Report: Drones Overflew Base Housing Hegseth, Rubio, Pentagon Leaders

Washington Post reports that officials considered relocating the two White House cabinet secretaries.

Jack Daleo

Thursday, March 19, 2026 at 02:00 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth sits at a meeting with Saudi Arabia Minister of Defense Prince Khalid bin Salman Al Saud. [Credit: Department of Defense/U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Alexander Kubitza]

Key Takeaways:

Multiple unidentified drones recently overflew Fort McNair, a D.C.-area military installation housing top U.S. defense and state officials, prompting heightened security measures.
This incident is part of a broader trend of increasing drone incursions over U.S. military bases, which has led to greater scrutiny of potential threats, especially given ongoing global conflicts.
New guidance has been implemented to allow military facilities to employ counter-UAS (C-UAS) measures, and the government is significantly investing in counter-drone technologies and improved interagency coordination to address these threats.

See a mistake? Contact us.

In the past 10 days, multiple unidentified drones have overflown the D.C.-area military installation housing U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and senior Pentagon leaders, according to a Washington Post report.

Citing a “senior administration official” and three others reportedly briefed on the situation, the Post reported that the sightings have led to heightened security measures as the White House weighed whether to relocate Hegseth and Rubio. The cabinet secretaries were reported to be living on Fort McNair, just a few miles from the White House and Capitol Building, in October.