US Military Bases and Sensitive Locations Undermined by Drone Attacks for Years

A recent surge in unidentified drone sightings around sensitive government locations is causing anxiety among both residents and legislators.

The alarm comes in the wake of over a month filled with drone sightings either within or close to the airspaces of airports and military establishments in states including California, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia, and at bases overseas in Germany and the UK.

Here is a timeline featuring the most significant confirmed sightings.

December 16 – Hill Air Force Base, Utah

Multiple drone sightings were verified at Hill Air Force Base in Utah on December 16, with one drone flying alarmingly close to the fuel storage area on site.

Hill Air Force Base is home to the Ogden Air Logistics Complex, which manages a diverse assortment of aircraft, missiles, and software for military use. Additionally, several advanced F-35 fighter jets are stationed there.

Drone interactions in this area started in 2022 and have persisted sporadically to this day.

December 13–17 – Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio

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Using drone monitoring technology, police traced the operators to a nearby island, where they confronted three individuals who fled on foot. Two of them were apprehended and charged with trespassing; however, a third individual escaped via boat and remains at large.

December 13 – Stewart International Airport, New York

Stewart International Airport had to shutter its runways for an hour due to an unidentified drone flying in the vicinity.

A representative from the base stated to The Epoch Times that there was no operational threat posed by the incidents, without providing further details.

“Due to considerations of force protection, we are limited in what we can disclose to ensure the operational security of the facility and the safety and welfare of the base personnel and surrounding communities,” said the spokesperson.

December 3 – Ramstein Air Base, Germany

Unauthorized drones were seen flying over the vast expanse of Ramstein Air Base in western Germany, a crucial hub for U.S. military operations and NATO’s central command for allied air and space forces.

November 30 – Vandenberg Space Force Base, California

A Chinese national, Yinpiao Zhou, is accused of flying an unregistered drone over Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

It is alleged that he used the drone to capture images of SpaceX launch pads on a day when the company was set to launch a sensitive reconnaissance payload from the location.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump mentioned that the drones should be downed if the government cannot ascertain their origins.

Lakenheath hosts the sole fifth-generation F-35 fighter wing of the U.S. Air Forces in Europe, while Mildenhall is home to the 100th Air Refueling Wing, and Feltwell provides essential housing and services.

In response, 60 British soldiers have reportedly been deployed to assist U.S. forces with the investigation into these drone activities.

November 13 – Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey

Throughout November, drones intruded upon the airspace of Picatinny Arsenal at least 11 times, as stated by a local commander. This facility is the U.S. Army’s main center for munitions and armaments research and development.

These confirmed incursions indicate that law enforcement or security personnel observed a drone 11 times following a report; however, local authorities were unable to substantiate seven additional claims.

This facility is a classified aircraft manufacturing site owned by the U.S. Air Force and shared with NASA.

The quantity of unidentified aircraft fluctuated, with reports indicating a variety of sizes and configurations, according to a statement made by a public affairs officer from Edwards Air Force Base, which oversees the facility.

The drones exhibited synchronized flight patterns and comprised both fixed-wing and quadcopters. They also appeared to operate near other military installations in Virginia, such as Naval Station Norfolk, the largest naval port globally, and a base functioning as the headquarters for SEAL Team Six.

Local officials ultimately concluded that no laws were violated, pointing out that drone pilots are not obliged to file flight plans unless operating within controlled airspaces, such as those surrounding airports.

This occurrence raised serious concerns within the military and led to a joint investigation spanning the U.S. Navy, Coast Guard, and FBI. High-ranking officials with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the commander of the Pacific Fleet were kept informed with ongoing updates regarding the situation.

Neither the White House nor the Department of Defense has addressed the intentions of these drone flights or the identities of the operators.

Correspondingly, Kirby remarked to the press that many of the 5,000 recent drone sighting reports could be attributed to recreational users or commercial drones, as well as individuals misidentifying celestial bodies as aircraft.

“If we had solid intelligence indicating a national security threat associated with this drone activity, I would say so,” Kirby stated to reporters.

“It is vital we identify the entities behind these drones,” Representative Michael McCaul (R-Texas) remarked to reporters this week.

“From my experience, I suspect that those drones hovering over our military sites are adversarial, most likely originating from the People’s Republic of China.”