Drone activity has been reported over an Army base in Washington, D.C., home to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, according to a recent article by the Washington Post.
Officials have yet to identify the drones’ origin, though they confirmed that several were spotted hovering above Fort Lesley J. McNair during a single night within the past ten days.
This sighting prompted a White House meeting to deliberate on possible responses and to discuss whether additional security measures are necessary.
With the ongoing conflict in Iran, in which both the United States and Israel have been involved for the past three weeks, the military has already been operating under increased alert levels.
The presence of drones over Fort McNair, located along the Anacostia River, has led some officials to contemplate the possibility of relocating Rubio and Hegseth, according to sources familiar with the situation.
As of now, Rubio and Hegseth remain in their residences. They have been residing on the base’s ‘Generals Row’ since October.
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell declined to speak about the drones.
‘The department cannot comment on the secretary’s movements for security reasons, and reporting on such movements is grossly irresponsible,’ he said in a statement to the Post.
Drones have been sighted over the last 10 days at Fort Lesley J. McNair in Washington, D.C. This is where Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth live
US officials have weighed whether to relocate Rubio and Hegseth for their own safety
So far, neither top national security official has been moved. Both men have lived on Fort McNair since at least October
Fort McNair is home to the National Defense University and houses some of the Pentagon’s most senior military officials.
Historically, it has not been home to political leaders, but some Trump officials have cited security concerns as their reasoning for moving onto various bases.
Outgoing Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem moved into a home for the Coast Guard commandant on Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, The Atlantic reported.
Fort McNair is also conveniently located near Capitol Hill, the White House and the Pentagon.
The apparent drone threat in Washington comes after Tampa’s MacDill Air Force Base, home to US Central Command, had to go on lockdown twice this week. US Central Command is leading military operations in Iran.
The first lockdown at MacDill came on Monday when a suspicious package was delivered to the visitors center. The second was on Wednesday and involved a security incident that left the base under a shelter-in-place order for hours.
On Tuesday, the State Department told all US diplomatic posts worldwide to ‘immediately’ evaluate their security amid ‘the ongoing and developing situation in the Middle East and the potential for spillover effects’, according to an internal cable obtained by the Post.
According to the US officials, drone threats have become more common after President Donald Trump ordered the strike that killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in 2020.
Drone threats against various US officials, including President Donald Trump, have increased since Iranian general Qasem Soleimani was killed in 2020 by a US strike
And during Trump’s 2024 campaign, Secret Service agents frequently encountered unidentified drones.
That September, Trump was informed that Iran wanted to assassinate him and had multiple teams in the country to do so.
Trump was also told by officials that there was no evidence linking Iran to the attempts made on his life in Butler, Pennsylvania, and on his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Iranian threats have made their way to former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former National Security Adviser John Bolton, both prominent foreign policy voices in the first Trump administration.
Iran held them responsible for killing Soleimani, which led the Biden administration to extend their government security protection. Trump withdrew their security last year.
