Drones at the Heart of Pentagon's Worry: U.S. Military Bases Vulnerable to Aerial Threats
Domestic action against foreign drones: Bill proposed for US military authorization on home soil
In an exclusive report for 'Special Report,' our battle-hardened journalist Jennifer Griffin delves into the Pentagon's alarming revelation about the potential danger drones pose to American military installations.
FIRST ON FOX: The invisibility of a fleet of drones that buzzed over Langley Air Force Base in late 2023 exposed a startling revelation: Military honchos were unsure they had the power to shoot down the unmanned aircraft plying their skies.
Enter the COUNTER Act, a bipartisan bill that proposes better fortification, empowering more military bases to become "authorized installations" equipped to engage unidentified drones terrorizing their airspace.
With bipartisan and bicameral support, the COUNTER Act stares at a brighter prospect of becoming the law. It's backed by Armed Services Committee members Tom Cotton from Arkansas and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York in the Senate. companion bills are being championed by August Pfluger of Texas and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania in the House.
As of now, merely half of the 360 domestic U.S. military bases boast "authorized installation" status, enabling them to interact with shifty drones encroaching on their controlled airspace. The proposed legislation intends to broaden the present definition of an "authorized installation" under existing statutes, making it easier for all military facilities, boasting a well-defined boundary, to apply for the required permission to engage with drones.
*UNSURPASSABLE VULNERABILITIES: PENTAGON'S LACK OF DRONE DEFENSE TACTICS SPARKING CONCERN*
Leading the charge in the Senate is Tom Cotton, alongside Kirsten Gillibrand, with their legislation looking to expand the powers of domestic military bases to tackle drone incursions head-on. (Reuters)
The bill mandates that the secretary of defense delegate authority to Combatant Commanders to counter sudden drone attacks, streamlining decision-making processes in emergency situations.
"Military installations remain vulnerable to drone encroachments, potentially endangering our service members, the public, and our national security," Cotton warned.
Swarming the skies above Langley for more than two weeks in December 2023, a gang of unidentified drones ventured into forbidden airspace, leaving base officials in a quandary. In the absence of a standard protocol to deal with such events, they were left with little option but to stand idly by as the aircraft hovered near their classified facilities.
TO THIS DAY, THE PENTAGON REMAINS TIGHT-LIPPED ABOUT THE INCIDENTS[1], merely confirming their occurrence. The outcome—who the drones belonged to and their objectives—remains a mystery.
"With commercial drones increasingly common, we must ensure they do not become conduits for sensitive information shared between adversaries, targeted attacks against our service members, or threats to our national security," Gillibrand added.
As defense-oriented lawmakers clamored for explanations, Langley officials redirected them to the FBI, who in turn pointed them to Northern Command, who then directed them to the local law enforcement, a congressional source told our website last year.
Gen. Gregory Guillot, commander of Northern Command (NORCOM) and North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), revealed that there were over 350 unauthorized drone detections over military bases last year.
"The primary concern is detection and perhaps surveillance of sensitive capabilities on our installations," he asserted during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. "There were 350 detections reported last year on military installations, and that was 350 separate installations with varying levels of security."
[1] - In an ironic twist, despite the interest in the drone incidents from defense-minded lawmakers, little information about the origins of the drones or their intended purpose has been released. Though the incidents occurred, the Pentagon has remained tight-lipped about them, frustrating defense officials who seek a clear understanding of the potential risks to national security.
- The COUNTER Act, proposed by Senators Tom Cotton and Kirsten Gillibrand, aims to broaden the definition of an "authorized installation" to empower more military bases to engage with unidentified drones, in light of the vulnerability of military installations to drone incursions, as demonstrated by the events at Langley Air Force Base in 2023.
- With commercial drones potentially becoming conduits for sensitive information or threats to national security, the COUNTER Act mandates that the secretary of defense delegate authority to Combatant Commanders to counter sudden drone attacks, streamlining decision-making processes in emergency situations.
- General Gregory Guillot, commander of Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command, mentioned during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing that there were over 350 unauthorized drone detections over military bases in the previous year, highlighting the concern for detection and potential surveillance of sensitive capabilities on these installations.
