Multiple unauthorized drones flew over Global Strike Command’s Barksdale Air Force Base in early March.
Suspicious drone activity recently caused alarm at a U.S. military base in Louisiana that hosts long-range strategic bombers.
“Barksdale Air Force Base detected multiple unauthorized drones operating in our airspace during the week of March 9,” a spokesperson for the Air Force Global Strike Command told The Epoch Times on March 24.Barksdale Air Force Base is the home of the Air Force Global Strike Command.
The base also hosts B-52 Stratofortress bombers assigned to the 2nd Bomb Wing and 307th Bomb Wing.
The drone incursion came about a week into the U.S. military campaign against Iran, known as Operation Epic Fury.
B-52s and other U.S. strategic bombers have participated in the conflict.
The Air Force Global Strike Command did not say whether the drone activity disrupted flights in support of Operation Epic Fury, but noted the serious nature of the incident.
“Flying a drone over a military installation is not only a safety issue, it is a criminal offense under federal law. We are working closely with federal and local law enforcement agencies to investigate these incursions,” the spokesperson said.
“The security of our installation and the safety of our people are top priorities, and we will continue to vigilantly monitor our airspace.”This is not the first time drone activity near U.S. military bases has raised alarm.
Dozens of similar incidents have occurred in recent years.
U.S. policymakers have worked to improve domestic counter-drone authorities, and military planners have expanded countermeasures.
Testifying before Congress last week, U.S. Air Force Gen. Gregory Guillot—who leads the U.S. Northern Command and North American Air Defense Command—said a counter-drone team recently detected and defeated a small drone incursion near a U.S. strategic installation.
Guillot said the drone incident occurred “in the early hours of Operation Epic Fury last month,” but did not say which installation was impacted.
The counter-drone team Guillot alluded to in his testimony, known as a Counter-Small Unmanned Aerial System Fly-Away Kit, includes systems to detect small drones and to jam or destroy them.
By Ryan Morgan
