The US military is rapidly working to enhance its base defenses against evolving drone threats worldwide.
What happened
Recent attacks on military installations have demonstrated their vulnerability to drone threats. In June 2025, a Ukrainian drone attack damaged dozens of aircraft and caused over $1 billion in damage. US bases in the Middle East have also been damaged by Iranian drones, with the extent of the damage not fully disclosed.
A senior defense official described the Ukrainian attack as a crystallizing moment for military leaders, representing a new defining threat of the next era of conflict. The official acknowledged that the drone threat is real and that protecting bases is a key part of their job.
The Pentagon is exploring ways to provide additional countermeasures to military bases, including hardening installations and rebuilding damaged ones. The military is also planning to build a new base in the continental US, with a focus on designing it to meet emerging threats from the ground up.
The new base, dubbed the "next great American base," will have defensive systems baked into its design and may include an underground component. The goal is for the base to be independently powered and able to operate during wartime, as part of the "Fortress America" initiative.
