Latest news with #militarybases
Fox News
21-07-2025
- Fox News
I'm a drone CEO. America must protect its airspace now, before it's too late
Drones have rapidly evolved from backyard novelties into critical components of today's infrastructure and now, into one of the fastest-growing threats to our national security. As the CEO of one of the nation's largest drone technology companies and a former naval officer, I've seen firsthand how powerful these tools can be. I've also seen how dangerous they are when left unregulated; they become liabilities, capable of disruption, destruction and danger. Just days ago, amid deadly flash floods in Texas, a private drone collided with a rescue helicopter during an active life-saving mission. The crash forced the crew to land, grounding a critical asset in the middle of an unfolding emergency. In the chaos of unspeakable tragedy, a single uncoordinated drone put lives at risk and halted the very efforts meant to save them. Incidents like this are entirely preventable with proper airspace coordination. In the first quarter of this year, the FAA reported over 400 illegal drone incursions near U.S. airports, which is a 25% increase from the same period in 2024. Drone incursions into U.S. military airspace have reached unprecedented levels, and the trend is only accelerating. At military bases across the country, 350 unauthorized drone flights were recorded last year alone. These aren't harmless mistakes. They are persistent, coordinated, and, in some cases, hostile. These incidents are not isolated; they're escalating. Drones have been used to smuggle contraband into prisons, surveil energy facilities and ports, and even collide with manned aircraft, narrowly avoiding catastrophe. As drones become faster, cheaper and easier to operate, our systems for detecting, coordinating, and responding remain fractured, outdated, and dangerously inadequate. From commercial airliners and emergency helicopters to power grids and correctional facilities, these vulnerabilities cut across every critical sector. Without stronger detection, clear enforcement authority, and a unified approach to managing airspace, the risk will only grow. This is no longer a question of if these gaps will be exploited, but when, how often, and at what cost. The root of the problem is not technological. The solutions exist today. What we lack is a national framework, a unified, real-time system to track, manage and respond to low-altitude air traffic. We need a flight information exchange that allows law enforcement, regulators, and operators to see what's flying, where it is, and who is responsible. We need cryptographically secure digital credentials that link drones, their pilots and their missions to prevent spoofing. And we need Remote ID signals that can't be manipulated. Right now, too many decisions depend on disconnected sensors, slow approvals and guesswork. We must fuse radar, RF and acoustic data into a single surveillance picture. The FAA needs to publish a national mission-priority table to ensure emergency flights aren't delayed or grounded. Most urgently, Congress must expand counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems authority to include local law enforcement before the current federal authority sunsets this September. The technology is ready. The risks are growing. We no longer have the luxury of delay. It's time for Congress, regulators and industry to act together before these threats escalate into disasters. We can protect our skies before the next drone incident becomes a national tragedy.
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hegseth tells lawmakers of plan to detain immigrants at 2 US bases
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says bases in Indiana and New Jersey can house detained immigrants without affecting military readiness — a step toward potentially detaining thousands of people on bases on U.S. soil. Hegseth notified members of Congress from both states this week of the proposal to temporarily house detained immigrants at Camp Atterbury in Indiana and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey. President Donald Trump has moved to aggressively detain and deport people in the country illegally, a push that has swept up large numbers of immigrants, including many with no prior criminal records, and forced federal authorities to find places to house them. 200 Marines deploy to Florida as Pentagon approves more support to ICE Hegseth said the presence of the detainees would not negatively affect the bases' operations or training. Officials have not said when detainees could begin arriving at the facilities or if other military bases are under consideration. Speaking to reporters outside the White House, Trump's border czar Tom Homan said there are about 60,000 beds currently available for detained immigrants and the goal is to expand to 100,000. 'We're looking for any available bed space we can get that meets the detention standards we're accustomed to,' Homan said Friday. 'The faster we get the beds, the more people we can take off the street.' Democratic lawmakers from both states and civil rights advocates condemned the idea of housing immigrants at the bases, questioning the impact on military resources and the justification for so many detentions. 'Using our country's military to detain and hold undocumented immigrants jeopardizes military preparedness and paves the way for [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] raids in every New Jersey community,' New Jersey's Democratic delegation said in a statement. Democratic Rep. Andre Carson of Indiana said his questions about detainee conditions have gone unanswered by the Trump administration. He cited concerns raised about conditions at other facilities and said, 'The fact that ICE has detained so many individuals that they now need to expand detention space in Indiana is disturbing.' Amol Sinha, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey, said in a statement that housing immigrants in military facilities sets a dangerous precedent 'and is contrary to the values embedded in our Constitution.' Both of the bases identified by Hegseth have housed Afghan or Ukrainian refugees in recent years. During Trump's first administration, he authorized the use of military bases to detain immigrant children — including Army installations at Fort Bliss and Goodfellow Air Force Base in Texas. In 2014, President Barack Obama temporarily relied on military bases to detain immigrant children while ramping up privately operated family detention centers to hold many of the tens of thousands of Central American families who crossed the border. Associated Press writers Christine Fernando and Darlene Superville in Washington contributed to this report. Solve the daily Crossword
Fox News
19-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Democrats fume over new plan to house illegal migrants in New Jersey, Indiana military bases
