Ben Wolfgang
Articles by Ben Wolfgang
More than 100 killed in terror attack on Moscow concert venue; ISIS claims responsibility
At least 115 people were killed and many more wounded in an attack on a Moscow concert hall Friday, Russian officials said, marking one of the deadliest assaults in recent history in Russia and coming just two weeks after U.S. officials warned of a looming terrorist attack on the Russian capital. Published March 22, 2024
It’s complicated: Terror group ISIS-K targets U.S. — and its worst enemies
The rapidly growing threat posed by the Islamic State-Khorasan Province, the jihadi terrorist group's Afghanistan affiliate better known as ISIS-K, has linked the U.S. with some of its most bitter enemies, including Russia, Iran and even Afghanistan's ruling Taliban regime, in the high-stakes world of counterterrorism. Published March 21, 2024
Innovation falls short at crucial time for security; federal government gets ‘F’ in report card
"Major warning signs" in the national security sector could hold back America's ability to innovate at a crucial moment in the intensifying global competition with adversaries such as Russia and China, according to a report made public Tuesday. Published March 19, 2024
Numbers war: Watchdog group presses Pentagon on Austin’s Gaza death toll claims
A nonpartisan watchdog group sent a letter to top Pentagon officials this week requesting all information that led to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's public claim that more than 25,000 Palestinians had been killed in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7 -- a figure based on data supplied by the Hamas militant group. Published March 14, 2024
Drones hit Russian oil depots, pro-Ukraine groups claim capture of Russian town
Shadowy pro-Ukraine "Russian liberation forces" said they took control of a Russian town just over the Ukrainian border Tuesday as part of a seemingly well-coordinated assault by anti-Kremlin groups designed to bring the war to Russian soil. Published March 12, 2024
‘Ukraine cannot win this war’: Hungarian minister says talks with Russia a must
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto argues in an exclusive interview that his country remains the only NATO nation to avoid sending weapons to Ukraine because such a step, he believes, would only prolong a war with Russia that it is increasingly evident neither side can win. Published March 11, 2024
U.S. shoots down more than two dozen Houthi drones in ‘large-scale’ attack in Red Sea
American forces on Saturday shot down more than two dozen drones launched by Houthi rebels in Yemen, Pentagon officials said. Published March 10, 2024
Biden draws ‘red line’ for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: No Israeli attack on Rafah
President Biden drew a "red line" for Israel over the weekend, warning against an attack on the Gaza Strip city of Rafah. Published March 10, 2024
Pentagon: No contact with extraterrestrials, U.S. isn’t reverse-engineering alien spacecraft
There is no evidence to support claims that shadowy elements inside the U.S. government have made contact with alien life forms, have reverse-engineered extraterrestrial spaceships, or have systematically kept that information hidden from the American public for decades, according to a remarkable new Pentagon report issued Friday. Published March 8, 2024
U.S. Embassy in Moscow warns of ‘imminent’ extremist attack
The U.S. Embassy in Moscow early Friday warned of an "imminent" extremist attack in Russia and alerted American citizens that they may be in danger. Published March 8, 2024
On tense Korean peninsula, playing a game of ‘Waiting for Trump’
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's appetite to make a major diplomatic deal with the U.S. seems all but dead. But Kim-watchers say it could suddenly spring back to life in January 2025 if former President Donald Trump returns to the White House. Published March 5, 2024
U.S.-Israel tensions boil over as Washington welcomes Netanyahu rival for talks
Tensions between the White House and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government neared the boiling point Monday as Biden administration officials ramped up their public pressure on Jerusalem over the "intolerable" humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip while simultaneously embracing one of Mr. Netanyahu's most popular political rivals. Published March 4, 2024
U.S. military fighter jets intercept high-altitude balloon over western U.S.
U.S. military fighter jets intercepted a high-altitude balloon Friday flying over the western part of the country, officials said. Published February 23, 2024
Ukraine faces bleak future as war with Russia hits third year
Ukrainian troops are running perilously low on ammunition. Russian forces are gaining ground in the Donbas. And in America, the political fight over the utility of continued financial aid for Ukraine has reached a fever pitch. Published February 22, 2024
Russian tests follow Musk’s Starlink; anti-satellite nuke would fill gap that Ukraine war exposed
Elon Musk's Starlink satellites played a pivotal role in slowing Russia's invasion of Ukraine and helped save Kyiv from complete collapse in the early days of the 2022 invasion. But those same satellites may have accelerated the Kremlin's determination to level the playing field and neutralize that advantage. Published February 21, 2024
Biden has few options for floundering war on al-Shabab, with echoes of Afghanistan
To fully understand the slate of bad options facing the U.S. in Somalia, consider this: National security analysts say that the Somali government troops are "several degrees of magnitude worse" than the hapless Afghan army that surrendered to the Taliban in a matter of weeks in 2021 after the Biden administration announced the U.S. combat troop withdrawal. Published February 19, 2024
White House confirms Russian ‘space’ threat, says there’s no immediate danger
The White House confirmed Thursday that Russia is developing a space-based military capability that poses a national security threat, but insisted there is no immediate danger to the U.S. Published February 15, 2024
U.S. troops intercept Iranian ship loaded with missiles, drones bound for Yemen’s Houthi rebels
U.S. forces on Jan. 28 seized a ship originating in Iran, loaded with missiles and drones, and destined for Yemen's Houthi rebels, the Pentagon revealed Thursday as it blamed the regime in Tehran for aiding the Houthis in their continued targeting of commercial ships in the region. Published February 15, 2024
U.S. racks up munitions costs in indefinite fight against Houthis
The U.S. military is locked in an open-ended war with Yemen's Houthi rebels -- and it's getting expensive. Published February 13, 2024
Russia used hypersonic Zircon missile to hit Kyiv last week, Ukrainian researchers say
The Russian military struck Kyiv last week with its hypersonic Zircon missile, Ukrainian researchers said late Monday. Published February 13, 2024
