China has warned the U.S. that it is making "dangerous moves" by providing Taiwan with an additional $571 million in defense materials, which was authorized by President Biden on Saturday.
In addition to the $571 million approved by Biden, the U.S. Department of Defense announced Friday that $295 million in military sales had been approved for the self-ruled island of Taiwan.
The sales and assistance from the U.S. are intended to help Taiwan defend itself, and possibly deter China from launching an attack.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry released a statement urging the U.S. to stop arming Taiwan and to cease what it referred to as "dangerous moves that undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait," according to a report from The Associated Press.
Biden’s approved $571 million in military assistance includes DoD materials and services along with military education and training for Taiwan. The funds are in addition to another $567 million that the president approved for the same purposes in September.
The $295 million in military sales includes about $265 million for about 300 tactical radio systems and $30 million for 16 gun mounts.
Taiwan’s foreign ministry said in a post on X that the two sales reaffirmed the U.S. government’s "commitment to our defense."
Earlier this month, Taiwan defense officials raised concerns about a substantial deployment of Chinese naval ships and military planes, saying the build-up could eventually lead to war as tensions continue to rise in the region.
Officials said China had sent about a dozen ships and 47 military planes to regional waters around the Taiwan Strait, as the nation braced for military drills following Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te’s recent overseas trip that included visits to Hawaii and Guam, an American territory.
Lai, who has been in office since May, spoke with U.S. congressional leaders by phone while in Guam.
Lai’s visit came weeks after the U.S. approved a potential $2 billion arms sale package to Taiwan, including the delivery of an advanced air defense missile system battle tested in Ukraine and radar systems. The potential package included three National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) and related equipment valued at up to $1.16 billion, according to the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs.
The Chinese communist government has pledged to annex Taiwan, through military force if necessary, and sends ships and military planes near the island almost daily.
The U.S. has repeatedly signaled its support for Taiwan through military deals, operations and diplomatic interactions with Taiwanese officials.
Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces had conducted an airstrike that killed ISIS leader Abu Yusif in eastern Syria.
One other ISIS operative was also killed in the strike that occurred on Thursday, the agency said in a release on Friday morning.
"As stated before, the United States — working with allies and partners in the region — will not allow ISIS to take advantage of the current situation in Syria and reconstitute," CENTCOM Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla said. "ISIS has the intent to break out of detention the over 8,000 ISIS operatives currently being held in facilities in Syria."
"We will aggressively target these leaders and operatives, including those trying to conduct operations external to Syria," he said.
The agency said they carried out the targeted airstrike in the eastern province of Deir ez Zor in Syria, noting that it's part of their ongoing commitment to "disrupt and degrade efforts" by terrorists.
They said the area was previously controlled by the Syrian regime and Russian forces before the recent fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Al-Assad fled to Russia earlier this month and ended a nearly 14-year struggle to maintain power in his country.
Attacks by the Turkish military on Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have increased since the Syrian president fled to Russia on Dec. 8.
Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Ryder said that in light of the instability in the region, as well as al-Assad's departure, there are 2,000 U.S. troops deployed in Syria.
Fox News Digital's Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
"The substantial problems they have with corruption that have yet to be resolved certainly could slow them down on the path toward the 2027 capabilities development milestone and beyond," a senior US defense official said in a press briefing on December 16.
Li Gang/Xinhua via Getty Images
China wants to hit a military modernization milestone in 2027.
But China's ongoing crackdown on military corruption could disrupt its progress, says the Pentagon.
China suspended a top military official last month, a year after firing its last defense minister.
China's near-term military modernization goal could be bogged down by its corruption scandals, a senior US defense official said on Monday.
"The substantial problems they have with corruption that have yet to be resolved certainly could slow them down on the path toward the 2027 capabilities development milestone and beyond," the official told journalists during a press briefing.
A transcript of the briefing was published on Wednesday, the same day the Defense Department released its annual assessment on China's military capabilities.
According to the Pentagon's report, at least 15 high-ranking Chinese military officials and defense industry executives were removed from their positions between July and December 2023.
Last month, The Financial Times reported that defense minister Adm. Dong Jun was under investigation for graft, the third consecutive person in the role to be investigated. A defense ministry spokesperson denied the FT's report, calling it a "sheer fabrication."
Also last month, China's defense ministry said a senior military official, Adm. Miao Hua, was suspended and under investigation for "serious violations of discipline." The accusation usually refers to corruption.
The 69-year-old oversaw political indoctrination in the People's Liberation Army and served on the Central Military Commission. The six-person commission, chaired by China's leader, Xi Jinping, oversees China's armed forces.
Miao's suspension came just a year after China's last defense minister, Gen. Li Shangfu was fired. Li was in office for seven months before he was removed.
Li and his predecessor, Wei Fenghe, were eventually expelled from the Chinese Communist Party for alleged corruption in June. They were also stripped of their military ranks.
"In 2023, a new wave of corruption-related investigations and removals of senior leaders may have disrupted the PLA's progress toward stated 2027 modernization goals," the Pentagon's report said.
Earlier this year, US intelligence highlighted corruption effects including missiles filled with water and intercontinental ballistic missile silos sporting improperly functioning lids that could derail a missile launch.
US intelligence sources told Bloomberg in January that corruption was so severe in China's Rocket Force and the wider PLA that it would most likely force Xi to recalibrate whether Beijing can take on any major military action soon.
US officials believe that Xi wants China to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027. China first announced the modernization goal in October 2020. The 2027 milestone will coincide with the centennial of the PLA's founding.
"That doesn't mean that he's decided to invade in 2027 or any other year," CIA chief William J. Burns said in an interview with CBS in February 2023.
Representatives for China's defense and foreign ministries did not respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.
China continues to make more operational nuclear warheads.
Xinhua News Agency/Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images
China's nuclear arsenal now stands at 600 warheads, according to the Pentagon.
Its new estimate means Beijing is still tracking to reach 1,000 nukes by 2030.
It's not just about sheer quantity. The US says China is building a wide range of launch methods too.
China has been fielding over 600 operational nuclear warheads since mid-2024, up from about 500 last year, according to an estimate by the Pentagon.
That reported growth puts Beijing on track to hit 1,000 warheads by 2030, a prediction that US defense officials made in 2021.
Those findings come from the Defense Department's 2024 China Military Power Report, an annual summary of Beijing's capabilities and an assessment of its ambitions for its armed forces.
The Pentagon says China isn't just making more warheads — it's building a wide array of capabilities to launch them, too.
"When you look at what they're trying to build here, it's a diversified nuclear force that would be comprised of systems ranging from low yield, precision strike missiles, all the way up to ICBMs with different options at basically every rung on the escalation ladder," a senior defense official told reporters at a briefing on Monday.ICBMs refer to intercontinental ballistic missiles.
"Which is a lot different than what they've relied on traditionally," the official added.
China says it maintains a "no first-use" nuclear policy, meaning it will only ever deploy a nuke in retaliation for another nuclear strike.
But the US has been startled by what it says is a rapid build-up of Beijing's nuclear forces in the last few years. In 2020, the Pentagon thought that China had only 200 nukes and would have 400 by 2030.
The Defense Department's newer estimate of 1,000 warheads by 2030 would put China closer to being a peer threat to the US and Russia, the two behemoths of the Cold War.
A strategic treaty between the US and Russia limits their active arsenals to 1,550 warheads, though they are stockpiling thousands more.
"The PRC has not publicly or formally acknowledged or explained its nuclear expansion and modernization," the 2024 report said.
Advanced systems to counter US defenses
Meanwhile, a debate is raging in Washington about a need for the US to expand and explore more advanced nuke launch methods so it can maintain an edge over China.
The Pentagon's report for 2024 said Beijing is likely developing advanced missile systems "in part due to long-term concerns about United States missile defense capabilities."
These include hypersonic glide vehicles, which use the edge of Earth's upper atmosphere to fly incredibly fast, and fractional orbital bombardments, which launch weapons into orbital space to extend their range and flight time.
For the US, expanding on nuclear weapons will cost taxpayers, a point that arms control advocates often raise when asking for restraint. An already-approved program to modernize America's aging nuclear triad is expected to cost $1.5 trillion over the next 30 years.
The Chinese embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment sent outside regular business hours by Business Insider.
