Republicans raise alarm over US vulnerability to mass drone strikes after Israel-Iran conflict

Fox News

5 hours ago

FIRST ON FOX: A group of House Republicans is demanding to know how the U.S. is ready to protect its own domestic assets in the event of a potential attack on the homeland.
"We write to inquire with the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) about the current state of drone attack countermeasures for our military installations, government buildings, embassies, and consulates, both domestic and abroad," the GOP lawmakers wrote in a letter.
"The ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East have demonstrated that large-scale, highly coordinated mass-drone attacks can be highly effective if the defender lacks adequate counter-drone defenses."
The letter was sent late Thursday, days after Israel and Iran declared a ceasefire following days of escalating attacks within one another's borders.
Just before President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) warned the Middle East conflict was "causing a heightened threat environment in the United States."
House lawmakers will be briefed behind closed doors on the situation with Iran at 9 a.m. Friday.
"Since 9/11, our nation has not suffered a major coordinated attack on our own soil. While the government has done good work in preventing an attack like 9/11 from happening again, we want to ensure that we are preparing for a new paradigm in which relatively cheap drones can quickly and effectively wipe out core military and government infrastructure," the lawmakers wrote Thursday.
"While American threat projection globally is strong among all the branches of the military, we need to be prepared for a new paradigm of covert, but potentially disastrous, threats to our core military interests, including our nuclear triad in the homeland."
The letter is led by Rep. Mike Carey, R-Ohio.
The lawmakers are asking Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem if counter-drone technology is being factored into Trump's plans for a Golden Dome defense system in the U.S.
They've also asked whether there is "a concern of any sort of weaponized drone buildup already happening in the United States from drones that may have been smuggled in due to the former administration's open border policies."
Noem and Hegseth were also questioned on whether they are "aware of or actively working to deter potential threats posed by foreign-owned land near critical military and infrastructure sites in the United States that could be a launching point for a mass drone attack like we saw in Russia by Ukrainian forces."
Fox News Digital reached out to the Pentagon and DHS for comment.