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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

FILE - In this May 3, 2004 file photo, security personnel wait to inspect vehicles entering Norfolk Naval Station in Norfolk, Va. A sailor was fatally shot at the world's largest naval base late Monday, March 24, 2014, and security forces killed a male civilian suspect, base spokeswoman Terri Davis said. (AP Photo/The Virginian-Pilot, Mort Fryman)

Navy shooting raises questions on credentials

The civilian man who boarded a guided-missile destroyer, disarmed a guard and then used the guard's pistol to fatally shoot a sailor at Norfolk Naval Station on Monday night used federal government credentials issued by the Department of Homeland Security to gain access to the ship, Navy officials say.

March 25, 2014

S. Korea worries over Pentagon’s budget woes

South Korean officials are increasingly concerned that uncertainty surrounding the Pentagon's defense budget may disrupt the country's ability to plan for joint military training exercises.

March 21, 2014
Families of three fallen Navy SEALs are suing Afghan President Hamid Karzai, his security forces and Iran. The lawsuit accuses Mr. Karzai of accepting bribes for the deaths of U.S. servicemen and of leaking details of a SEAL mission to the Taliban. (Associated Press)

IG on hunt for Afghan ‘ghost workers’

The U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction said Wednesday he has begun a search for bogus "ghost workers" on the Afghan National Army's payroll as U.S. forces prepare to leave the country.

March 19, 2014
The Libyan parliament voted to oust Prime Minister Ali Zeidan last week over anger at the failure to stop rebels from independently exporting oil. (Associated Press)

Pentagon: Libya to get seized tanker within days

The U.S. Navy will hand over the hijacked oil tanker with 21 multinational sailors on board to the Libyan government in the next few days, a Pentagon spokesman said, adding the transfer is slated to take place in international waters.

March 19, 2014
Marine Gen. Joseph F. Dunford, Jr., Commander, International Security Assistance Force, listens on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, March 12, 2014, while testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee on the situation in Afghanistan. President Barack Obama has threatened to withdraw all American forces from Afghanistan if a new security agreement is not signed by the end of the year, but there is no legal reason the U.S. has to resort to the "zero option," as administration officials have repeatedly claimed. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

U.S. general sees trouble for Afghan forces after pullout

The four-star general in charge of helping the Afghan military deal with tribal conflicts and Taliban attacks has painted a grim picture of how that military will look in 2015 in the wake of the departure of foreign troops.

March 13, 2014
FILE - In this Jan. 27, 2012 file photo, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond Odierno speaks at the Pentagon. Only a small fraction of Army women say they’d like to move into one of the newly opening combat jobs, but those few who do, say they want a job that takes them right into the heart of battle, according to preliminary results from a survey of the service’s nearly 170,000 women. The issue is going to be the propensity of women who want to do some of these things,” Odierno said in an interview with The AP. “I don’t think it’s going to be as great as people think.” (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)

Army chief still hopes for future U.S.-Russia ties

The Army's top general said that he still hopes to rebuild military-to-military ties with Russia once the political turmoil stirring around the country's recent invasion of Crimea dies down.

March 13, 2014
President Obama expresses appreciation to Marines for their service last summer. His administration's proposed budget, however, seems to send a different message. (Associated Press)

Military families would take a $5,000 hit in benefits with Obama budget

If President Obama and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel get their way, a typical U.S. Army sergeant stands to lose up to $5,000 in annual benefits, according to a leading veterans group that is mobilizing for battle over the proposed cuts to the retirement, health care and other compensation offered to those who serve.

March 12, 2014
The seal of the Department of Homeland Security

Air Force, Homeland Security step up to fight malware

The Air Force and Homeland Security Department have teamed up to create a new test kit that imitates cyber malware, the better to train government analysts to fend off attacks from hostile sleeper viruses.

March 6, 2014