A US Army soldier uses a Dronebuster to neutralize an enemy drone during a training exercise in Indiana in February 2024.
US Army photo by Spc. Jonathan D. Vitale
The US military has confirmed recent drone activity around bases in New Jersey.
The Pentagon said this week that it sent counter-drone technology to two installations.
One of these systems has been identified as the Dronebuster, a hand-held electronic warfare tool.
The Pentagon is arming two military installations in New Jersey with counter-drone technology, giving them extra tools to better defend their airspace from any unauthorized drone incursions. One of the systems the Pentagon mentioned by name is the Dronebuster.
The US military confirmed drone sightings at Picatinny Arsenal and Naval Weapons Station Earle this month, as well as multiple sightings at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, with drones at one point forcing the base to close its airspace. A spokesperson for the Joint Staff said last weekend that drone activities over bases are not a new issue but criticized some of the recent incidents as "irresponsible."
Amid recent drone drama, there have been repeated calls to shoot down unidentified aircraft, particularly those near military bases.
The Pentagon said this week that "if a determination is made that unauthorized drones are conducting any malign or malicious activity, commanders are authorized to take appropriate action to mitigate and counter these unmanned systems," but the military is not going to be engaging anything kinetically, a spokesperson added, unless it is a "clear and present danger."
Military bases have some existing capabilities to deal with drone incursions, but the Pentagon acknowledged that sending more technology will help them mitigate potential threats.
Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said that the military is providing "active and passive detection capabilities" and "counter-drone capabilities" to Picatinny Arsenal and Naval Weapons Station Earle.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Ryder identified one of these tools as the Dronebuster, a newer piece of counter-drone tech that "employs non-kinetic means to interrupt drone signals" and affects the aircraft's ability to operate. Picatinny did not confirm any of the specific systems it is obtaining but said that it is "strengthening its counter-UAS capabilities to detect and mitigate drone incursions." BI was unable to reach Naval Weapons Station Earle.
A US Army soldier uses a Dronebuster to disrupt enemy drones during an exercise in Croatia in April 2023.
US Army photograph by Sgt. Mariah Y. Gonzalez
The Dronebuster device is a hand-held electronic warfare system developed by the American company Flex Force. When a user points the lightweight device that first came online in 2016 at a drone, the weapon emits a signal that cuts the connection between the drone and its operator. It's in use with various military services.
The US Army trains service members to counter drones using the Dronebuster in tandem with a Smart Shooter system — a rifle with a special optic that tracks the drone, calculates its trajectory, and tells the user when they have a good chance of hitting it with a bullet. BI observed this training firsthand at the Joint C-sUAS (Counter-small Unmanned Aircraft System) University, or JCU, which is a new US Army initiative based at Fort Sill.
Beyond the US military, security personnel and first responders can also use the Dronebuster as a portable jammer system when facing a threat. The radio frequency jammer has evolved over the years, becoming several times more powerful than the earlier models and more rugged for a range of counter-drone operations.
Ryder said that the device is "a methodology that we have that is able to essentially bring drones down non-kinetically should we need to do that."
For the military, maintaining a robust counter-drone capability is becoming essential as drone technology becomes more prolific. The low cost of these systems makes them readily available for hobbyists and malign actors alike. Terrorists and insurgencies have weaponized small drones in Middle East combat, and in the Ukraine war, cheap, off-the-shelf hobby-style drones easily bought for a few hundred dollars are engaging in everything from surveillance to precision strike.
Drone activity over and around US bases has long been an issue for the military and is not limited to the New Jersey and Ohio incidents.
In recent weeks, suspected drones have also been spotted at US bases overseas. Such activity presents a growing problem for the military, as drones can spy on its assets, like aircraft, or hazard its operations. As drone usage continues to proliferate, the Pentagon is seeking out ways to better its approach to countering unmanned systems.
"I think we've all recognized the fact that unmanned systems are here to stay," Ryder said this week. "They're a part of modern warfare, and whether it's here in the homeland or overseas, we want to make sure that we're doing due diligence to protect our forces and protect our equities from a national security standpoint."
It can be a challenge to respond stateside, though.
"When we're here in the homeland, the authorities that the US military has to detect and track these kinds of things is much different than it would be if we were in a combat zone. In other words, the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities that we can employ outside the United States are much different, for very good reasons," Ryder said.
The drone activity at Picatinny Arsenal and Naval Weapons Station Earle comes amid a flurry of reported drone sightings across the East Coast over the past few weeks. A range of federal agencies have determined that the sightings are not nefarious, despite speculation to the contrary, and include commercial drones, hobbyist drones, law enforcement drones, manned aircraft, helicopters, and even stars.
White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters Monday that "we have not identified anything anomalous or any national security or public safety risk over the civilian airspace in New Jersey or other states in the Northeast." The FBI, Homeland Security, and Department of Defense have argued the same.
EXCLUSIVE: A top Republican senator will accuse Meta – the parent company of Facebook – of "shadow banning" and removing social media posts in a letter Tuesday demanding answers from CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, the top Republican on the Small Business committee, will, in part, cite a 2022 Washington Post report on social media companies’ "deamplification" of certain Facebook and Instagram content.
The report discussed Meta’s response to "problematic content," which the executive at the time called "borderline" and argued must have reduced reach due to its proclivity to go viral.
"Your platform, amongst others, provides an unparalleled opportunity to connect the U.S. military with younger generations. That is why I am concerned about Meta’s ongoing shadow banning and removal of the U.S. Armed Services’ posts," Ernst wrote in the letter obtained exclusively by Fox News Digital.
"The defense of our nation is entirely dependent upon the voluntary enlistment of brave women and men willing to put their lives on the line so every American can freely speak their minds."
In remarks to Fox News Digital, Ernst said Americans’ freedoms are only possible through the all-volunteer armed services, which she previously served in.
"I am concerned Meta’s algorithms are hindering our investment in connecting with and recruiting the next generation of warfighters," she added.
"The service and sacrifice of the brave men and women in uniform should be celebrated, not restricted."
In her letter, Ernst accused Meta of sporadically adjusting its violations policies without "clear rationale" and cited reports to Congress showing an increase in content-restriction on military-related postings.
Embedding an image of an Instagram violation warning on one particular post, Ernst listed a handful of such reports and their loss of cyber "reach."
A six-hour suspension of a post on Feb. 29 resulted in the loss of 2,500 impressions and 500 engagements, while a similar situation on March 3 reduced a post’s reach by 5,000 impressions and 1,100 engagements.
Ten posts on the GoArmy social media account were flagged as violating guidelines over a three-day period in September, Ernst said, and the account was briefly put on "non-recommendable" status twice.
The senator said the Army’s public affairs office reported disruptions to several posts, including one featuring the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and one depicting soldiers onboard a helicopter.
In turn, Ernst asked Zuckerberg to lay out the guidelines used to mediate military-related content and how they are communicated to account holders.
She also asked for an explanation as to the apparent suppression of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier post, and actions taken thus far to prevent future shadow-bans that shouldn’t occur.
The lawmaker also demanded an estimate on the cost of the official Pentagon-sanctioned ads that were suppressed.
Elon Musk is the founder and CEO of SpaceX, a rocket company he started in 2002.
Anna Moneymaker via Getty Images
Elon Musk is the founder-CEO of rocket company SpaceX.
But Musk isn't privy to all of SpaceX's classified work with the US government, per the WSJ.
Musk obtained top-secret clearance in 2022.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's security clearance doesn't grant him complete access to the company's classified work with the US government.
Musk isn't allowed to enter SpaceX facilities where classified information is being deliberated upon, The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing people familiar with the matter.
The billionaire also isn't privy to the classified cargo SpaceX launches into space as part of the company's contracts with US national security agencies, per the outlet.
In October, Musk said at a Trump campaign event in Pennsylvania that he has "top-secret clearance" for his work at SpaceX.
Musk obtained his top-secret clearance in 2022, following a review process that took years, the Journal reported. SpaceX's lawyers had advised the company not to seek a higher security clearance for Musk because he would have to disclose details about his drug use and interactions with foreign nationals.
As for interactions with foreign nationals, Musk's business dealings have seen him meet with various foreign leaders over the years.
In April, Musk visited China, where he met with Premier Li Qiang, the country's second-highest-ranking politician. The two discussed the roll-out of Tesla's self-driving technology in China.
