Screenshot: C-SPAN
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) has raised alarms over unidentified drones observed near U.S. military installations, suggesting they may be adversarial and likely of Chinese origin.
The Gateway Pundit previously reported that Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, one of America’s most vital military installations, faced an unsettling breach of its airspace over the weekend, reigniting concerns about the security of critical U.S. defense facilities.
Mysterious drones buzzed over the Ohio base, forcing the temporary closure of its Class Delta airspace late Friday night and into Saturday morning.
According to base spokesman Bob Purtiman, the origin of the drones remains unidentified, and their intentions are officially deemed “not malicious.”
“I can confirm small aerial systems were spotted over Wright Patterson between Friday night and Saturday morning,” base spokesman Bob Purtiman told The War Zone on Sunday.
“Today leaders have determined that they did not impact base residents, facilities, or assets. The Air Force is taking all appropriate measures to safeguard our installations and residents,” he added.
Drone sightings in New Jersey (Credit: NJ STATE POLICE)
On Monday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and Department of Defense (DoD) released a joint statement detailing their ongoing response on the mysterious drones across the country.
According to their statement:
Having closely examined the technical data and tips from concerned citizens, we assess that the sightings to date include a combination of lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones, and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and stars mistakenly reported as drones. We have not identified anything anomalous and do not assess the activity to date to present a national security or public safety risk over the civilian airspace in New Jersey or other states in the northeast.
That said, we recognize the concern among many communities. We continue to support state and local authorities with advanced detection technology and support of law enforcement. We urge Congress to enact counter-UAS legislation when it reconvenes that would extend and expand existing counter-drone authorities to identify and mitigate any threat that may emerge.
Additionally, there have been a limited number of visual sightings of drones over military facilities in New Jersey and elsewhere, including within restricted air space. Such sightings near or over DoD installations are not new.
DoD takes unauthorized access over its airspace seriously and coordinates closely with federal, state, and local law enforcement authorities, as appropriate. Local commanders are actively engaged to ensure there are appropriate detection and mitigation measures in place.
BREAKING: DHS, FBI, FAA & DoD Release Joint Statement on Ongoing Response to Reported Drone Sightings pic.twitter.com/ckYRfczrU0
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) December 17, 2024
McCaul’s concerns contrast with statements from Biden administration officials, who have downplayed the threat, attributing most sightings to benign sources.
Speaking to reporters, McCaul emphasized the urgent need to identify the origin of these drones, strongly suggesting that they are adversarial and likely linked to the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
McCaul revealed that NASA is reportedly detecting more of these unidentified aerial systems than even the military. This discrepancy, he suggested, underscores a concerning lack of awareness within U.S. defense systems.
The congressman’s remarks come amidst growing bipartisan concern over foreign espionage and potential security threats posed by the proliferation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
McCaul pointed to China’s history of strategic actions near U.S. military installations, including reports of Chinese entities purchasing land near bases, as evidence supporting his concerns.
Reporter:
I know you were just talking Afghanistan, but on the drone side, I did ask you, do you have any idea what line of questioning you all are going with the public and lawmakers? Obviously, we all have a lot of questions about what those are.
Rep. Michael McCaul:
Yeah, we want answers. The response that I’m getting is that we don’t know whose drones these are. I was with the NASA Administrator, Bill Nelson.
He said that these drones have been reported over military sites, military bases. I would not think those are friendly. I would think those are adversarial. In fact, NASA seems to be picking up more than our military is with respect to the drones.
I think Congress is going to pursue this. I know the House Intelligence Committee is having a hearing on this. We need to identify who is behind these drones. My judgment, based on my experience, is that those that are over our military sites are adversarial and most likely are coming from the People’s Republic of China.
Reporter:
Do you think you’ll be satisfied with what you hear today?
Rep. Michael McCaul:
Probably not. I think they’re going to say they don’t know. And that’s a concern in and of itself, that if we have drones flying around military bases and we can’t identify where they came from or who’s responsible for them. I know there are a lot of commercial drones out there, and Secretary Mayorkas has talked about this.
