Pentagon warns cheap drones threaten U.S. bases at home and abroad

A series of drone and missile attacks by Iran and Russia against U.S. facilities in the Middle East and Europe has led senior Pentagon officials to label the threat as a "seismic shift" in force posture. Damage to the Navy hub in Manama, Bahrain and the Combined Air Operations Center at Al Udeid, Qatar, has spurred a review of base hardening across the globe, including domestic sites. The department is now seeking advanced materials, camouflage, thermal-signature reduction and underground construction to improve survivability.

Counter-UAS programs such as Joint Interagency Task Force 401 are being expanded after incidents at Barksdale AFB and a German cargo airport. Meanwhile, leaked intelligence suggests Iran is escalating plots against U.S. diplomats, prompting the State Department to cut staff in several Gulf nations. Lawmakers have demanded transparency on the cost of rebuilding damaged outposts, which could run into tens of millions of dollars.