Drones continue to buzz over US bases. The military isn't sure why or how to stop them [View all]

Source: CNN Politics

Published 5:00 AM EST, Sat December 21, 2024


CNN — A series of drone sightings over military bases across the country has renewed concerns that the US doesn’t have clear government-wide policy for how to deal with unauthorized incursions that could potentially pose a national security threat.

“We’re one year past Langley drone incursions and almost two years past the PRC spy balloon. Why don’t we have a single [point of contact] who is responsible for coordination across all organizations in the government to address this?” the recently retired head of US Northern Command and NORAD, Gen. Glen VanHerck, told CNN. “Instead, everybody’s pointing their fingers at each other saying it’s not our responsibility.”

Indeed, there have been multiple instances of drone incursions over military bases since mysterious drone swarms were spotted around Joint Base Langley-Eustis and other sensitive military sites in Virginia last year, and since a Chinese spy balloon transited the continental US in 2023.

Over a period of six days earlier this month, there were six instances of unmanned aerial systems, or drones, entering the airspace of the Marine Corps base Camp Pendleton in California, a spokesperson confirmed to CNN, adding that they posed “no threat to installation operations and no impact to air and ground operations.” There have also been incidents in the last month at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio; Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey; Naval Weapons Station Earle, New Jersey; and Vandenberg Space Force Base, California.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/21/politics/drones-us-military-bases/index.html