Glen VanHerck warned that Washington officials have underestimated the danger posed by U.S. drones, despite a number of cases involving mysterious drone swarms above sensitive military sites.
Glen VanHerck, retired U.S. Air Force General, said that elusive drones were seen flying over Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, over 17 nights during December 2023. This was well before the swarms of drones in New Jersey attracted the nation’s attention late last year. Yet, the U.S. has no policies or laws to deal with these swarms. VanHerck, a retired U.S. Air Force general, said that despite the fact that a senior official at the Biden White House downplayed Langley’s intrusions on 60 Minutes by saying they were likely the work hobbyists.
VanHerck stated that “it could certainly have a foreign connection, a threat relationship.” They could be spying on critical infrastructure or even embarrassing us by doing so.
Last month, VanHerck’s successor, General Gregory Guillot , testified at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing , that he needed increased authority to protect military installations against drones.
Guillot stated, “I see the primary threat they pose as being detection and surveillance of sensitive capability on our installations.” He did not reveal who operated the drones.
Drone swarms have been reported for years
In 2019, dozens of drones shadowed U.S. Navy ships training off the California coast for weeks. The Pentagon was slow to deny that these were UFOs for years. They even sent videos to the “UAP Task Force”, but logs from ships show they were drones. The Navy believed the drones were from a Hong Kong flagged freighter that was sailing near, but could not prove it.
The War Zone is a defense-related news website that has since documented dozens drone intrusions into sensitive infrastructure and military facilities, including the Palo Verde Nuclear Plant in Arizona and a site where defense contractors build the next generation stealth bombers in Southern California.
Jonathan Butner, a Virginia resident, was in his family cabin near the James River when he noticed what he described as dozens orbs of mystery over Langley Air Force Base. Langley Air Force Base is one of the busiest bases on the East Coast, and it’s home to F-22 Raptors. Butner is familiar with a variety of military aircraft. He had never seen anything like it before.
Butner stated that “they started coming in really fast, like on a conveyor-belt.”
He recorded iPhone videos for almost an hour and half of the objects moving in and out. Butner claims he gave the video to the FBI as part of its investigation.
Mark Kelly, a retired four-star general, was the highest ranking Langley officer to see the swarm. He was a veteran fighter pilot who identified the drones as such, stating that they were different in size, speed, and altitude.
Kelly explained that the smallest quadcopter is a size equivalent to a small car or bass boat. The largest are about the size of a bassboat or small car.
In late November, the Army confirmed that 11 drones were spotted in northern New Jersey over the Picatinny Arsenal, where advanced weapons are developed and manufactured. The sightings sparked a public frenzy and reports of drones in the entire region.
While the U.S. focused on New Jersey, a swarm of drones disrupted operations at a U.K. airbase. Where U.S. nuclear weaponry has been stored.
Before his Inauguration President Trump promised that he would investigate the mysterious sightings of drones in New Jersey and the East Coast. Karoline Laavitt, the White House Press Secretary, relayed a message she claimed was from President Trump. The drones are “approved to be flown for research and other purposes” by the FAA and “not the enemies.”
Why drones are an issue
Roger Wicker, Republican Senator and Chairman of the Armed Services Committee said that it is clear the drone swarms have a military intelligence component. In a 60 Minutes interview in December, Wicker said the Pentagon and national advisors were mystified about the swarms.
In addition, drones can destroy as well as spy. Drones have destroyed advanced aircraft in Russia and Ukraine. Gen. VanHerck stated that drones could be used to do the same in the U.S.
“It’s absolutely a problem.” He said that small UASs (unmanned air systems) or drones can perform a variety of missions.
For their own safety, some of the F-22s at Langley have been moved to an airbase nearby.
Track, but not easily detected
VanHerck was ill-prepared to deal with the drone swarm. He had been charged at the time with protecting North American airspace. NORAD radar systems designed to detect high altitude air, missile or space attacks during the Cold War were unable detect drones flying at low altitudes.
He said, “They could come from any direction.” The FBI is examining potential options. “But they don’t know the answer yet.”
The U.S. military can use gunfire, electronic jamming, and missiles to destroy menacing drones in overseas conflict zones. Any of these actions could be a danger to civilians both on the ground as well as in the air.
VanHerck stated that it was not a simple decision to fire missiles at our own homeland.
Guillot ordered a 90 day assessment of operations after he took over NORAD and NORTHCOM in February. He said that a new approach is required to combat the threat of drones.
I think that the threat was greater than our ability to detect it and track it. “I think that all eyes were on overseas, where UAVs were used in a one-way attack against U.S. servicemen and coalition members.”
He said that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and NORAD surveillance technology still do not have the capability to detect a drone flock at low altitudes over a U.S. military facility.
The bureaucracy is a major obstacle to overcome. Other agencies were in charge when the drones flew beyond the perimeter of Langley Air Force Base: the Coast Guard FAA FBI and local police. No one agency was in charge.
Guillot received the authority in November to streamline the bureaucracy and coordinate the counter-drone efforts of multiple government agencies. He said that new radar systems with greater sensitivity are being installed in strategic bases. NORTHCOM has developed the latest anti-drone technologies to be quickly delivered by air to bases that are being besieged with drones.
Guillot stated that his goal was to have the capability of the flyaway kit within a year. This would allow us to enhance the services, and install the necessary installations.
VanHerck believes there is no urgency in the matter.
He said: “I believe it’s due to the perception that America is a fortress. There are two oceans east and west and friendly nations in both north and south. Nobody’s going to attack our homeland.” It’s time to move past that assumption.