Military bases in both New Jersey and Indiana will soon be used by Homeland Security to house illegal immigrants, drawing a furious response from Democratic lawmakers. Parts of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey and Camp Atterbury in Indiana will be repurposed and used as "temporary soft-sided holding facilities," the Defense Department told Fox News Digital, citing a decision by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. New Jersey Democrats blasted the decision, warning it would harm military readiness and urging Republicans to join them in helping reverse it. Both bases were previously used to house thousands of Afghan refugees following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. "This is an inappropriate use of our national defense system and militarizes a radical immigration policy that has resulted in the inhumane treatment of undocumented immigrants and unlawful deportation of U.S. citizens, including children, across the country," the group of Democrats said in a joint statement. "Using our country's military to detain and hold undocumented immigrants jeopardizes military preparedness and paves the way for ICE immigration raids in every New Jersey community. We have the greatest military in the world and using it as a domestic political tool is unacceptable and shameful." The statement was made by Reps. Herb Conaway, LaMonica McIver, Donald Norcross, Rob Menendez, Frank Pallone, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Josh Gottheimer and Nellie Pou as well as Sens. Cory Booker and Andy Kim. It is unclear when either site will open and a decision will depend on operational requirements and coordination with Homeland Security, the Defense Department said. Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst is a joint military base operated by U.S. Air Force, Army and Navy — the only tri-service base in the country. Spanning 42,00 acres, it's home to 45,000 military and civilian personnel, making it one of the largest and most strategically important on the East Coast. Camp Atterbury is an Army and Air National Guard base near Edinburgh that spans 34,000 acres and has been used for training brigades and hosting large-scale operations. Under the Trump administration, Homeland Security has been using detention facilities to house migrants while they await asylum hearings or deportation. The lawmakers said that Hegseth wrote to Conoway informing him of the decision. Hegseth wrote in the letter that the move would not negatively affect military training, operations, readiness, or any other military requirements, per NJ Spotlight News. New Jersey is already home to Delaney Hall and the Elizabeth Detention Center which are being used as immigration detention facilities, although they are privately operated. Delaney Hall was the scene where Democrat Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested and charged with trespassing in a clash with federal immigration officials in May. Rep. LaMonica McIver, D‑N.J., was later federally charged for allegedly interfering with federal officers during the same incident. The news comes two weeks after President Donald Trump signed the Big Beautiful Bill into law, which allocated between $150 billion and $170 billion towards immigration enforcement over the next several years, $45 billion of which was carved out to expand immigration detention facilities. The funds are part of the Trump administration's efforts to carry out the largest deportation operation in the nation's history. Earlier this month, the Trump administration opened an immigration detention camp in Florida's Everglades that is surrounded by alligators dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz."
Washington Post
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Hegseth tells lawmakers about plan to detain immigrants at bases in Indiana and New Jersey
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says bases in Indiana and New Jersey can house detained immigrants without affecting military readiness — a step toward potentially detaining thousands of people on bases on U.S. soil. Hegseth notified members of Congress from both states this week of the proposal to temporarily house detained immigrants at Camp Atterbury in Indiana, and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey.
The Independent
18-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Hegseth tells lawmakers about plan to detain immigrants at bases in Indiana and New Jersey
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says bases in Indiana and New Jersey can house detained immigrants without affecting military readiness — a step toward potentially detaining thousands of people on bases on U.S. soil. Hegseth notified members of Congress from both states this week of the proposal to temporarily house detained immigrants at Camp Atterbury in Indiana, and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey. President Donald Trump has moved to aggressively detain and deport people in the country illegally, a push that has swept up large numbers of immigrants, including many with no prior criminal records, and forced federal authorities to find places to house them. Hegseth said the presence of the detainees would not negatively affect the bases' operations or training. Officials have not said when detainees could begin arriving at the facilities or if other military bases are under consideration. Speaking to reporters outside the White House, Trump's border czar Tom Homan said there are about 60,000 beds currently available for detained immigrants and the goal is to expand to 100,000. 'We're looking for any available bed space we can get that meets the detention standards we're accustomed to,' Homan said Friday. 'The faster we get the beds, the more people we can take off the street.' Democratic lawmakers from both states and civil rights advocates condemned the idea of housing immigrants at the bases, questioning the impact on military resources and the justification for so many detentions. 'Using our country's military to detain and hold undocumented immigrants jeopardizes military preparedness and paves the way for (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) raids in every New Jersey community,' New Jersey's Democratic delegation said in a statement. Democratic Rep. Andre Carson of Indiana said his questions about detainee conditions have gone unanswered by the Trump administration. He cited concerns raised about conditions at other facilities and said, 'The fact that ICE has detained so many individuals that they now need to expand detention space in Indiana is disturbing.' Amol Sinha, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey, said in a statement that housing immigrants in military facilities sets a dangerous precedent "and is contrary to the values embedded in our Constitution.' Both of the bases identified by Hegseth have housed Afghan or Ukrainian refugees in recent years. During Trump's first administration, he authorized the use of military bases to detain immigrant children — including Army installations at Fort Bliss and Goodfellow Air Force Base in Texas. In 2014, President Barack Obama temporarily relied on military bases to detain immigrant children while ramping up privately operated family detention centers to hold many of the tens of thousands of Central American families who crossed the border. ___
