Hundreds of drones swarm military bases. Is the Pentagon worried?

WASHINGTON — The more than 5,000 reported drone sightings in recent weeks that have intrigued and unnerved East Coast residents have been commonplace at sensitive U.S. military sites across the country, according to defense officials.

There have been hundreds, perhaps thousands, of drone strikes on remote military installations that attracted little public attention. However, they disrupted sensitive operations, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

A critical concern: Foreign adversaries have noted a “seam” in the U.S. response to drone surveillance. U.S. forces have the authority to shoot down drones, shoot them out of the sky or disrupt their navigation links through radio interference if the planes enter the airspace over a base and pose a threat.

But once outside of that airspace, the drone becomes the responsibility of local law enforcement. In the vast, sparsely populated areas where many military installations are located, the response is often too little and far too late, according to a defense official who has studied raids.

Another senior official said the Pentagon had been too passive in the face of the growing threat. This official offered a solution to an unidentified drone: zap it, put it in a bag, and exploit it to find clues to its origin and intent.

The Air Force actually did this. Drones have been “shot down” by Air Force personnel in recent years, said Ann Stefanek, an Air Force spokeswoman. She declined to provide further details, citing operational security concerns.

But legal concerns and concerns that debris on the ground could cause damage or death have hampered the response.

The military has a “robust air defense system to defend against the potential of hijacked airlines,” but the same cannot be said for drones, said David Deptula, dean of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies and retired Dreier. Star General of the Air Force.

“Just as no one thought about aircraft causing harm before 9/11, we must recognize the negative potential and lethal potential of drones that we see around the world being used for military and hostile purposes,” he said.

In a joint statement Monday, the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security, the FBI and the Federal Aviation Administration called on Congress to enact legislation “that would expand and expand existing anti-drone authorities to detect and mitigate any threats that may arise.” .

The statement also downplayed the current drone hysteria, noting that most reports involved legitimate commercial, hobbyist and law enforcement drones, manned aircraft and helicopters. Even stars have been mistakenly reported as drones.

But lawmakers are also paying attention – members of the House Intelligence Committee received a closed briefing on the topic on Tuesday.

Drone hysteria? Why the issue matters to the military and lawmakers

Spy drones could collect sensitive information about U.S. military activities that could give adversaries clues about future operations, a military official said. For example, aerial surveillance could show the movement of munitions from the arsenals to the port as the Pentagon prepared for war. A drone could also provide real-time video of the rapid response of Special Forces soldiers from Fort Liberty.

In recent years, drones have swarmed the site of a planned military exercise, forcing the U.S. Northern Command, which is responsible for protecting the homeland from attack, to postpone the exercise, the official said.

An enemy drone flying within about 200 feet of a military base could view military installations at a much higher resolution than satellites or other airborne technologies, Deptula said. F-22 fighter jets, the most advanced fighter jets in the Air Force fleet, may have been the target of mysterious waves of drones that flew over Langley Air Force Base in Virginia last year, Deptula said.

“When you get up close to these aircraft, you can see and observe shapes and construction techniques that you might not be able to see from a satellite overhead,” he said.

Other sensitive points that enemy drones could monitor include the American power grid and telecommunications sites. An adversary could try to “find the fulcrums of how the power distribution system is aligned and distributed,” he said.

More:Threat #1: Drone strikes trigger urgent $500 million request from Pentagon

Where do the drone sightings take place?

The joint statement released Monday acknowledged that drones had entered restricted airspace over military installations in New Jersey and “elsewhere.” In New Jersey, some were spotted above Picatinny Arsenal, an active Army-owned weapons research and development facility that spans nearly 6,000 acres.

Other drone deployment sites include the White Sands Missile Range, the Army’s only land-based site for testing long-range missiles, explosives and artillery, according to the military official. The 100-mile-long and 40-mile-wide tract spans New Mexico and Texas. Its airspace is controlled by the Pentagon, one of only two locations in the country over which the FAA does not have jurisdiction. The White House is the only other one.

Drones have been monitoring Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, the official said. Remotely controlled ships are also suspected of monitoring US Navy facilities.

What can be done against the drones?

If a drone is deemed a threat, officials can take several “active and passive” measures to respond, such as using the military’s own drones to shoot it down, redirect it or jam its navigation signal, Air Force Maj. Gen. said . Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, told reporters.

Ryder said at a news conference Tuesday that Picatinny Arsenal and Naval Weapons Station Earle, another New Jersey base where drones have been spotted, have received additional drone detection and defense equipment, including Dronebusters, a handheld instrument that jams drone signals.

Some of these methods are addressed in a new strategy to “counter” drones that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin signed earlier this month.

Although the entire plan is secret, the Pentagon says it aims to improve the military’s ability to detect and track drones and delegate responsibility for eliminating a threat.

The military does not have the same authority to detect and shoot down drones over bases within U.S. borders as it does abroad or in combat zones.

“We do not collect information on American citizens,” Ryder said.

Drones have already claimed lives at US military bases abroad. In January, a drone attacked Tower 22, a U.S. base in Jordan, killing three American soldiers and wounding more than 40. A disposable drone was used that is programmed to target one target and does not require any direction in the air for the attack.

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