Map shows US military bases overrun by mysterious drones

What’s new

A new map of Newsweek highlights the spate of mysterious drone sightings reported at U.S. military bases at home and abroad.

In response, the Ministry of Defense referred Newsweek to a Pentagon statement saying: “We take all of these (sightings) seriously. If we detect them, we will usually try to classify them and take appropriate action.”

Why it matters

A spate of unidentified drone sightings have been reported domestically and internationally in recent weeks. The phenomenon has become a mystery that has taken the internet – and now even mainstream politics – by storm.

Both the FBI and local law enforcement are investigating sightings, some of which occurred near critical infrastructure and military installations.

During the same period, unidentified drones were also reported flying over three British air bases used by the US Air Force and US military bases in Germany.

What you should know

Last month, residents in several New Jersey counties noticed unidentified drones for the first time, and recent reports of sightings also extended to New York and Pennsylvania.

Drones have now reportedly been spotted at numerous military installations of strategic interest to the US, including:

Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey: According to some reports, this Army research and production facility has reported 11 drone strikes.

Naval Weapons Station Earle, New Jersey: Reports of drones entering its airspace have been confirmed by the Joint Staff.

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio: The base temporarily closed its airspace on December 13, 2024 due to drone strikes, CNN reported.

Langley Air Force Base, Virginia: Multiple reports as early as October indicated drone sightings near the base.

In addition to these domestic US bases, several similar incidents occurred at bases in the United Kingdom, namely RAF Lakenheath, RAF Mildenhall and RAF Feltwell.

“From November 20th to 26th, small unmanned aerial systems were spotted near and over RAF Lakenheath, RAF Mildenhall and RAF Feltwell,” a USAF spokesperson said in an email response to Reuters at the time.

The USAF also said small, unmanned systems were spotted over RAF Fairford.

Also citing the German magazine MirrorReuters reported that unidentified drones were spotted over the U.S. Ramstein Air Base in Germany on December 3 and 4.

What people say

President Joe Biden to reporters at the White House on Tuesday: When asked what was behind the numerous sightings, the President said: “Apparently nothing serious. But they check everything started with it, and everyone understands it, and everyone wants to participate.”

He added: “We are following the matter closely, but so far we have not identified any danger.”

Department of Defense in response to a request for comment from Newsweek: Newsweek drew attention to comments made by Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder during a press conference yesterday.

Responding to a question about the spate of drone sightings, Ryder said that while it was “entirely possible” that some drones could be “conducting malicious activity,” the “vast majority” were not.

Ryder added, “In the case of drones flying near or over U.S. military installations, that’s nothing new just given the amount of drone flights we see on any given day.”

“We take all of this seriously. When we discover them, we will usually try to classify them and take appropriate action. Is it possible that some of these are being monitored? Absolutely. But can you make that assumption in every case, not necessarily.” “In every case, the commanders have the authority, the installation commanders and the authorities have the authority to respond appropriately, and we will continue to do that.”

President-elect Donald Trump on Truth Social: “Mystery drone sightings across the country,” the Republican wrote on Friday.

“Can this really happen without our government’s knowledge? I do not believe that! Inform the public, immediately. Otherwise shoot them!!! DJT.”

FBI, Department of Homeland Security, Federal Aviation Administration and Department of Defense in a joint statement on Monday: Authorities said they “did not detect anything unusual and do not assess the activity to date as a risk to national security or public safety,” CBS News reported.

The FBI previously said it had received about 3,000 tips related to unidentified drone activity since November.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Monday: “We believe the sightings to date include a combination of legal commercial drones, hobby drones and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and even stars that have been incorrectly reported as drones.”

What’s next?

Authorities said they were continuing to investigate the sightings.

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Update, 12/18/24, 7:24 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with a response from the Department of Defense