In October, the Journal reported that Musk has been in regular contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin since late 2022. In a statement, SpaceX said the Journal's story was "incredibly misleading" and based on "completely unsubstantiated claims."
Musk and Trump's relationship grows closer
Musk's clearance status might no longer be a problem for him, given his close relationship with President-elect Donald Trump.
Musk endorsed Trump and spent at least $119 billion on his campaign. In the past weeks, he has reportedly joined Trump on calls with world leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Musk founded SpaceX in 2002. It was valued at about $350 billion during the latest round of staff share purchases. Musk is currently worth an estimated $455 billion, per the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, making him the richest person in the world by a roughly $200 billion margin.
Representatives for Musk at SpaceX and the Defense Department did not respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.
President-elect Donald Trump is gearing up for his second White House term just weeks after the abrupt toppling of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria— a pivotal moment that could test Trump's long-held promises to end U.S. involvement in so-called "forever wars" in the Middle East or putting more American boots on the ground in these countries.
With roughly six weeks to go before he takes office, Trump does not appear to be backing down on his promises of pursuing a foreign policy agenda directed toward prioritizing issues at home and avoiding entanglements overseas.
However, Trump's promises about ending U.S. military commitments abroad could be tested in Syria, where conditions in the country are now vastly different from Trump's first term — creating a government seen as ripe for exploitation by other foreign powers, including governments or terrorist groups.
"This is not our fight. Let it play out. Do not get involved," Trump said on Truth Social over the weekend, as rebel-backed fighters advanced into Damascus, forcing Assad to flee to Moscow for safe haven.
Trump, for his part, has acknowledged the foreign policy situation he stands to inherit in 2025 could be more complex than he saw in his first term, especially in the Middle East.
It "certainly seems like the world is going a little crazy right now," Trump told leaders earlier this week in Paris, where he attended a grand reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral.
Here is a rundown of what Trump did in Syria in 2019 and how his actions could be insufficient today.
In Syria, the speed at which rebel forces successfully wrested back control of major cities and forced Assad to flee to Moscow for safe haven took many by surprise, including analysts and diplomats with years of experience in the region.
It is currently an "open question" who is currently in charge in Syria, White House National Security communications advisor John Kirby told reporters earlier this week.
However, the rebel-led group that ousted Assad is currently designated as a terrorist organization in the U.S., raising fresh uncertainty over whether Trump might see their rise to power as a threat to U.S. national security and whether he might move to position U.S. troops in response.
The conditions are also ripe for exploration by other governments and adversaries, which could seize on the many power vacuums created by the collapse of Assad's regime.
In the days following Assad's flight to Moscow, senior Biden administration officials stressed that the U.S. will act only in a supporting capacity, telling reporters, "We are not coming up with a blueprint from Washington for the future of Syria."
"This is written by Syrians. The fall of Assad was delivered by Syrians," the administration official said.
Still, this person added, "I think it’s very clear that the United States can provide a helping hand, and we are very much prepared to do so." It's unclear whether Trump will see the situation the same.
In October 2019, Trump announced the decision to withdraw U.S. troops from northeastern Syria, news that came under sharp criticism by some diplomats and foreign policy analysts, who cited fears that the decision risked destabilizing one of the only remaining stable parts of Syria and injecting further volatility and uncertainty into the war-torn nation.
However, at the time, that part of the country was stable. U.S. troops were stationed there alongside British and French troops, who worked alongside the Syrian Defense Force to protect against a resurgence of Islamic State activity. However, the situation is different now, something that Trump's team does not appear to be disputing, for its part.
Additionally, while seeking the presidency in 2024, Trump continued his "America first" posture that many believe helped him win the election in 2016 — vowing to crack down on border security, job creation, and U.S. oil and gas production, among other things — incoming Trump administration officials have stressed the degree to which they've worked alongside the Biden administration to ensure a smooth handover when it comes to geopolitical issues.
Unlike his first White House transition, Trump's preparations for a second presidential term have been remarkably detailed, efficient and policy oriented. That includes announcing nominations for most Cabinet positions and diplomats, and releasing policy blueprints for how the administration plans to govern over the next four years.
"For our adversaries out there that think this is a time of opportunity that they can play one administration off the other, they’re wrong, and we… we are hand in glove," Trump's pick for national security adviser, Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., told Fox News in an interview following Trump's election in November. "We are one team with the United States in this transition."
More than three weeks after dozens of mysterious drones began popping up in the New Jersey night sky, the public has still been offered no clear insight on what the phenomenon could be.
Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., suggested the swarms of unmanned aerial vehicles could be from an Iranian "mother ship."
The Pentagon shot down his idea.
"There is no Iranian ship off the coast of the United States, and there’s no so-called mother ship launching drones towards the United States," said Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh. She added there is "no evidence" to suggest the drones are "the work of a foreign adversary."
"We aren’t being told the truth," Van Drew responded Thursday on Fox News. "They are dealing with the American public like we’re stupid."
While the Pentagon maintains that the drones are not foreign, the FBI has admitted it is "concerned" about how little the agency knows about them.
Asked if Americans are "at risk," Robert Wheeler, FBI assistant director of the Critical Incident Response Group, told Congress: "There is nothing that is known that would lead me to say that, but we just don't know. And that's the concerning part."
In recent weeks, the drones have flown near sensitive sites, like a military research facility.
And if the drones aren’t foreign in origin, onlookers are left wondering why it’s taking U.S. agencies so long to figure out who is behind them.
"What I can say is a lot of our detection systems, means of tracking and understanding, are so vastly undersized and radically out of date," Doug Birkey, executive director of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, told Fox News Digital.
"So it would not surprise me that we could still be out of sync with this and not understand at the level we should," he added. "After the Cold War, the notion of air defense really took a back burner."
And Birkey remains unconvinced that the drones are not foreign in origin.
"I don't think we can speak declaratively about the source, but obviously they seem of a certain sophistication, size and set of behaviors that would suggest high potential of being from an adversary source," he said.
"I think they are either using them for intel, imagery, etc., but they can also just be testing us to see what our responses are, to then help inform their strategies and their concepts of operation."
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has insisted the drones do not pose a threat to public safety. The FBI is assisting local law enforcement in investigating and has called on the public for assistance through its tip line.
It’s far from the first time unidentified drones have been seen flying near U.S. military installations. Last year, drones hovered near Langley Air Force Base for over two weeks, and their origin has still not been revealed. Before that, a Chinese spy balloon traversed the U.S., traipsing near military installations, for a week before being shot down off the East Coast.
"There are seemingly few hard consequences [for the drones], and that is causing a very dangerous risk of escalation."
None of the New Jersey drones have been shot down or had their systems jammed by U.S. officials. The drones that hovered near Langley were not intercepted either.
"Whoever is flying these drones does not necessarily care about their relationship with Federal Aviation Administration, the FAA, because clearly they’re breaking almost every rule the FAA has in place for safe drone flying," said Pramod Abichandani, associate professor at NJIT’s School of Applied Engineering and a drone expert.
"These drones are flying at night, over populated areas, flying around in a group, whether they’re being programmed as a swarm of drones or not," he said. "All of those things are not permitted freely by the FAA."
In military settings, officers use "swarms" of drones to attack enemies to make it harder for them to shoot the drones down.
The drones are "six feet in diameter," fly in a coordinated way with their lights off and "appear to avoid detection by traditional methods," according to New Jersey state Rep. Dawn Fantasia, who relayed a briefing given by law enforcement.
The drones were first spotted on Nov. 18, and have been spotted every night since, flying from dusk to about 11 p.m. Reports have ranged from four to 180 sightings per night.
"We know nothing. Period. To state that there is no known or credible threat is incredibly misleading, and I informed all officials of that sentiment," she said.
"At this point, I believe military intervention is the only path forward. There will be no answers in the absence of proactivity."
U.S. Northern Command, the military command center in charge of defending the U.S. homeland, said it had not yet been asked to step in and help.
"We are aware and monitoring the reports of unauthorized drone flights in the vicinity of military installations in New Jersey, to include Picatinny Arsenal and Naval Weapons Station Earle, and we refer you to those installations for information on any efforts they may be conducting to ensure the safety and security of their personnel and operations," a U.S. Nothern Command spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
The GOP-controlled House of Representatives passed its annual defense spending bill Wednesday, including a key culture-war caveat: a ban on transgender medical treatments for minor children of U.S. service members.
