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Maggie Ybarra

Maggie Ybarra

mybarra@washingtontimes.com

Maggie Ybarra is a former military affairs and Pentagon correspondent for The Washington Times.

Articles by Maggie Ybarra

The Pentagon. (Associated Press) ** FILE **

Pentagon to jettison property in Europe

The Pentagon will shed 21 European facilities from its inventory, spanning from small recreational facilities — a golf course and a skeet range — to air bases and NATO buildings.

May 23, 2014
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu listens during a security conference in Moscow, Russia on Friday, May 23, 2014. Russia on Friday urged the West to stop playing what he described as a zero-sum game against Russia and reach a settlement based on mutual interests.  (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)

Iran invites Russian defense minister to Tehran

Iran has invited Russia's defense minister to visit Tehran in what a top Iranian official said was meant as a "clear message" to the United States about the regional balance of power.

May 23, 2014
Rep. J. Randy Forbes, Virginia Republican, thinks the Navy's 10-year phased fleet modernization plan will leave the U.S. with too little military muscle in the Pacific. His amendment would deny the Navy authority to repair more than two ships at a time. (Associated Press)

Navy pushes Congress on fleet modernization

The Navy is pushing back against a House Republican's effort to quash the modernization of its missile cruiser fleet, essentially saying the benefits of the plan outweigh congressional concerns that the fleet will be diminished during the upgrades.

May 19, 2014
Gen. Fang Fenghui, chief of the general staff of China's People's Liberation Army, salutes while visiting the USS Coronado Tuesday in San Diego. (associated press)

Chinese general: Pivot causing havoc in region

A top Chinese general says a Pentagon strategic plan is causing disarray in the Pacific region by enabling allies of the United States to make false allegations and overstep their boundaries.

May 15, 2014
Joint Base Andrews is among facilities being considered to house a new, consolidated command center for the Air Force. A similar cost-cutting strategy failed in the 1970s. (Associated Press) ** FILE **

Andrews eyed for new Air Force operations headquarters

The Air Force is eyeing Maryland's Joint Base Andrews as the possible location for a new center that would oversee base operations for the service's major commands, according to internal Pentagon documents.

May 14, 2014
Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2013, before the House Veterans Affairs Committee hearing on the effects the government shutdown is having on benefits and services to veterans. About 3.8 million veterans will not receive disability compensation next month if the partial government shutdown continues into late October, Shinseki told lawmakers Wednesday. Some 315,000 veterans and 202,000 surviving spouses and dependents will see pension payments stopped.  (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)

American Legion calls for ouster of VA secretary Shinseki

The head of the American Legion on Monday took the extraordinary step of calling for the resignation of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki and two top deputies in the wake of reports that dozens of veterans have died while waiting to receive medical attention at a VA facility in Phoenix.

May 5, 2014
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel speaks to reporters about the Defense Department's sexual assault prevention and response program, Thursday, May 1, 2014, at the Pentagon. Hagel said sexual assaults are a threat to both women and men in uniform. And he says the Pentagon must do more to fight a culture that discourages victims from reporting assault.  (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Hagel presses NATO allies for more defense spending

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel implored America's NATO allies to increase their defense amid Russian aggression toward its neighbors and expressed frustration that the United States is disproportionally footing the bill for the organization.

May 2, 2014
Aeronautical frontier: Dassault Aviation has developed the Neuron, a stealth combat drone, through a project involving several European countries. A report predicts that Europe will spend billions of dollars in research for drones in coming years as it starts to catch up with U.S. technology. (Associated Press)

Europe, Asia plan to spend big on drone development

By 2022, the United States is projected to spend less than half the worldwide total on drone research and development, as other countries — principally in Asia — step up production of own unmanned aircraft, according to a report by national security consulting firm Forecast International.

April 28, 2014
Ukrainian government troops atop an armored personal carrier travel on a country road outside the town of Svyitohirsk near Slovyansk, eastern Ukraine, Saturday, April 26, 2014. Ukrainian authorities are undertaking a security operation to liberate the nearby city of Slovyansk, which is currently controlled by an armed pro-Russian insurgency. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Hagel asks Russians to declare their intentions in Ukraine

Hagel posed the question when he spoke to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu by phone Monday, according to Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby. During that conversation, Shoigu assured Hagel that Russian forces will not invade Ukraine.

April 28, 2014