That’s fine. But the ones flying over our military bases. By definition, I would say, are adversarial. We need to know who is behind that because I believe they’re spy drones. The PRC, Chinese Chinese China is very good at this stuff. We know they bought land around military bases. This would be very consistent with their policy over the last couple of years.
WATCH:
UPDATE: Invasion of the Drones
JUST IN: US House Foreign Affairs Chair, Michael McCaul, makes BOMBSHELL claim these are ENEMY Combatant Drones, Likely from China
The US Givernment’s Stories so Far:
• First, it was we have no idea what they are.. but they’re safe.… pic.twitter.com/mOKK0dckeK
— MJTruthUltra (@MJTruthUltra) December 18, 2024
MJTruth Ultra posted the timeline of the government’s claims so far…
The US Government’s Stories so Far:
• First, it was we have no idea what they are.. but they’re safe. (LINK)
• then they were from an Iranian mothership staged off the East Coast (LINK)
• then the Pentagon said these drones are not a threat from a foreign adversary. There is no Iranian threat. (LINK)
• then they tell us there are potentially two radioactive threats… (LINK)
• then the drones were deemed lawful and legal after Trump says to shoot them down. (LINK)
• And now they are from China and they’re not smart enough to turn the lights off to operate discreetly? lol (LINK)
I get the feeling our government is lying and trying to confuse everyone.
This comes after the Biden regime allowed a Chinese spy balloon to traverse over the US and several US military bases just last year.
In late January and early February 2023, a China spy balloon crossed over Alaska and the continental United States.
The Biden regime was aware of the Chinese spy balloon in US air space for a week before it was spotted by the public.
The Biden administration initially ignored the threat hoping the balloon would not be detected. But after amateur photographers captured the balloon flying over Montana the Biden White House had to admit they knew about the balloon.
The balloon crossed over major US military bases and missile silos.
The Gateway Pundit put together this graphic to show how many military bases were in the balloon’s path as it maneuvered across the United States.
Here is a list of the US Military bases in the path of the China Spy Balloon.
Montana
Malstrom Air Force Base: Home of the 341st Military Wing.
South Dakota
Ellsworth Air Force Base: Home of the 28th Bomb Wing.
Joe Foss Field Air National Guard (ANG): Home of the 114th Fighter Wing.
Iowa
Sioux City ANG: National Guard base.
Nebraska
Offutt Air Force Base: Headquarters of U.S. Strategic Command.
Camp Ashland: Training site for National Guard personnel.
Lincoln ANG: Air National Guard base.
Missouri
Whiteman Air Force Base: Home of B-52 bombers.
Fort Leonard Wood: Army training installation.
St. Louis Army Human Resources: Personnel management facility.
Illinois
Scott Air Force Base: Home of the Air Mobility Command.
Tennessee
Fort Campbell: Home of the 101st Airborne Division, known as the “Screaming Eagles.”
Nashville ANG: Air National Guard base.
Smyrna ANG: Air National Guard base.
Houston Barracks: Military installation.
McGhee Tyson ANG: Air National Guard base.
North Carolina
Pope Air Force Base: Air Mobility Command base.
Fort Bragg: One of the largest military installations in the world.
Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) New River: Marine Corps aviation base.
Camp Lejeune: Military training facility.
U.S. Coast Guard Station Fort Macon: Coast Guard installation.
This was an unprecedented national security threat.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said the U.S. military had to shut down communications and movements last week as the China spy balloon flew over strategic military bases during its week-long flyover of the United States from Alaska to South Carolina.
The balloon was only shot down after it went offshore. Joe Biden claimed the spy balloon gathering intel over US military bases was “not a major breach.”
Biden made the comment during an interview with Noticias Telemundo by reporter Julio Vaqueiro in Tampa, Florida.
Julio Vaqueiro: And wasn’t it a major security breach for the United States, just the fact that the balloon came into the airspace?
President Biden: No. pic.twitter.com/xHOHTNUn7P
— Matt Viser (@mviser) February 9, 2023
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