The provision in the 1,800-page bill states that "medical interventions for the treatment of gender dysphoria that could result in sterilization may not be provided to a child under the age of 18," referring to the transgender children of military personnel.
Republicans argued that taxpayer dollars should not fund potentially experimental and harmful procedures for minors.
House Speaker Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., praised the passage of the defense measure, though it now heads to the Senate for approval in the Democrat-run chamber.
"Our men and women in uniform should know their first obligation is protecting our nation, not woke ideology," Johnson said in a statement after the measure passed.
While the provision was a win for Republicans that could further push President-Elect Donald Trump's policy agenda, the measure did not incorporate several other Republican-backed provisions related to social issues. Notably absent were efforts to ban TRICARE, the military's health program, from covering transgender treatments for adults and a proposal to overturn the Pentagon's hotly-debated policy of reimbursing travel expenses for service members seeking abortions stationed in states where the procedure is restricted.
Democrats were largely outraged by the provision to strip TRICARE from service members' transgender children, with the House Armed Services Committee’s top Democrat, Rep. Adam Smith, vowing to vote against the bill on Tuesday despite helping on other portions of the package. Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., did not advise his party members to vote for or against it.
The measure also drew the ire of the United Nations' Human Rights Council (HRC), which called it an "attack" on military families.
"This cruel and hateful bill suddenly strips away access to medical care for families that members of our armed forces are counting on, and it could force service members to choose between staying in the military or providing health care for their children," HRC President Kelley Robinson said in a statement.
The Senate's response to the transgender treatment provision will be pivotal in determining the final content of the defense policy for the upcoming fiscal year. If it passes, it would align with Trump's criticisms of the military's "woke" policies.
The Supreme Court also heard oral arguments last week for a first-of-its-kind case involving Tennessee's ban on transgender medical procedures for minors, which could place further restrictions on the procedures.
The $884 billion National Defense Authorization Act, which sets policies for the Defense Department, was passed in a 281-140 vote, with 124 Democrats and 16 Republicans voting against it.
Other provisions also place limits on diversity, equity and inclusion-based recruitment and the teaching of critical race theory in military-run schools. Other policies include a 14.5% pay boost for junior enlisted troops, expanded child care access and enhanced job assistance for military spouses, reflecting a year of bipartisan focus on addressing record recruitment struggles.
Fox News Digital's Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters on Wednesday that there is no 'so-called mothership launching drones toward the United States.'
Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
The Pentagon denied the claim that drones hovering over New Jersey were from an Iranian mothership.
Rep. Jeff Van Drew made the claim to Fox News on Wednesday, citing "very qualified" sources.
Federal, state, and local officials have been probing unexplained drone activity over the state.
The mysterious drones spotted hovering over New Jersey did not come from an "Iranian mothership," according to the Pentagon.
The statement was issued after dozens of drones were spotted across sensitive military locations across New Jersey.
Drones have also been seen over President-elect Donald Trump's New Jersey golf course.
Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew told Fox News on Wednesday that "very qualified" and "reliable" sources had indicated they came from an "Iranian mothership" in the Atlantic.
"They've launched drones into everything that we can see or hear," Van Drew said, adding that the drones should be "shot down."
Van Drew sits on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Aviation Subcommittee.
However, at a press briefing on Wednesday, Sabrina Singh, the Pentagon's deputy press secretary, said: "There is not any truth to that."
"There is no Iranian ship off the coast of the United States, and there's no so-called mothership launching drones toward the United States," she said, adding that at this time, there is no evidence that these activities are coming from a "foreign entity or the work of an adversary."
The state police said on November 19 that officers had witnessed "drone activity" the night before over Morris County after rumors were "spreading on social media."
The officers' sightings prompted the FBI to open an investigation and the Federal Aviation Administration to impose flight restrictions.
Last week, Phil Murphy, governor of New Jersey, said he convened a briefing with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and senior officials from the DHS, the state's Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, and the state's police to discuss reported drone activity.
On Monday, he told reporters they didn't have answers about where the drones were coming from or what they were doing but that he took the sightings "deadly seriously."
He said that 49 drone sightings were reported on Sunday alone, but the DHS, the FBI, the Secret Service, the state police, and authorities at all levels of government didn't have any concerns for public safety.
However, on Wednesday, Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia dismissed the claim that there is no known or credible threat as "incredibly misleading."
In an X post, Fantasia described the drones as six feet large in diameter, operating in a coordinated manner, with lights turned off, appearing to avoid detection by traditional methods, and not identified as hobbyist drones or related to DHS.
"At this point, I believe military intervention is the only path forward," she said, adding: "There will be no answers in the absence of proactivity."
More than 20 mayors across New Jersey signed a letter on Monday calling for "transparency" about the investigations.
"Either higher-level officials know what's going on and are not concerned, or they are negligent for not apprehending and identifying one of these drones," they wrote, per reports.
The FAA told BI that it continues to support interagency partners to assess the situation and the reported sightings.
The FBI, the New Jersey State Police, and the Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness didn't immediately respond to requests for comments from Business Insider.
EXCLUSIVE: A Marine lieutenant colonel from Ohio who publicly spoke out against the Afghanistan withdrawal will lead rank-and-file service members door-to-door in the Senate next week in support of defense nominee Pete Hegseth.
Stuart Scheller, who was imprisoned in a Jacksonville, N.C., brig for his public criticisms of military brass, told Fox News Digital Wednesday he is organizing enlisted men and women to engage with senators next Wednesday.
Scheller stressed that service members who are participating are not prominent fellows at think tanks or in any governmental or related seats of power.
"Pete has made public comments that he wants to move to a meritocracy, and he believes that we need more courage in the ranks. So, I'm not saying that I wouldn't have been reprimanded [if he was secretary]," Scheller said.
"I still think there probably was some reprimand that needed to happen, but it would go across the board.
"The difference is, if Pete was the secretary of defense, the general officers would have also been held accountable [for the botched withdrawal], and I would not have had to go to the lengths that I had to go to bring attention to the situation."
Scheller said that, in the last decade or two, the U.S. military is "not winning anything, and we need to turn it into a winning organization."
Scheller said Hegseth has planned to hold accountable Pentagon leaders who have "become stagnant" in the lieutenant colonel’s words.
He also stressed that Hegseth is the first Pentagon nominee in decades who is not from the officer corps or defense contracting firms.
Outgoing Secretary Lloyd Austin III is a retired CENTCOM general but also came from the board of Raytheon.
"Forty years to become a four-star general really removes you from the forces," Scheller said of the past several officer-corps secretary choices overall.
"Pete’s middle management — a major. I mean, he’s like the perfect guy ... and he's been sitting here talking to veterans when he was developing his book, trying to understand their pulse and the heartbeat. So, that book that he wrote probably prepared him in terms of the current culture and sentiment and frustrations more than any other secretary of defense."
As for his plans for the Hill next week, Scheller said he and fellow service members are focused on those who may appear to be on the fence about Hegseth.
"I'm looking for more [of] the right people than the total quantity," he said.
Scheller will also release a video announcing his Wednesday mission.
"[Hegseth] is a combat veteran from our generation and … he’s not a puppet for the military industrial complex. He's not going to end up on one of their boards like every general officer of our generation," Scheller says in the video.
"I'm going to be in Washington, D.C., walking through the halls of the U.S. Senate, talking to all the U.S. senators, advocating for peace."
FIRST ON FOX - More than 30 House Republicans who are military veterans are expressing their "strong support" for Pete Hegseth, President-elect Trump's nominee for Defense Secretary.
In a letter to Republican Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, the incoming Senate majority leader, and Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer, the current majority leader, the House GOP lawmakers "call on the Senate to honor its constitutional duty of advice and consent by conducting a fair, thorough confirmation process."
The letter, shared first with Fox News on Wednesday, was written by Rep. August Pfluger of Texas. He urges that senators evaluate Hegseth's nomination "solely on its substantive merits— his distinguished military service, academic credentials, and a bold vision for revitalizing our national defense."
