Ben Wolfgang
Articles by Ben Wolfgang
U.S. slams Russian military’s partial blockade of Black Sea
U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan said Tuesday he is returning home for "consultations" about the rapidly deteriorating bilateral relationship, even as Russia's military ramps up a partial blockade of the strategically vital Black Sea. Published April 20, 2021
Joe Biden invites Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin to climate change summit
President Biden will summon dozens of world leaders Thursday and Friday for a virtual climate change summit aimed at securing historic cuts in pollution, but some key stakeholders, chiefly China and Russia, will likely be logging on with their own competing agendas and may try to use the meeting as an opportunity to back the U.S. into a corner. Published April 19, 2021
Russia responds to latest sanctions by kicking out 10 U.S. diplomats
Moscow will kick out 10 U.S. diplomats in response to the Biden administration's latest round of sanctions against Russian officials, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Friday as the rift between the two old Cold War foes grows deeper. Published April 16, 2021
Moscow claims it escorted U.S. spy plane away from Russian border
A Russian fighter jet escorted a U.S. spy plane over the Pacific Ocean recently and kept the American aircraft from violating Russian airspace, according to Russian media. Published April 16, 2021
Antony Blinken in Afghanistan to sell Biden troop withdrawal
The Biden administration launched a full-court press Thursday to convince allies and warn adversaries that the U.S. will remain engaged in Afghanistan moving forward, even as the U.S. and its NATO allies begin preparations to last Western troops from the country after two decades of war. Published April 15, 2021
Joe Biden orders Afghanistan exit by Sept. 11: ‘Time to end America’s longest war’
Afghanistan is barreling into the unknown after President Biden announced Wednesday that the final 2,500-plus U.S. troops will leave the country by Sept. 11, forcing an already fragile central government in Kabul to soon go toe-to-toe with an emboldened Taliban insurgency that appears eager to exploit a potential power vacuum and to make the American withdrawal as painful as possible. Published April 14, 2021
Taliban warns Biden U.S. troops will be ‘held liable’ after May 1
The Taliban on Wednesday issued a stark warning to President Biden, vowing that U.S. troops still in Afghanistan past May 1 will be "held liable" and will face a fresh wave of attacks. Published April 14, 2021
Joe Biden to pull all U.S. forces from Afghanistan by Sept. 11
All U.S. troops will be out of Afghanistan by this summer's 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, President Biden announced Tuesday, potentially putting American forces at risk of renewed Taliban attacks in the short run while sparking long-term fears that the country may once again become a breeding ground for terrorists. Published April 13, 2021
Pentagon will send 500 new troops to Germany in reversal of Trump plan
The U.S. will station another 500 troops in Germany as part of a new "multi-domain task force," Pentagon officials said Tuesday, officially closing the book on former President Trump's ill-fated plan to move thousands of American troops out of the country. Published April 13, 2021
Pentagon ramps up attacks on resurgent ISIS: ‘It is not defeated’
The Pentagon is ramping up its war against an enemy declared "territorially defeated" two years ago, fueling questions about whether the U.S. and its allies have the right long-term strategy to truly crush the Islamic State terrorist group once and for all. Published April 6, 2021
Pope Francis slams military spending during pandemic as ‘scandalous’ in Easter message
Pope Francis on Sunday took aim at global military spending during the COVID-19 pandemic, using his annual Easter message at the Vatican to call on nations around the world to redirect some of their defense budgets toward programs for the poor. Published April 4, 2021
‘Report ISIS in your area’: U.S. coalition urges Iraqis, Syrians to call hotline, report extremists
If you see an Islamic State fighter in Iraq or Syria, the U.S. military wants to know about it. The American-led Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) coalition on Friday tweeted out a pair of phone numbers that citizens in Iraq and Syria can call to report ISIS extremists in their area. Published April 2, 2021
U.S., Iran will hold indirect talks to salvage nuclear deal
The U.S. and Iran said Friday they'll participate in indirect negotiations aimed at resurrecting an Obama-era deal that limited Tehran's nuclear weapons program, marking a major turning point for the Biden administration's diplomatic outreach to the Islamic republic. Published April 2, 2021
Stephanie Vazquez, veteran wounded in Afghanistan, worries for women left behind
As part of a female engagement team in Afghanistan, Stephanie Vazquez, the medically retired Army sergeant and mother of two, was given a critical mission: to gather information from Afghan women, who were culturally barred from speaking directly with male soldiers but were routinely used as pawns by the enemy. Published April 1, 2021
Microsoft wins $22 billion Army contract to produce augmented-reality headsets for soldiers
The Army is moving forward with a cutting-edge program to give tens of thousands of service members augmented-reality headsets in a move that could transform how soldiers fight the wars of tomorrow. Published April 1, 2021
Satellite images show new activity at key North Korean nuclear lab
Satellite images taken Tuesday show new activity at the Yongbyon Radiochemistry Laboratory, a key facility in North Korea's nuclear weapons program, fueling suspicion that North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un is seeking to put public pressure on President Biden and wants to force the U.S. to make diplomatic concessions. Published March 31, 2021
Suez Canal blockage allows China, Russia push for shipping business
The Suez Canal reopened for business Monday after salvage crews freed a massive container ship that spent the past week blocking the crucial waterway, while stakeholders around the world -- including China, Russia and even American political advocacy groups -- seized on the incident to push their own agendas. Published March 29, 2021
U.S. Army, Muslim civil rights groups at odds over Islam-to-Christianity conversion story
The Army is under fire from Muslim civil rights groups and advocacy organizations that say the Pentagon is promoting anti-Islam "bigotry" with a recent news article that tells the story of an Iraqi woman who joined the U.S. military as an interpreter and later converted from Islam to Christianity. Published March 29, 2021
F-35 threatened by Pentagon budget crunch
The Pentagon's vaunted F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, a key cog in the U.S. military's 21st-century battle plan, is facing brutal blowback from all corners amid seemingly never-ending production delays and an eye-popping price tag of $1.7 trillion and climbing. Published March 28, 2021
Taliban threatens to attack U.S. troops if they’re not out of Afghanistan by May 1
The Taliban on Friday threatened "death and destruction" against U.S. forces unless all Americans leave Afghanistan by May 1, adding new pressure to President Biden as he weighs whether to honor the looming deadline. Published March 26, 2021
