U.S. installations were at Force Protection Condition Charlie, a threat posture used when commanders have intelligence that an attack or danger is possible, as unknown drones flew over Fort Lesley J. McNair in Washington, where Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth live, and officials still did not know who sent them.
“U.S. officials detected unidentified drones above the Washington Army base where Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth live, according to three people briefed on the situation.”
Multiple drones were spotted over the base on a single night within the past 10 days, setting off increased security measures and a White House meeting as officials scrambled for an answer, and still did not know where the drones came from. That uncertainty fed directly into discussions over whether Rubio and Hegseth needed to be taken off the base while this was unfolding. They ultimately stayed, but relocation was under discussion.
Read More: European Countries Get Bitten by Karma After They Turn Down Trump Request for Ships for Strait
Could This New Rifle-Mounted Drone Buster Be a Game Changer?
The drones showed up as the United States and Israel were striking Iran and U.S. forces were already watching for retaliation, with commanders raising threat levels elsewhere as intelligence indicated possible danger.
“The military is monitoring potential threats more closely because of the heightened alert level as the United States and Israel strike Iran…”
Commanders at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey and MacDill Air Force Base in Florida raised their installations to Force Protection Condition Charlie. MacDill, which houses U.S. Central Command and oversees operations tied to Iran, was locked down twice in one week. A suspicious package shut down the visitors center, and a separate incident forced a shelter-in-place order across the base.
Public answers on Fort McNair have been almost nonexistent.
“The department cannot comment on the secretary’s movements for security reasons, and reporting on such movements is grossly irresponsible,” he said.
Fort McNair sits along the Washington Channel, within minutes of the White House and Capitol Hill.
“But it does not have the same safety buffer as other bases in the capital region.”
Iranian targeting of American officials has remained a serious concern since the strike that killed Qasem Soleimani in 2020. Officials across multiple administrations have warned about surveillance, plots, and threats tied to senior U.S. figures. During the 2024 campaign, unidentified drones appeared near Donald Trump during public events and motorcades, and officials warned him directly that Iran was targeting him inside the United States, even as specific incidents were never definitively tied back to Iran.
Unknown drones flew over a Washington base housing senior officials while U.S. installations were already on a threat posture tied to a possible attack, putting Rubio and Hegseth at risk and prompting discussions about moving them, with no clear answer for who sent them or how they got over the base.
Editor's Note: Thanks to President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's leadership, the warrior ethos is coming back to America's military.
Help us report on Trump and Hegesth's successes as they make our military great again. Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member