Law enforcement officials have been left scratching their heads over an incident earlier this month at Barksdale Air Force Base, where multiple unauthorized drones were detected flying over the home of the B-52 bomber.
The incidents, which occurred during the week of March 9, are one of multiple instances in recent weeks in which domestic military bases have discovered drones flying overhead, demonstrating the threats they pose to national security.
“Flying a drone over a military installation is not only a safety issue, it is a criminal offense under federal law,” a Barksdale AFB spokesperson told the Washington Examiner. “We are working closely with federal and local law enforcement agencies to investigate these incursions. The security of our installation and the safety of our people are top priorities, and we will continue to vigilantly monitor our airspace.”
The spokesperson did not say whether there have been any drone incursions over the base since then.
A confidential briefing document stated that the “drones came in waves and entered and exited the base in a way that may suggest attempts to ‘avoid the operator(s) being located,’” ABC News reported. “Lights on the drones suggested the operators ‘may be testing security responses’ at the base.”
The document noted that the drones appeared to be sophisticated, with noncommercial signal characteristics and resistance to jamming. It also warned that there could be additional drone incursions.
“Between March 9-15, 2026, BAFB Security Forces observed multiple waves of 12-15 drones operating over sensitive areas of the installation, including the flight line, with aircraft displaying non-commercial signal characteristics, long-range control links and resistance to jamming,” the document, which was dated March 15, reads. “After reaching multiple points across the installation, the drones dispersed across sensitive locations on the base.”
Barksdale Air Force Base is in Louisiana, and it plays a critical role in the command and control of the Air Force’s nuclear defense capabilities. Former President George W. Bush was in Florida when the terrorist attacks occurred on Sept. 11, 2001, and was flown to Barksdale Air Force Base in the immediate aftermath. It is home to the B-52 Stratofortress bomber.
There was also a drone incursion detected at an unspecified location in late February as the United States was beginning its opening attacks against Iran.
“In the early hours of Operation EPIC FURY last month, a deployed [fly-away kit] successfully detected and defeated sUAS operating over a strategic U.S. installation,” Air Force Gen. Gregory Guillot, the commander of U.S. NORTHCOM, explained in a written statement to the Senate Armed Services Committee on March 19.
He provided additional insights into the broad scope of drone incursions over military bases during the hearing.
“We’ve seen an increase from last year in the number of detections over military installations over the course of the year,” he said. “Some of that might be due to the fact that we have more detection capability now than we did in the past, and then our ability to defeat them has improved. Whereas a year ago, almost every one that was detected was not defeated, now about a quarter of the ones that we detect we’re able to defeat.”
FEDERAL AGENCIES BOOST DRONE VIOLATION PENALTIES AFTER DETECTION OVER FORT MCNAIR
U.S. officials have also tracked multiple drone incursions over Fort Lesley J. McNair Army base this month, and it’s where Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio and their families live, according to the Washington Post.
Last week, multiple federal agencies issued a joint warning to drone operators emphasizing that failure to abide by relevant laws could incur significant penalties, including possible jail time.
