Drones flew into US bases 350 times in 2024. There are not enough countermeasures

The Pentagon has recognized significant gaps in the defense of US bases from reconnaissance drones.

This was reported by The Defense Post.

There are gaps in drone defense both in the United States and at foreign bases of US troops.

The problem was publicly recognized after a series of violations of the airspace of US military bases, where about 350 incidents were recorded in 2024.

In particular, in December 2024, six cases of unauthorized entry of drones into prohibited airspace occurred at a Marine Corps base in California over six days.

In total, over 350 incidents with drones have been reported at more than 100 U.S. military facilities over the past year.

These events have prompted bipartisan agreement in Congress on the need to revise the drone countermeasures strategy and consider authorizing the use of lethal force to counter offenders.

“If our adversary decides to use drones for reconnaissance or even attacks, we will not be prepared to adequately defend our homeland,” said Navy Rear Admiral Paul Spedero Jr, deputy director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

In addition, some incidents were fatal. For example, in January 2024, a drone attacked a US military base in Jordan, killing three US soldiers.

In June 2024, two drones attacked a coalition base in Iraq. In November 2024, unidentified drones were spotted flying over several British Royal Air Force bases where the US military is stationed.

And in December 2024, due to repeated sightings of drones, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio temporarily closed its airspace.

Earlier, Militarnyi reported that unidentified reconnaissance drones were spotted over the German Ramstein air base. The incident occurred on the evening of December 3 and 4, 2024, when many drones were detected over a strategically important US military facility in Europe.

Despite attempts to find the suspects, law enforcement agencies have been unsuccessful and are currently patrolling strategically important sites.

In addition, the Danish Police are investigating the appearance of unidentified drones in the airspace above the port of Køge in January 2025. According to police dispatcher Asger Bechström, the flights are considered illegal, as no permits for drone flights in the area have been issued.