected organizations, including the Virginia Press Association and the Society of Professional Journalists' Washington, D.C. Chapter, among other honors.
Ben has interviewed heads of state, chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, senior military commanders, cabinet secretaries, senior government officials, and the CEOs of many of the nation's largest and most influential defense companies.
Ben is a frequent guest on broadcast media, with appearances on C-SPAN, the Sirius XM POTUS channel, and other outlets.
He can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.

Articles by Ben Wolfgang

First lady Michelle Obama is joined by actress Eva Longoria at Watertown High School in Watertown, Wis. on Thursday at an event to encourage people to drink more water. Her claim that it increases energy raised eyebrows. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

First lady: Water increases energy

The nation's most prominent anti-obesity crusader, first lady Michelle Obama, has turned her attention to beverages and is encouraging Americans to drink more water.

September 12, 2013
President Obama leaves after laying a wreath at the Pentagon on Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2013, during a ceremony marking the 12th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Day of remembrance now for 2 terrorist attacks

Sept. 11 already was a day of remembrance, but Wednesday confirmed that the day is now known as the anniversary of two terrorist attacks, and lawmakers spent Wednesday walking a fine line between commemorating the nearly 3,000 who died in 2001 and vowing vengeance or placing blame for the four who died in Libya in 2012.

September 11, 2013
**FILE** Carry teams move flag-draped transfer cases of the remains of the four Americans killed in Benghazi, Libya, from a transport plane during the Transfer of Remains ceremony on Sept. 14, 2012, at Andrews Air Force Base in suburban Washington. (Associated Press)

A year later, White House vows justice for Benghazi attackers

The White House on Tuesday night used a statement on Sept. 11 "preparedness and security" to pledge to bring to justice those behind last year's attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, which claimed the lives of four Americans, including the U.S. ambassador to Libya, and touched off a political firestorm at home.

September 10, 2013
Anti-war activists march down Pennsylvania Avenue to voice opposition to proposed U.S. involvement in the Syrian civil war. (Andrew S. Geraci/The Washington Times)

Obama edges toward Russian plan for Syria to turn over chemical weapons

Facing overwhelming opposition from the public and fears in Congress that he lacks a sound military plan, President Obama backed away Monday night from his proposed missile strike against Syria and said he would pursue a Russian proposal to put Syria's chemical weapons under international control.

September 9, 2013
President Obama gestures while speaking during a "Civil Society Roundtable" with gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender activists, Friday, Sept. 6, 2013, in St. Petersburg, Russia. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Obama continues push for Syria strike upon G20 return

Days before Congress is set to vote on resolutions authorizing military strikes in Syria, President Obama on Saturday again set out to assure Americans that the nation will not become bogged down in another Middle East conflict.

September 7, 2013
President Obama during his news conference at the G-20 Summit in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Sept. 6, 2013. (Associated Press)

Obama: ‘I was elected to end wars, not start them’

While saying he sympathizes with current public distaste for more war, President Obama on Friday made the case that the U.S. must live up to its global responsibilities, and for the first time raised the possibility that additional military action — beyond what's on the table now — may be necessary if Syrian President Bashar Assad uses chemical weapons again.

September 6, 2013
Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Sen. Saxby Chambliss, Georgia Republican, arrives on Capitol Hill for a closed-door briefing with national security officials on the situation in Syria on Sept. 5, 2013. President Obama has requested congressional authorization of military intervention in Syria in response to last month's alleged sarin gas attack in the Syrian civil war. (Associated Press)

In U.S. and around world, doubts grow over attack on Syria

President Obama, traveling in Russia, struggled to make his case to skeptical foreign leaders for military strikes in Syria, while his administration faced growing opposition from Congress back home, where head counts Thursday showed his war plan in danger of being defeated.

September 5, 2013
"The international community's credibility is on the line" with Syria, President Obama says during a news conference in Stockholm on Wednesday, a day before traveling to Russia for a Group of 20 summit. (Associated Press)

Obama says ‘red line’ on Syria belongs to the world

Seeking to enlist more global partners for a U.S. military strike against Syria, President Obama on Wednesday found himself in a fresh debate over whether he was backing away from his own "red line" on the use of chemical weapons by the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

September 4, 2013
President Barack Obama pauses during his joint news conference with Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2013, at the Rosenbad Building in Stockholm, Sweden. The president said international community and Congress credibility on the line on response to Syria. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Obama makes fiery case for action in Syria

Making his most passionate plea to date for military strikes in Syria, President Obama on Wednesday said the credibility of the United States — and that of the international community as a whole — is on the line, and a failure to act against the regime of Bashar Assad will embolden war criminals, dictators and despots for years to come.

September 4, 2013
Secretary of State John Kerry, left, talks to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2013, prior to the start of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Syria where they testified. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Senators agree on Syria resolution granting Obama strike authority

Key senators struck a deal Tuesday night on a resolution granting President Obama the authority to conduct military strikes in Syria as long as they happen within 90 days and are limited to enforcing the administration's "red line" prohibiting chemical weapons use.

September 3, 2013
House Speaker John A. Boehner, Ohio Republican, speaks to reporters outside the White House on Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2013, following a meeting between President Obama and congressional leaders to discuss the situation in Syria. Mr. Boehner said he will support the president's call for the U.S. to take action against Syria for alleged chemical weapons use and said his Republican colleagues should support the president, too. (Associated Press)

White House wins over top lawmakers on Syria

Making the case that the U.S. must intervene in Syria, House leaders from both sides of the aisle said Tuesday they'll back President Obama's plan for military strikes against the regime of Bashar Assad.

September 3, 2013