Ben Wolfgang
Articles by Ben Wolfgang
Naming Commission identifies new names for Army posts named for Confederates
North Carolina's storied Fort Bragg Army base should be renamed "Fort Liberty," a congressional commission recommended Tuesday in a major step forward for the Pentagon's controversial two-year push to purge from the U.S. military any links to the Confederacy and its most high-profile generals. Published May 24, 2022
Russian casualties keep rising in Ukraine; top generals in the crosshairs
Russia has paid a historic human price three months into its war in Ukraine. Published May 23, 2022
High-tech body armor, special ops display offer peek at military’s future
Hundreds of contractors are displaying their cutting-edge weapons, vehicles, equipment and other eye-popping gadgets at a major U.S. Special Operations conference running this week in Tampa, Florida. Published May 18, 2022
New age of war: Russia-Ukraine conflict reshapes battlefield
The century-old concept of moving huge armored convoys along open roads may be too dangerous on today's high-tech battlefields. Military supply lines are more vulnerable than ever before given the massive leaps in surveillance capabilities and precision weapons. Published May 16, 2022
How Putin’s war in Ukraine has backfired spectacularly
ANALYSIS: Russia's invasion of Ukraine was designed to topple the government in Kyiv, fracture NATO and cement Moscow's status as a fearsome 21st-century military machine and an irreplaceable energy kingpin that could use its oil and gas reserves to bully Europe. Published May 12, 2022
Ukrainian counteroffensive puts Russian supply lines at risk
Russia pounded the port cities of Mariupol and Odesa with missile strikes on Tuesday while Ukrainian forces launched a fierce counteroffensive to the north and reportedly pushed Russian troops back toward their border, as the two sides reach what U.S. intelligence officials say could be a prolonged "stalemate" that lasts for months or even years. Published May 10, 2022
Putin defends Ukraine war as Russia faces manpower shortages, global outrage
Russian President Vladimir Putin defended his war in Ukraine on Monday and likened the conflict to last century's fight against Nazi Germany, but the Kremlin faces serious questions about its ability to replenish its ranks as casualties mount and its wartime tactics face growing scrutiny at home and abroad. Published May 9, 2022
Jill Biden, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau make surprise visits to Ukraine
First lady Jill Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau each made surprise visits to Ukraine on Sunday, expressing solidarity with the Ukrainian defenders. Published May 8, 2022
Russians ‘getting their ass handed to them’ in Ukraine: Sen. Lindsey Graham
The war in Ukraine has shattered once-lofty perceptions of the Russian military, which has been "getting their ass handed to them" on the battlefield, Sen. Lindsey Graham said. Published May 8, 2022
Russia’s war in Ukraine about destroying ‘Nazi filth,’ Putin says
Russian troops in Ukraine are fighting to liberate the region from "Nazi filth" just as their ancestors did during World War II, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Sunday. Published May 8, 2022
Russian attack on school seen as part of urgent offensive ahead of ‘Victory Day’ celebration
Russian forces stepped up their assault on eastern Ukraine on Sunday and drew global condemnation after an airstrike reportedly killed 60 people sheltering inside a school, the latest example of what U.S. officials say is a clear pattern of war crimes committed by Russian President Vladimir Putin's army. Published May 8, 2022
Ukrainians mount last-ditch defense of Mariupol as diplomatic pressure on Kremlin grows
Ukrainian troops clung to control of a strategic steel plant in Mariupol on Thursday, as an unrelenting Russian assault tried to push the defenders away from the port city's final stronghold and deliver the Kremlin a victory days ahead of a major Russian military holiday. Published May 5, 2022
Swedish officials visit Washington as country edges closer to NATO
Top Swedish officials visited Washington Wednesday as their country weighs whether to join NATO, a move that would ratchet up tensions with Moscow even higher while also exposing divisions across Europe over the future of the alliance and its proper role amid Russia's war in Ukraine. Published May 4, 2022
Russian troops mount fresh assault on Mariupol steel plant, Ukrainian civilians barely escape
Moscow and its Western foes each signaled Tuesday they're prepared to ramp up an economic war that has already shaken global markets and sent fuel prices soaring, while Russian troops stormed facilities in Mariupol in a renewed effort to conquer the Ukrainian port city and finally notch a win in an unimpressive military campaign. Published May 3, 2022
Angry Putin wields energy, nuclear threats against West
Russian President Vladimir Putin cut off natural gas supplies to two key NATO nations, Poland and Bulgaria, on Wednesday and threatened a "lightning-fast" military response against anyone who interferes with Russia's assault on Ukraine, pushing the fallout from the already devastating war deeper into Europe and threatening to accelerate a global energy crunch. Published April 27, 2022
A growing U.S. footprint in Europe brings hard questions for Pentagon
The U.S. military footprint in Europe has vastly expanded in the two months since Russia invaded Ukraine, with more than 100,000 troops now on the ground on a continent where the talk until recently was on how and where to cut back. Published April 25, 2022
Mariupol on the brink as Russians seek breakthrough
Defenders in Mariupol are desperately short on supplies and may lose control of the city within days or less, Ukrainian military officials said Wednesday, as their Russian foes ramped up a non-stop bombardment of the strategically vital port city and inched closer to what would be the first major prize so far in Moscow's two-month war. Published April 20, 2022
‘Think twice’: Putin threatens West as Russia tests new ICBM
Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened the West on Wednesday just hours after his military tested a new intercontinental ballistic missile system, warning that any nation opposing the Kremlin should "think twice" about its actions. Published April 20, 2022
Russia captures first major city in eastern Ukraine as world grapples with war’s fallout
Russia marched ahead Tuesday with the "new phase" of its war in Ukraine, capturing the eastern city of Kreminna and launching missile strikes across the disputed Donbas region even as new evidence emerged of the devastating toll the war is having on the global economy. Published April 19, 2022
Frozen fallout: Ukraine invasion scrambles Arctic rush
The fallout from Russia's attack on Ukraine has already reached the top of the world. Published April 16, 2022