Hegseth, an Army National Guard officer who deployed to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and who until last month was a longtime Fox News host, has been the focus of a slew of reports spotlighting a series of drinking and sexual misconduct allegations, as well as a report alleging he mismanaged a veterans nonprofit organization that he once led.
Trump's defense secretary nominee has denied allegations that he mistreated women but did reach a financial settlement with an accuser from a 2017 incident to avoid a lawsuit. He has vowed that he won't drink "a drop of alcohol" if confirmed as defense secretary.
While Hegseth's confirmation is still far from a sure bet, a very public pronouncement of support from Trump late last week, behind-the-scenes efforts by Vice President-elect Sen. JD Vance to persuade his GOP Senate colleagues to support the nominee, and Hegseth's own determination, seem to have resuscitated a nomination that appeared to be teetering last week.
Pfluger, in the letter, emphasizes that Hegseth's "ability to communicate across institutional landscapes—with military leadership, congressional representatives, and frontline troops—will set him apart. His media expertise and transparent communication style will be crucial in executing a clear vision that cuts through bureaucratic inertia."
"Mr. Hegseth represents the strategic reset our defense infrastructure requires: an unorthodox yet qualified leader who can streamline the defense bureaucracy, accelerate modernization, and ensure America remains the world's most formidable military power," Pfluger argues.
Pfluger, an Air Force Academy graduate who served as a pilot on active duty for two decades and flew combat missions in Iraq and Syria. He later served on the National Security Council during Trump's first term in office before winning election in 2020 to the House in Texas' 11th Congressional District.
The letter is co-signed by Rep. Michael Waltz of Florida - Trump's pick to serve as his national security adviser in his second administration. Waltz, a colonel in the National Guard, received four Bronze Stars while serving in the Special Forces during multiple combat tours in Afghanistan, the Middle East, and Africa. In 2018, he became the first "Green Beret" elected to Congress.
The fellow veterans putting their signatures on the letter are - in alphabetical order - Republican Reps. Mike Bost of Illinois, Andrew Clyde of Georgia, Elijah Crane of Arizona, Jake Ellzey of Texas, Scott Fitzgerald of Wisconsin, Scott Franklin of Florida, Mark Green of Tennessee, Clay Higgins of Louisiana, Wesley Hunt of Texas, Ronny Jackson of Texas, Trent Kelly of Mississippi, Nick LaLota of New York, Barry Loudermilk of Georgia, Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, Morgan Luttrell of Texas, Brian Mast of Florida, Richard McCormick of Georgia, Max Miller of Ohio, Cory Mills of Florida, Barry Moore of Alabama, Troy Nehls of Texas, Zach Nunn of Iowa, Guy Reschenthaler of Pennsylvania, Keith Self of Texas, Greg Steube of Florida, William Timmons of South Carolina, Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin, Brandon Williams of New York, Ryan Zinke of Montana, and Dan Crenshaw of Texas.
The House is set to vote Wednesday on its must-pass yearly defense bill that would give junior enlisted troops a significant pay bump and work to eliminate DEI programs at the Pentagon.
The 1,800-page bill known as the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), details how $895.2 billion allocated toward defense and national security will be spent. It will be voted on more than two months after the start of the fiscal year.
The $895.2 billion represents a 1% increase over last year’s budget, a smaller number than some defense hawks would have liked.
A significant portion of the legislation focused on quality-of-life improvements for service members amid record recruitment issues, a focus of much bipartisan discussion over the last year. That includes a 14.5% pay increase for junior enlisted troops and increasing access to child care for service members while also providing job support to military spouses.
The measure authorizes a 4.5% across-the-board pay raise for all service members starting Jan. 1.
The NDAA typically enjoys wide bipartisan support, but this year’s focus on eliminating "woke" policies could be hard for Democrats to stomach.
The policy proposal to prohibit Tricare, the military's health care provider, from covering transgender services for the minor dependents of service members has raised concerns, prompting the leading Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, to reconsider his support for the bill.
"Blanketly denying health care to people who clearly need it, just because of a biased notion against transgender people, is wrong," he said in a statement. "This provision injected a level of partisanship not traditionally seen in defense bills."
The goal of that provision is to prevent any "medical interventions that could result in sterilization" of minors.
Other provisions, like a blanket ban on funding for gender transition surgeries for adults, did not make their way into the bill, neither did a ban on requiring masks to prevent the spread of diseases.
The bill also supports deploying the National Guard to the southern border to help with illegal immigrant apprehensions and drug flow.
Another provision opens the door to allowing airmen and Space Force personnel to grow facial hair; it directs the secretary of the Air Force to brief lawmakers on "the feasibility and advisability" of establishing a pilot program to test out allowing beards.
Democrats are also upset the bill did not include a provision expanding access to IVF for service members. Currently, military health care only covers IVF for troops whose infertility is linked to service-related illness or injury.
But the bill did not include an amendment to walk back a provision allowing the Pentagon to reimburse service members who have to travel out of state to get an abortion.
The bill extends a hiring freeze on DEI-related roles and stops all such recruitment until "an investigation of the Pentagon’s DEI programs" can be completed.
It also bans the Defense Department from contracting with advertising companies "that blacklist conservative news sources," according to an internal GOP memo.
The memo said the NDAA also guts funding for the Biden administration’s "Countering Extremist Activity Working Group" dedicated to rooting out extremism in the military’s ranks. The annual defense policy bill also does not authorize "any climate change programs" and prohibits the Pentagon from issuing climate impact-based guidance on weapons systems.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., touted $31 billion in savings in the legislation that would come from cutting "inefficient programs, obsolete weapons, and bloated Pentagon bureaucracy."
The compromise NDAA bill, negotiated between Republican and Democrat leadership, sets policy for the nation's largest government agency, but a separate defense spending bill must be passed to allocate funds for such programs.
As Pete Hegseth, President-elect Trump's defense secretary nominee, returns to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to meet with more Republican senators, his once apparently teetering nomination now seems to be on much firmer ground.
While Hegseth's confirmation is still far from a sure bet, a very public pronouncement of support from Trump, behind-the-scenes efforts by Vice President-elect Sen. JD Vance, and Hegseth's own determination seem to have resuscitated a nomination that appeared to be headed toward life support.
"We look forward to earning these confirmation votes," a confident Hegseth said Monday night in an interview on Fox News' "Hannity."
In the wake of former Rep. Matt Gaetz, the president-elect's first attorney general nominee, ending his confirmation bid amid controversy, there has been a full-court press by Trump's political orbit to bolster Hegseth in order to protect him and other controversial Cabinet picks.
"If Trump world allowed a couple of establishment senators to veto a second nominee, it would have led to a feeding frenzy on Trump's other nominees, and so the thinking in Trump world was we have to defend Pete not just for the sake of defending Pete, but also for the sake of defending our other nominees," a longtime Trump world adviser, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely, told Fox News.
Hegseth, an Army National Guard officer who deployed to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and who until last month was a longtime Fox News host, has been the focus of a slew of reports spotlighting a series of drinking and sexual misconduct allegations, as well as a report alleging he mismanaged a veterans nonprofit organization that he once led.
Hegseth has denied allegations that he mistreated women but did reach a financial settlement with an accuser from a 2017 incident to avoid a lawsuit. He has vowed that he won't drink "a drop of alcohol" if confirmed as defense secretary.
Trump's defense secretary nominee was interviewed hours after meeting a second time with Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, the first female combat veteran elected to the Senate and a member of the Armed Services Committee, which will hold Hegseth's confirmation hearings.
Ernst, a conservative lawmaker first elected to the Senate in 2014, is considered a pivotal vote in the confirmation battle over Hegseth, who in the past has questioned the role of women in combat.
The senator is also a survivor of sexual assault who has a strong legislative record of addressing sexual assault and harassment in the military.
After meeting with Hegseth, Ernst wrote in a statement Monday that "as I support Pete through this process, I look forward to a fair hearing based on truth, not anonymous sources."
Ernst emphasized that "following our encouraging conversations, Pete committed to completing a full audit of the Pentagon and selecting a senior official who will uphold the roles and value of our servicemen and women – based on quality and standards, not quotas – and who will prioritize and strengthen my work to prevent sexual assault within the ranks."
Hegseth, speaking with Fox News' Sean Hannity, noted that "it was a great meeting. People don't really know this. I've known Sen. Ernst for over 10 years.
