Are drones spying on U.S. military bases? A former defense official thinks so: “We’re not able to do anything about it”

Speaking in a recent 60 Minutes interview, former NORAD and U.S. Northern Command chief Glen VanHerck raised the alarm over repeated drone intrusions at military sites. In December 2023, drones flew over Langley Air Force Base for 17 nights straight. While some officials dismissed them as hobbyists, VanHerck wasn’t convinced.

“It certainly could have a foreign nexus, a threat nexus,” he said. “They could be doing anything, from surveilling critical infrastructure … and then we’re not able to do anything about it.”

Spy drones: a long-standing problem with no clear fix

Drone incursions aren’t new, as the CBS report explains. In 2019, Navy warships off California were trailed by drones for weeks. Since then, sightings have been reported at nuclear plants, weapons testing sites, and bases housing advanced fighter jets. In late 2023, multiple drones were spotted over Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey and a U.K. air base storing U.S. nuclear weapons.

The growing concern isn’t just surveillance. “A small [drone] can do a myriad of missions,” VanHerck said, citing attacks on aircraft in Ukraine and Russia. Some F-22s at Langley were even relocated as a precaution.

What can be done to detect and stop spy drones?

NORAD’s radar systems were built for Cold War-era threats, not small, low-flying drones. “They can come and go from any direction,” VanHerck admitted. “The FBI is looking at potential options. But they don’t have an answer right now.”

Even if detected, stopping drones is complicated. In war zones, the U.S. military can shoot them down. On American soil, doing so risks civilian safety. “Firing missiles in our homeland is not taken lightly,” VanHerck said.

Adding to the problem is red tape. At Langley, multiple agencies – including the FBI, FAA, and Coast Guard – had jurisdiction over different airspace sectors, leaving no one in charge.

Fortress America no more

General Gregory Guillot, who now leads NORAD, is working to change that. He’s ordering new radar systems and fast-deploying anti-drone “flyaway kits” to bases under threat.

But VanHerck isn’t convinced enough is being done. “There’s a perception that this is fortress America … It’s time we move beyond that assumption.”

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