A hearing in the House Oversight Committee Tuesday revisited growing concerns that drones present a new threat to U.S. military bases.
The issue gained major public notice earlier in the year following drone sightings over different military installations in New Jersey and other parts of the country. And last year in 2024, there were 350 drone sightings on military installations at 100 different military installations across the country.
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In Tuesday's hearing, top Defense Department officials raised new concerns, saying America's military installations are lacking defenses against such drones.
The vice director for operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff explained that drones have fundamentally changed terrorist organizations, the way militaries conduct warfare and now the practices of intelligence gathering.
"The homeland is no longer a sanctuary. And should our adversary choose to employ drones for surveillance or even attack, We would not be prepared to adequately defend our homeland and only marginally capable to defend our military installations," Rear Admiral Paul Spedero said during the hearing.
Spedero also warned that drone technology is far outpacing counter-drone technology. In many cases, relatively unsophisticated drones can already circumvent counter-drone and other jamming technology that the military can bring to bear.
According to the Pentagon, within the last month or so, standard operating procedures have changed for base commanders that need to respond to nearby drones.
The hearing also touched on drone-related appropriations. In the new budget there's some $1.1 billion in funding to expand U.S. drone manufacturing, and roughly $250m for land-based counter-drone programs. Defense officials said during the hearing the want more funds to make sure the U.S. stays competitive and protected in the fast-evolving space.
