Stratcom Commander: Drones Might Attack US Nukes

Pentagon officials have been hyping the need for more funding fort anti-drone research for months, and Strategic Command chief Gen. John Hyten appears to be the latest on that bandwagon, warning the Senate Armed Services Committee that drones might conceivably attack US nuclear weapons sites.

The US has been using drones as an offensive weapon for about a decade, and in the past year or so ISIS has begun using them in a limited fashion, buying off the shelf commercial drones and rigging them with explosives to carry out attacks.

Hyten was so concerned about the possibility that he told the Senate he recently signed an official set of guidance for troops on how to deal with “threatening” drones coming toward them. There’s no sign that any such threats have ever been encountered at a US base.

Hyten has been making the rounds at Congressional committees, pushing for increased funding for the US nuclear weapons program, and insisting that the estimated $1 trillion cost of modernization is “affordable.” There is no estimate yet no what the anti-drone efforts will ultimately cost.