- Unidentified drones were detected above Fort McNair army base in Washington
- The base houses Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth
- Multiple drones were spotted over the base on a single night within the past 10 days
A major security breach was reportedly detected at a high-profile army base in Washington amid the United States' war against Iran. US officials detected unidentified drones above Fort McNair base, where Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth live, according to a report by The Washington Post.
Fort Lesley J McNair houses the National Defence University and some of the Pentagon's most senior military officials. Recently, a growing number of Trump officials, including outgoing Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, have moved on to area bases.
It is conveniently located just approximately 2 miles (3.2 kilometres) from the White House and Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, but it reportedly does not have the same safety buffer as other bases in the capital region.
The report said that multiple drones were spotted over Fort McNair on a single night in the last 10 days, which prompted increased security measures and a meeting at the White House to discuss how to respond.
Sources told the US publication that after the drone sighting, officials discussed relocating Rubio and Hegseth from Fort McNair, as their quarters on the base were publicly reported by multiple outlets in October. However, the senior administration official said the secretaries haven't moved out of their homes yet.
It is yet to be determined where the drones came from, but in view of the potential threat, the military is monitoring potential threats more closely as the United States and Israel strike Iran, the report said.
Team Trump's Reaction
The Donald Trump administration has not issued any statement on the matter yet. The Pentagon's chief spokesman, Sean Parnell, also declined to discuss the issue and said, "The department cannot comment on the secretary's movements for security reasons, and reporting on such movements is grossly irresponsible."
The latest security breach in Washington comes days after the US issued a global security alert for overseas diplomatic posts and locked down several domestic bases because of threats.
MacDill Air Force Base, home to US Central Command, which is responsible for US military operations against Iran, was put under lockdown twice this week due to potential security threats. The FBI is now reportedly probing a suspicious package that closed the base's visitors' centre for hours Monday, and on Wednesday an unspecified security incident left the base under a shelter-in-place order for hours, the base said in a statement.
In recent years, several drone threats have surfaced surrounding Trump and other top officials after Iran sought revenge for the killing of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in US strikes in 2020. The situation gains much more gravity amid the Iran war, as Iranian leaders have sought revenge for the US strike that killed Iranian leaders, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and security chief Ali Larijani.
