Can the US protect itself from a Ukraine-style drone attack?
(NewsNation) — Ukraine's coordinated drone attack on Russian targets this weekend raises questions about the U.S. military's ability to protect itself from a similar attack, particularly after mysterious drones were sighted in New Jersey and other states last year.
Lt. Gen. Richard Newton, the former U.S. Air Force assistant vice chief of staff, says the current defense system that shields the U.S. from such attacks is lacking as technologies continue to evolve.
Newton, NewsNation's senior national security contributor, characterized Ukraine's use of 117 drones to attack 40 Russian bombers as 'extraordinary.' The mission, he said, was executed with military and intelligence-based precision, having been planned for more than a year under the direction of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Boulder attack suspect says he planned violence for a year
Newton said aspects of the operation provide a blueprint for American military defense officials as they continue to strategize for possible future military attacks from adversaries such as Russia and China that will likely involve drones and an array of nuclear missiles.
'It's something we've got to be worried about,' Newton told NewsNation.
Sunday's Ukrainian drone attack took place less than two weeks after President Donald Trump outlined plans for the 'Golden Dome', a 'game-changing' multi-layered defense system officials claim will protect the U.S. against nearly 100% of attacks.
Newton said the super-technology that will be used in the 'Golden Dome' is what has been missing in a military missile defense system first introduced in former President Ronald Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative in 1983.
Officials say the 'Golden Dome' will be a state-of-the-art system with land, sea and space sensors and interceptors.
The U.S. currently relies on ground-level interceptors in California and Alaska, which provide limited protection against countries like North Korea, but not against larger-scale and more complex missile attacks.
Community outraged as ICE raid sparks questions in Chicago
Yet, evolving technology that reduces the detectability of enemy drones also requires a stronger level of defense planning, Newton said. He compares the shift to that of Improvised Explosive Devices used by foreign troops in Iraq and Afghanistan during wars in the Middle East, which led to the injury and death of American soldiers.
Drones represent the next iteration of weaponry that U.S. military defense officials must now contend with.
'We're really in the midst of making sure for the next several years that we are armed and capable of addressing a threat we didn't see,' Newton said.
NewsNation national security contributor and former CIA officer and FBI special agent Tracy Walder believes the well-executed Ukrainian mission speaks more to how ill-prepared Russia was for such an attack than an alarm for U.S. officials.
Part of the issue is the overriding American perception of Russia as a powerhouse, Walder said. While she is not convinced that the U.S. is entirely well-defended against a similar drone attack, the incident also proves to her that Russia is not omniscient, as some may believe.
Walder expects Iran to be among the top producers of these drones, which she predicts will be sold to Russia and China. That puts the onus on U.S. military defense officials to continue developing non-kinetic defenses, including GPS jammers designed to throw drones off-course as well as directed energy weapons and lasers designed to keep the U.S. one step ahead of its enemies.
Newton and Walder expect drone technology to continue to evolve, making them smaller and allowing them to fly at lower elevations and with lower heat emissions. Such developments will allow the drones to remain off the radars of defense systems like 'The Golden Dome.'
'Drones change the face of warfare,' Walder told NewsNation, adding, 'So I think this is something we're going to have to deal with and obviously as technology evolves, we have to evolve in terms of our defenses.'
The focus on drones continues as unanswered questions remain surrounding the mysterious sightings that took place last fall in New Jersey and other locations, including U.S. military installations.
Despite pledging to provide answers about the drone sightings, Trump and his administration have yet to provide concrete conclusions as complaints over a lack of government transparency continue from lawmakers and residents alike.
Luis Elizondo, the former leader of the Defense Department's advanced aerospace threat identification program, told NewsNation in April that the drone sightings are problematic given the unknown nature of the objects.
'Drones fly completely unchallenged,' Elizondo said. 'We still don't know where they're coming from, we still don't know who's behind the wheel. We still don't know where they're going. This is a big problem. And we've known about it for a long time.'
Weather Service rehiring at offices left 'critically understaffed' by layoffs
The Ukrainian drone attack adds to those concerns, said Newton, who called the 'known unknown' aspect of the issues as perplexing.
While he is not calling for Americans to begin building underground bunkers in fear of possible drone attacks, he said, 'It's also compelling to make sure that we are defending against it.'
Walder understands how the public confuses a lack of government transparency with a lack of a plan to develop effective drone defense strategies.
Despite a lack of official conclusions, Walder hypothesizes that the drones spotted last fall were indeed launched by the U.S. military as a way of testing detection levels as part of its defense planning against possible attacks.