"You get into these meetings, and you listen to senators – it's an amazing advise and consent process – and you hear how thoughtful, serious, substantive they are on these key issues that pertain to our Defense Department," he continued. "And Joni Ernst is front and center on that. So to be able to have phone calls and meetings time and time again to talk over the issues is really, really important. The fact that she's willing to support me through this process means a lot."
Last week, after her first meeting with Hegseth, Ernst said in a social media post that she and Trump's defense secretary nominee had a "frank and thorough" conversation.
A day later, when asked in an interview on Fox News' "America's Newsroom" if she wasn't ready to vote to confirm Hegseth, the senator replied, "I think you are right."
Even Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a longtime Trump ally in the Senate, was expressing serious concerns about Hegseth's nomination.
Fox News and other news organizations late last week reported that Trump was potentially considering nominating Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as defense secretary as a possible replacement should Hegseth's nomination falter.
But on Friday, Trump took to social media to praise Hegseth.
"Hegseth is doing very well. His support is strong and deep, much more so than the Fake News," the president-elect wrote. And he praised Hegseth in a high-profile network TV interview over this past weekend.
Vance, who remains a senator from Ohio until he steps down to assume the vice presidency, has been working behind the scenes to consolidate support for Hegseth among his Republican colleagues in the Senate.
"It's fair to say that JD has been Pete's biggest champion internally in Trump world and has spent a lot of time over the last two weeks helping shore up support for Pete among his colleagues in the Senate," a source in Vance's political orbit told Fox News.
Meanwhile, Trump's political team and allies – fueled by grassroots support for Hegseth – turned up the volume.
"There will be no resource that we won’t use to go after those U.S. senators that vote against Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks or his other nominees," longtime Trump outside adviser Corey Lewandowski told Fox News.
Donald Trump Jr., the president-elect's oldest son and MAGA powerhouse, took to social media to target wavering Republican senators.
"If you’re a GOP Senator who voted for Lloyd Austin [President Biden's defense secretary], but criticize @PeteHegseth, then maybe you’re in the wrong political party!" Don Trump Jr. wrote in a social media post.
MAGA allies quickly targeted Ernst, with talk of a primary challenge when the senator faces re-election in 2026.
"This is the red line. This is not a joke.… The funding is already being put together. Donors are calling like crazy. Primaries are going to be launched," said Charlie Kirk, an influential conservative activist and radio and TV host who co-founded and steers Turning Point USA.
Kirk, on his radio program, warned that "if you support the president’s agenda, you’re good. You’re marked safe from a primary. You go up against Pete Hegseth, the president repeatedly, then don’t be surprised, Joni Ernst, if all of a sudden you have a primary challenge in Iowa."
State Attorney General Brenna Bird, a top Trump supporter in last January's Iowa presidential caucuses, wrote a column on Breitbart urging Hegseth's confirmation.
While she didn't mention Ernst by name, Bird took aim at "D.C. politicians" who "think they can ignore the voices of their constituents and entertain smears from the same outlets that have pushed out lies for years."
And longtime Iowa-based conservative commentator and media personality Steve Deace took to social media and used his radio program to highlight that he would consider launching a primary challenge against Ernst.
Deace, who supported DeSantis in the Iowa caucuses, said, "I am willing to primary her for the good of the cause if I'm assured I have Trump's support going in. Or I am willing to throw my support and network behind someone else President Trump prefers to primary Joni Ernst instead."
Also helping Hegseth is his defiance.
Hegseth told reporters on Thursday that "this will not be a process tried in the media. I don’t answer to anyone in this group. None of you, not to that camera at all. I answer to President Trump, who received 76 million votes on behalf... and a mandate for change. I answer to the 100 senators who are part of this process and those in the committee. And I answer to my Lord and Savior and my wife and my family."
And on Fox News' "Hannity," Hegseth charged that "the left is trying to turn this into a trial in the media, a show trial. And we're not going to let that happen."
Fox News' Emma Colton, Cameron Cawthorne, Tyler Olson, and Chad Pergram contributed to this story
Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, the first female combat veteran elected to the Senate and a member of the Armed Services Committee, has signaled toward supporting President-elect Trump's nominee for defense secretary.
After meeting on Monday for a second time with Pete Hegseth, Ernst wrote in a statement that "as I support Pete through this process, I look forward to a fair hearing based on truth, not anonymous sources."
An Army National Guard officer who deployed to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and who until last month was a longtime Fox News host, Hegseth has been the focus of a slew of reports spotlighting a series of drinking and sexual misconduct allegations.
Hegseth has denied allegations that he mistreated women and has vowed that he won't drink "a drop of alcohol" if confirmed as defense secretary. A separate report showcased allegations Hegseth mismanaged a veterans nonprofit organization that he once led.
Ernst, a conservative lawmaker first elected to the Senate in 2014, is considered a pivotal vote in the confirmation battle over Hegseth, who in the past has questioned the role of women in combat.
The senator is also a survivor of sexual assault who has a strong legislative record of addressing sexual assault and harassment in the military.
She said in her statement that "following our encouraging conversations, Pete committed to completing a full audit of the Pentagon and selecting a senior official who will uphold the roles and value of our servicemen and women – based on quality and standards, not quotas – and who will prioritize and strengthen my work to prevent sexual assault within the ranks."
Ernst's office told Fox News on Monday that "the senator has consistently followed the process, which she has said since the beginning, and doing her job as a United States senator."
After meeting with Hegseth last week, Ernst said in a social media post that she and Trump's defense secretary nominee had a "frank and thorough" conversation.
A day later, when asked in an interview on Fox News' "America's Newsroom" if she wasn't ready to vote to confirm Hegseth, the senator replied, "I think you are right."
Ahead of his second meeting with the senator, Hegseth told Fox News' Aishah Hasnie, "I'm really looking forward to meeting with Sen. Ernst. I appreciate her. I respect her background and her service. She's incredible. And the ongoing conversation has been very fruitful."
Over the past few days, a high-profile Trump ally has threatened to fuel a primary challenge against Ernst when she's up for re-election in 2026.
"This is the red line. This is not a joke. … The funding is already being put together. Donors are calling like crazy. Primaries are going to be launched," said Charlie Kirk, an influential conservative activist and radio and TV host who co-founded and steers Turning Point USA.
Kirk, on his radio program, warned that "if you support the president’s agenda, you’re good. You’re marked safe from a primary. You go up against Pete Hegseth, the president repeatedly, then don’t be surprised, Joni Ernst, if all of a sudden you have a primary challenge in Iowa."
In Iowa, conservative commentator and media personality Steve Deace took to social media and used his radio program to highlight that he would consider launching a primary challenge against Ernst.
"Defeating an incumbent US Senator takes high name ID, connections, and funding potential," Deace wrote. "I'm one of the few people in Iowa with all three."
Deace, who supported Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in this year's Iowa GOP presidential caucus, said, "I don't want to be a Senator, but I am willing to primary her for the good of the cause if I'm assured I have Trump's support going in. Or I am willing to throw my support and network behind someone else President Trump prefers to primary Joni Ernst instead."
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird, a top Trump supporter in the Iowa caucuses, wrote a column on Breitbart urging Hegseth's confirmation.
While she didn't mention Ernst by name, Bird took aim at "D.C. politicians" who "think they can ignore the voices of their constituents and entertain smears from the same outlets that have pushed out lies for years."
David Kochel, a veteran GOP consultant who was a key strategist and early backer of Ernst during her successful 2014 Senate campaign, told Fox News that "Joni Ernst is doing what the Constitution says what her job is, which is advise and consent."
"I think that everybody should just give her the space to do her job, and making threats to a combat veteran usually doesn't work out great," Kochel said.
Trump has praised Hegseth in the past few days.
"Hegseth is doing very well. His support is strong and deep, much more so than the Fake News," the president-elect wrote on Friday.
But Fox News and other news organizations have reported that Trump is potentially considering nominating DeSantis as defense secretary as a possible replacement should Hegseth's nomination falter.
Ernst's name has also come up as a possible replacement.
But the senator said last week in an interview with RealClearPolitics that "I am not seeking to be secretary of defense."
Fox News' Chad Pergram, Tyler Olson and Julia Johnson contributed to this report.