But after multiple federal agencies, including the FBI, issued a joint statement that only concluded that the government had ruled out that drones spotted in the U.S. originated from foreign adversaries without giving as much information as the public was seeking, she understands the levels of public concern.
'The problem is that the public sees that as just ineptitude,' Walder said. 'When we look at that, the public says, 'Well, do you even know how to defend us against these,' and 'are you even capable when you can't even get the messaging right?''
However, she said that as drone warfare continues, playing things close to the vest is critical.
'We don't need our enemies — or even our friends — knowing what we're doing to be able to track these things,' Walder said.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time Magazine
33 minutes ago
- Time Magazine
We Need to Invest in the Heartland
For too long, the national conversation about innovation, the future of higher education, and economic growth has been dominated by a handful of colleges and universities largely based in coastal power centers. In doing so, we've overlooked the rest of the country and have weakened the broader foundation of American capitalism and democracy. There is another path forward—and it runs through the heartland of America. Across the country, families, and employers are rethinking the value of a college degree. Meanwhile, the pace of technological change is accelerating—AI is transforming industries, new sectors are emerging, and the demand for skilled talent is shifting rapidly. This comes at a time when public trust in institutions is eroding, and millions of Americans are asking whether our systems still work for them. Whether America leads or lags in this new window of opportunity depends on how we respond. With bold leadership and deep partnerships between universities and the private sector, the heartland can become the driving force behind America's next wave of innovation, economic competitiveness, and shared prosperity. Businesses and philanthropists are uniquely positioned to scale this pivotal moment: one that calls for a new, more inclusive era of American innovation and entrepreneurial growth. In the Midwest, universities are working hand-in-hand with businesses—and proving that the innovation and growth of the future will not be confined to any one part of the country. This region is uniquely suited to lead the next wave of American renewal. It has what the moment demands: grit, talent, urgency, and values that anchor capitalism in real lives and impact. As a nation, we often overlook where some of the most consequential innovation is happening. While innovation breakthroughs are happening at an exciting pace in the heartland, venture capital dollars continue to concentrate in California, New York, and coastal cities. Moreover, research centers are partnering with hospitals and farms, and in classrooms from coast to coast students are working with local employers to move forward in areas like AI, energy, bioscience, and robotics. This is where innovation reaches scale and serves everyday people, and not just markets or valuations. The future of American prosperity will be shaped by whether states, the federal government, and individual donors continue to invest in public universities embedded in their communities—institutions that serve as launchpads for discovery, entrepreneurship, and upward mobility for millions of people. For more than 80 years, universities have partnered with government and industry to drive innovation, advance research, and develop a skilled workforce. For the United States to maintain its global leadership, it is important for these three sectors to renew and strengthen their collaboration in the face of emerging challenges and opportunities. Public institutions, in fact, enroll three-quarters of the roughly 19 million college students in the United States, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. More specifically, America's land-grant institutions, created by and for the people, are uniquely positioned to rewrite the value proposition for higher education for the next generation. Access and opportunity are at the core of our mission, calling us to do work that directly benefits the people we serve. We exist to make life better in the communities of which we are a part. At The Ohio State University, demand is soaring for affordable academic programs, deep partnerships with industry, and innovation-based education and research. It's why we launched the Center for Software Innovation and joined the NextGenAI consortium from OpenAI—bringing additional research grants, funding, and API access to AI-related campus work. But for partnerships like these to grow, we need a mindset shift—within universities and across business and philanthropy. Investors and employers must see the Midwest as a wellspring of ideas, talent, and leadership. More broadly, we must ensure research dollars and economic incentives reach every corner of America. These investments make the United States more resilient and competitive globally while unlocking a wider pool of ideas, perspectives, and solutions. When America invests in our universities, we invest in well-rounded citizens, building social mobility and stability, and research that literally saves lives. We know this from experience. One of us is a Navy airman turned university president. The other, a software entrepreneur turned university benefactor and investor. We've seen how cross-sector leadership can create durable, inclusive growth. But this work can't be piecemeal. We need a national rallying cry to drive how, where, and why we invest in America's future. That future can start in the heartland, if we recognize its potential and act accordingly. The heartland doesn't just hold the key to America's economic future—it holds the promise of a robust economy rooted in community, powered by purpose, and capable of restoring trust in systems meant to serve us all.
Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Boston Globe
In US court, due process rulings have been word for word
In orders asserting their Advertisement They pointed to language in a landmark 1982 Supreme Court ruling that upheld the rights of undocumented children to a free public education, which reads: 'even aliens whose presence in this country is unlawful, have long been recognized as 'persons' guaranteed due process of law by the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendment.' US District Judge Indira Talwani, in an order issued April 28, was the first to stress the constitutional rights of immigrants, when she prevented the government from transferring an immigrant to another jurisdiction. The next day, Judge Leo T. Sorokin wrote a nearly identical order, then a dozen other judges adopted that language in orders barring the out-of-state transfer of immigrants who filed habeas petitions. The rulings have provided critical relief for immigrants in Massachusetts at a time when many are immediately being shipped to detention facilities hundreds of miles away or deported without a hearing, according to advocates. Advertisement 'It's been heartening to see,' said attorney Benjamin Tymann, who represents several immigrants who filed habeas petitions. 'These are completely reasonable orders for judges to put in place because all they are saying is, 'OK, let's hit pause' ... and make the government make some showing on the merits of their arrest.'' Immigration lawyers have accused Immigration and Customs Enforcement of moving immigrants across the country to disrupt or delay efforts to challenge their arrests and removal from the United States, and to place them under the jurisdiction of more conservative federal courts. In one case, US District Judge Denise Casper temporarily barred the government from transferring 25-year-old Luis Fernando Olmos Ramirez while she considered his claim that ICE violated his rights when its agents arrested him in Lynn on May 24. Tymann argued there was 'no lawful basis' to arrest Ramirez, who was granted special immigrant juvenile status after coming to the United States from his native El Salvador as an unaccompanied minor in 2015 and has since lived with his father in Lynn. He has no criminal record and has an application pending for a Green card, according to Tymann. In her order, Casper wrote that relocating Ramirez to a facility outside Massachusetts 'will exponentially increase the risks that he will be further deprived of due process and unlawfully removed from the United States to dangerous conditions in El Salvador or elsewhere.' On June 10, Ramirez voluntarily dismissed his petition after an immigration judge released him on bond. But Tymann credits Casper's intervention with paving the way for his release. Advertisement 'Without the no-transfer order, he may have been sent to Texas or somewhere else,' Tymann said. US Attorney Leah Foley, whose office represents the government in habeas petition cases, acknowledged in a statement that the Supreme Court 'has established that all persons in the United States have Constitutional protections, regardless of their immigration status.' She said her office has no authority to tell ICE where to house immigrants in its custody, but immediately forwards the agency the judges' orders barring the out-of-state transfer of immigrants. A spokesperson for ICE did not respond to requests for comment about the habeas petitions and allegations that agents have made unlawful arrests. But the agency has made clear that it has worked to ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons said during a press conference last month that agents were targeting dangerous and violent criminals, but will arrest anyone they encounter who is in the country illegally. And he argued that their rights are not being violated. 'ICE doesn't just scoop people off the street and remove them,' Lyons said. 'Everyone gets due process and that is what the US attorney's office is for. It's what the immigration courts are for.' Some of the petitions before US District Court judges were filed by people who entered the country without permission, then surrendered themselves to immigration officials and had been allowed to remain free as they pursued lawful status. They allege they were arrested without probable cause or due process while driving to work or dropping their children off at school. Advertisement In some cases, petitioners allege they were leaving the Chelmsford immigration court after judges set hearings for a future date, only to be arrested in the hallways by immigration agents and told they were facing expedited removal from the country. 'What we are seeing in this country is just an assault on the rule of law,' said attorney Todd Pomerleau, whose Boston firm, Rubin Pomerleau, filed habeas petitions on behalf of five immigrants in recent weeks. One of Pomerleau's clients, Andre Damasio Ferreira, 40, was born in Brazil, came to the United States nearly 20 years ago, and lives in Everett with his wife, who is battling cancer. Their two children, 13 and 8, are US citizens. Ferreira, who works for a flooring company, was a passenger in a pickup truck being driven by a co-worker on May 30 when they were stopped by armed ICE agents who demanded to see their passports and questioned them about their immigration status, according to Pomerleau. Ferreira was arrested and is being held at the Plymouth County Correctional Facility pending removal proceedings. US District Judge William G. Young issued an order June 5 temporarily blocking Ferreira's transfer out of state, using the same language as his colleagues while stressing Ferreira's constitutional rights. Young wrote that although federal district courts don't generally have jurisdiction to review orders of removal by an immigration court, they do have jurisdiction over violations of