The Pentagon unveiled a new counter-drone strategy after a spate of incursions near U.S. bases prompted concerns over a lack of an action plan for the increasing threat of unmanned aerial vehicles.
Though much of the strategy remains classified, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will implement a new counter-drone office within the Pentagon – Joint Counter-Small UAS Office – and a new Warfighter Senior Integration Group, according to a new memo.
The Pentagon will also begin work on a second Replicator initiative, but it will be up to the incoming Trump administration to decide whether to fund this plan. The first Replicator initiative worked to field inexpensive, dispensable drones to thwart drone attacks by adversarial groups across the Middle East and elsewhere.
The memo warned that the increased use of unmanned systems must reshape U.S. tactics, as they make it easier for adversaries to "surveil, disrupt and attack our forces … potentially without attribution."
The plan outlines a five-pronged approach: deepening understanding of enemy drones, launching offensive campaigns to thwart their ability to build such systems, improving "active and passive" defenses to such attacks, rapid increase of production of counter-drone systems and making counter-drone focus a top priority for future force development.
For the past year, Iran-backed Houthi rebels have been using small, one-way unmanned aerial systems to strike western shipping routes in the Red Sea.
That has led to perilous waters along a trade route that typically sees some $1 trillion in goods pass through it, as well as shipments of aid to war-torn Sudan and the Yemeni people.
Additionally, the cost of U.S. response to such attacks is disproportionate. While the Houthi drones are estimated to cost around $2,000 each, the naval missiles the U.S. fires back can run around $2 million a shot.
In September, Houthis took out two U.S. Reaper drones in a week, machinery that costs around $30 million a piece.
Deadly drone strikes have also been launched by both sides in Russia's war on Ukraine.
"Unmanned systems pose both an urgent and enduring threat to U.S. personnel, facilities, and assets overseas," the Pentagon said in a statement on Thursday announcing the strategy.
"By producing a singular Strategy for Countering Unmanned Systems, the Secretary and the Department are orienting around a common understanding of the challenge and a shared approach to addressing it."
Three U.S. service members were killed in a drone strike in January in Jordan. Experts warned the U.S. lacks a clear counter-drone procedure after 17 unmanned vehicles traipsed into restricted airspace over Langley Air Force Base in Virginia last December.
The mystery drones swarmed for more than two weeks. Lack of a standard protocol for such incursions left Langley officials unsure of what to do – other than allow the 20-foot-long drones to hover near their classified facilities.
Langley is home to some of the nation’s most vital top secret facilities and the F-22 Raptor stealth fighters.
Two months prior to Langley, in October 2023, five drones flew over the Energy Department’s Nevada National Security Site, used for nuclear weapons experiments. U.S. authorities were not sure who was behind those drones either.
The Air Force’s Plant 42 in California, home to highly classified aerospace development, has also seen a slew of unidentified drone incursions in 2024, prompting flight restrictions around the facility.
EXCLUSIVE: A growing number of prominent veterans are signing onto an open letter endorsing Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth as he battles back allegations that may stymie his confirmation.
The Heritage Foundation began collecting the signatures on Thursday and garnered more than 74 in that short time, a foundation official told Fox News Digital.
"As military veterans and patriotic Americans, we are pleased to see an outstanding veteran nominated to lead the Department of Defense," the letter begins.
"Hegseth is a decorated combat veteran who served as an Infantry Officer in the Army National Guard, deploying overseas to combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan, earning two Bronze Stars and a Combat Infantryman Badge."
The veterans state that Hegseth has "worked tirelessly" to support U.S. troops and that his experience and drive will lead him in rebuilding the military back to a "fighting force . . . capable of defending the national security interests of the American people."
They cite Hegseth’s long-held stance on "depoliticizing" the military and his rebuttals of "DEI"-type policies and other "toxic ideologies" they claim have been foisted upon troops in recent years.
"Ending wokeness is just the start. The Pentagon is also bloated with bureaucracy and waste. The defense industrial base is failing to deliver," the veterans wrote.
"Cost overruns and delays have become the norm. The Department of Defense needs a Secretary of Defense willing to confront both the entrenched bureaucracy and the defense industry and force them to deliver the ships, planes, and munitions our troops need to confront America’s adversaries."
Dan Caldwell is a veteran of the Marine Corps and Camp David security force who, along with his fellow adviser at the Center for Renewing America, three-time-deployed Marine Joseph Wade Miller, signed onto the letter.
They join at least 40 other prominent veterans in supporting Hegseth’s nomination, as the former "Fox & Friends Weekend" co-host faces allegations surrounding alcohol abuse and mistreatment of women.
Eddie Gallagher, of the Pipe Hitters Foundation, also signed the letter. Gallagher launched the veteran defense-focused nonprofit after being found not guilty in a war crimes trial.
James Jay Carafano, Rob Greenway, Wilson Beaver, Steve Bucci and Jeremy Hayes, all decorated military veterans who are advisers to, or fellows at, the Heritage Foundation, signed onto the missive.
The letter also calls out the previous administration's inability to secure the southern border and restore peace in Eurasia.
"Pete Hegseth shares these priorities and is ready to execute the Commander in Chief’s agenda on day one. As proud American veterans, we stand with him and the President in this historic endeavor," they write.
Kevin Roberts, the president of Heritage, called Hegseth the "right kind of fighter for America" and a person who is ready to "clean up" the Pentagon.
"At a time when bloat and woke initiatives detract from the core warfighting mission of our armed forces, we need a secretary like Pete who has both served in combat and advocated for veterans on Capitol Hill," Roberts said separately from the letter.
Victoria Coates, a former adviser on national security to both Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said Hegseth would be "a literal breath of fresh air in the musty halls of the Pentagon."
On Thursday, Hegseth said he refused to back down from a fight as his nomination remains in limbo amid drinking and sexual misconduct allegations. He has denied any wrongdoing.
"We've had great conversations, about who I am and what I believe," Hegseth said of his meetings with senators. "And, frankly, the man I am today, because of my faith in my lord and savior Jesus Christ and my wife, Jenny, right here, I'm a different man than I was years ago."
That exchange followed the leak of a critical letter that Hegseth’s mother, Penelope, wrote to him years ago about his relationships with women. However, Penelope Hegseth told Fox News on Wednesday that she had written the email in an impassioned moment and later apologized for it.
Multiple sources reported to Fox News that Trump is considering his former primary opponent, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis – a retired Navy lieutenant commander – for the top Pentagon spot in case Hegseth falters.
Fox News’ Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
A contractor hand-launches a drone at a counter-UAV training site in California in January 2020.
US Army photo by PFC Gower Liu, 11th ACR Public Affairs
The Pentagon has released a new strategy to combat the growing threat of drones.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that drones are threatening US forces and changing warfare.
The military sketched out some of the ways that it will approach this threat in the future.
The US military is increasingly realizing that drones are a substantial problem it's going to need an answer for.
The Pentagon has developed a new counter-drone strategy to address the growing threat that drones pose to US forces at home and abroad, from mysterious uncrewed systems troublingly hanging around American bases to one-way attack drones killing US military personnel overseas.
"In recent years, adversary unmanned systems have evolved rapidly," Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in a statement as the Department of Defense rolled out the strategy Thursday. "These cheap systems are increasingly changing the battlefield, threatening US installations, and wounding or killing our troops."
The new strategy reflects the Pentagon's evolving approach to the increasing drone challenge and offers a plan for the military to defeat the threat, building on some existing initiatives.
What is the drone problem?
Drones have played a prominent role in the Ukraine war and throughout the ongoing Middle East conflicts. One-way attack drones have been fired repeatedly at US forces stationed in the region over the past year; one serious incident in Jordan killed three American troops and wounded dozens more.
In conflicts around the world, drones are being used for intelligence and reconnaissance, improved firing solutions, bombing missions, precision strikes, naval warfare, mine laying and detection, and more by both state-level and non-state actors.
The Pentagon has acknowledged that drones are reshaping military tactics, making it more difficult to maneuver on the battlefield, giving adversaries easier methods of attack, and lowering the barrier for entry on precision strike capabilities. And as technology advances, these uncrewed systems will only increase in lethality over time.
A trainer holds an electronic-warfare device used to counter drones in January 2020.
US Army photo by PFC Gower Liu, 11th ACR Public Affairs
"The relatively low-cost, widely available nature of these systems has, in effect, democratized precision strike," the Pentagon wrote in a fact sheet on the new counter-drone strategy.