the Constitution. The government argued in court filings on June 12 that Ferreira's arrest was lawful and urged Young to dismiss his petition. ICE agents stopped Ferreira because he looked like someone else they were targeting, then discovered he was unlawfully present in the country and had previously been removed in 2005, according to the government. The judge has yet to rule on the case. Advertisement In at least two cases, immigrants were mistakenly transferred — one to Louisiana and the other to Mississippi — in violation of judges' orders, according to court filings. The US attorney's office apologized and the petitioners were brought back to the state. Though judges have issued orders halting transfers by the Trump administration as early as January, they specifically began adopting the language reinforcing immigrants' constitutional rights after the arrest of Tufts PhD student She was arrested by masked ICE agents outside her Somerville apartment in March. By the time her lawyers filed last month, a federal judge in Vermont ordered her released, while he considers her claim that the government violated her free speech and due process rights. 'Now we are seeing a lot more detentions that violate due process rights and that's not an issue that immigration judges are usually able to address,' said Shantanu Chatterjee, a Chelsea attorney who has filed habeas petitions on behalf of several immigrants. He said more immigration lawyers are seeking relief for their clients in federal district courts. The flurry of rulings 'sends a message to everyone that Advertisement Shelley Murphy can be reached at
Miami Herald
an hour ago
- Miami Herald
Florida city that immigrants built just turned its back on them with 287(g) vote
One of Miami's most unique features is that it was proudly and undeniably built by waves of immigrants and refugees. The process, begun with Cuban exiles in the early 1960s, is now part of our DNA. Nearly 60% of Miami residents are foreign-born. Cubans were joined by Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelan refugees. Mexicans, Argentines, Colombians and even Guyanese have all sought out Miami as their new beginning. They came fleeing tyranny and political strife or simply searching for a better life for themselves and their children. The idea was simple: just make it to Miami — where so many like you already lived — and you'd be okay. The city wasn't just a destination. It was a promise. We've always taken pride in being a melting pot, the gateway to Latin America, a place where you could hear several languages on any street corner. Miami sheltered entire generations of immigrants. The city just didn't tolerate immigration — it became synonymous with the word. But that ended Tuesday, with the Miami City Commission's controversial vote to enter into an agreement to help ICE arrest undocumented immigrants within the city limits. The 287(g) agreement allows local officers to act in immigration enforcement roles — a move critics say fuels fear and distrust in immigrant communities and places city police in roles better suited to federal agents. All 67 counties in Florida have signed agreements with ICE. But Miami? This one hits differently. Voting 'no' on the measure where Commissioners Christine King and Damian Pardo; Commissioners Joe Carollo, Miguel Gabela and the newly elected Ralph Rosado voted 'yes.' King and Pardo deserve praise for standing up for their constituents. The irony is, all of the commissioners are immigrants or the children of immigrants. They are living proof of what Miami represents — which makes their vote all the more disappointing. And they did it over the objections of more than 75 residents who lined up outside City Hall early Tuesday, many pleading with the commission not to sign on with ICE, even though other immigrant-heavy cities like Doral and Hialeah have already done so. We understand the commission is under pressure. Earlier this year, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier and Gov. Ron DeSantis threatened to punish the Fort Myers city council if they declined to join the program. Miami Police Chief Manuel Morales clearly laid out those concerns at the meeting: the department fears political fallout, he said. 'There's a very strong inference that if we do not enter into this agreement, there would certainly be some sort of repercussion,' Morales told commissioners. It would've been nice if the commission had shown some independent spunk. But they didn't. And they also ignored King's moving words: 'We are all immigrants,' said King, the daughter of Guyanese parents. She said she felt the fear some Miami's residents are experiencing. 'I don't want to be a part of that.' And she wasn't with her 'no' vote. Mayor Francis Suarez — the son of Cuban immigrants — could veto the vote, but there is no hint that will happen. Under the agreement, Miami police officers will be trained to act as immigration agents, turning traffic stops and routine policing into potential deportation triggers. It's well-known that partnerships like these have sparked fear and distrust in cities across the country. Victims stop reporting crimes. Parents pull their kids from school. People avoid hospitals. As one protester put it, this vote is a 'cultural betrayal.' It turns the city's back on our neighbors, the workers who clean our buildings, serve our food, work our fields and care for our kids and grandparents. Outsiders may have complained that the city was full of foreigners, but we who live here know how that enriches our city. We knew what it meant to flee. To rebuild. And for a long time, we believed our leaders remembered that, too. But on Tuesday, they looked away. Immigrants will still shape Miami's future. But its government no longer reflects, respects or represents the refugee spirit that helped define Miami. What a shame. Click here to send the letter.