It added: "Technological advances in the mid- to long-term will likely render unmanned systems increasingly capable, affordable, autonomous, and networked — able to loiter for longer timespans, to communicate better with other systems, move and act as swarms, and to carry larger payloads. These dynamics risk eroding deterrence and creating new and uncertain escalation dynamics."
What does the US military plan to do about the problem?
The fact sheet, which offers limited insight into the classified counter-drone strategy, sketches out five steps that the US will take to tackle the drone problem in the near, mid, and long term.
The steps will include working to better understand the threat, increasingly focusing on degrading and disrupting "threat networks," improving active and passive defenses, investing in both the quantity and quality of counter-drone systems, and emphasizing drone defense in future force development. The Pentagon said it will work with Congress and the defense industry and collaborate closely with allies and partners to implement the strategy fully.
"Taken together, these approaches will allow the Department to maintain our advances and our ability to fight and win our Nation's wars, if called upon," the fact sheet says.
The new counter-drone strategy builds upon a range of existing initiatives to not only boost US drone capabilities but also strengthen defenses. For instance, in early 2020, the US Army set up the Joint Counter-small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office, which was tasked with developing anti-drone technology and training soldiers to engage uncrewed systems in battle.
Another example is the Replicator 2 initiative, the directive for which was issued by the defense secretary in September. This project, a follow-on to the initial Replicator program, is aimed at protecting key installations and force concentrations from small drone attacks.
Despite these efforts, the Pentagon acknowledges that there's still work to be done considering the direction that drone warfare is headed.
"The rapidly evolving nature of the threats posed by adversary use of unmanned systems means that the Department will need to continually reassess our efforts," the fact sheet said, but "this strategy sets a foundation for action to meet this challenge."
Possible replacements for defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth include Ron DeSantis, Joni Ernst, and Elbridge Colby.
Getty Images/Business Insider
Trumpworld is apparently reconsidering Pete Hegseth to lead the Pentagon amid growing scrutiny.
The Fox News host has faced allegations of misconduct, but he is fighting them.
There are several prominent contenders the president-elect could still tap as defense secretary.
An Army veteran in the Senate. A former Pentagon official who's a leading China hawk. A former top rival for the GOP presidential nomination.
Those are some ofthe options President-elect Donald Trump and his alliesare reportedly considering for defense secretary as allegations and character concerns cloud his unconventional pick to lead the Pentagon.
Trump is said to have been surprised by allegations that have emerged about his pick, Pete Hegseth. The formerFox News host and Trump confidant has faced accusations of sexual assault, financial mismanagement at the veteran's advocacy group he led, excessive alcohol use, and belittling behavior toward women.
The allegations have complicated the Army veteran's chances at confirmation even in a GOP-controlled Senate.
Hegseth has said the sexual encounter, which happened in 2017, was consensual. He was not charged with a crime in relation to the incident. He has slammed media coverage of the allegations as "fake" and "BS" and has said he will not "back down." In an op-ed published Wednesday, he said the growing scrutiny was a "textbook manufactured media takedown."
In the piece, which was shared by the Trump transition team, Hegseth wrote that he is looking "forward to an honest confirmation hearing, not a press show trial based on anonymous accusations."
Then-President Donald Trump is interviewed by Fox & Friends cohost Pete Hegseth at the White House.
REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
Hegseth met with lawmakers at the Capitol this week to discuss plans for the defense department, address the mounting misconduct allegations against him, and shore up congressional support, even by promising not to drink alcohol if they'll confirm him.
GOP Senate Majority Leader John Thune said his meeting with the embattled defense secretary-designate went well, adding that Hegseth laid out "a big vision for how to fix the problems" at the department, CNN reported. He didn't say whether he would support Hegseth's nomination, though.
Other Republican senators offered mixed reactions, ranging from continued uncertainty to full-fledged support. But even if the political winds shift in Hegseth's favor, many reports have said that Trump is already considering other potential nominees.
The Wall Street Journal broke the news the president-elect was considering replacing Hegseth with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Other names that various sources within Trump world have floated include former Pentagon official Elbridge Colby and Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa.
"This country's full of talented people," Kori Schake, director of Foreign and Defense Policy at the American Enterprise Institute, told Business Insider. "The Secretary's main job is dealing with Congress, since they control most of defense policy. So generally someone who's had legislative experience is a huge advantage."
The names being floated would potentially be politically safer choices with much more experience in government. Their experience and stature could make them more independent of an incoming White House that prizes loyalty, however.
It remains to be seen whether Trump will drop Hegseth, who is showing no intention at the moment to withdraw as the nominee on his own. Hegseth said Thursday he met with Trump and that he "fully supports" him, but ABC News reports the president-elect isn't working the phones to try to save him like he did Matt Gaetz.
Meanwhile, back-up options wait in the wings.
Former political rival Gov. Ron DeSantis
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis
Sergio Flores for The Washington Post via Getty Images
Citing sources familiar with the decision-making, NBC News reported that Gov. Ron DeSantis is "very much in contention" to lead Trump's Department of Defense should Hegseth drop out of the running.
DeSantis was Trump's primary rival for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, earning insulting nicknames from Trump that included "Ron DeSanctimonious," "Ron DeSanctus," and "Meatball Ron." The president-elect said that he "officially retired" the nicknames after DeSantis dropped out of the race and endorsed Trump ahead of the New Hampshire primary in January.
When he was still on the campaign trail, DeSantis leaned into his military background, which was seen as a key differentiator.
The Florida governor highlighted his US military service as a judge advocate general in the US Navy during the first GOP presidential primary debate, and he emphasized being deployed "alongside" Navy SEALs in Iraq and stationed at the controversial Guantánamo Bay detention facility in campaign speeches and ads.
The Navy redacted certain details in records of DeSantis' military duties, saying that the "release of such information would be a clearly unwarranted invasion of the personal privacy of Ronald D. DeSantis and other identified individuals" in response to a federal public records request.
Among the potential replacements for Hegseth, DeSantis appears to have emerged as a frontrunner. Some Democratic senators have expressed more openness to DeSantis as defense secretary than they have for Trump's current pick.
Congresisonal Army veteran Sen. Joni Ernst
Sen. Joni Ernst is a retired lieutenant colonel who served in the Iowa Army National Guard.
Mariam Zuhaib/AP
Serving in the Iowa Army National Guard for over two decades, GOP Sen. Joni Ernst is a longtime Trump ally. She has said she was sexually harassed while in uniform.
Ernst, who serves on the Armed Services Committee, was previously under consideration as defense secretary before the president-elect tapped Hegseth.If Trump were to revisit her as a nominee and if she were to be confirmed, she would be the first woman to lead the Pentagon.
Calling herself the "top watchDOGE," the Iowa Republican was named to spearhead the Senate's partnership with the Department of Government Efficiency, Trump's new initiative to cut federal spending and government waste.
Seen as a potential swing vote in Hegseth's confirmation, Ernst met with him at the Capitol on Wednesday, saying that they were "just going to have a really frank and thorough conversation" regarding his vision for the DoD and the emerging misconduct allegations against him.
In a post on X, she wrote: "I appreciate Pete Hegseth's service to our country, something we both share." She didn't go into detail on how she might vote, though.
China hawk Elbridge Colby
Elbridge Colby served as a deputy assistant secretary of defense in the first Trump administration.
U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Chad Trujillo
Elbridge Colby, a former senior Pentagon official, is another potential replacement for Hegseth, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post, among others, reported on Thursday.
He has, however, shown his support for Hegseth in posts online, saying that the current pick "knows the costs of war" and is committed to Trump's "vital vision of peace through strength and putting Americans first."
Colby served as the deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy and force development during the first Trump administration. He also helped shapethe department's National Defense Strategy, which was published in early 2018.
Like Trump's pick for secretary of state, Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, Colby is hawkish on China and has consistentlyemphasized the need for the US to focus its effortson countering that threat, particularly China's growing, increasingly modernized military.
In a social media post on Wednesday, Colby praised Trump, saying that the incoming commander-in-chief "hasn't even taken office yet, and he's already putting America on a path toward a much better foreign policy. Foreign countries can see the strength and clarity he projects and they are adapting already."
