A Marine base in Guam “disabled” a drone flying over the installation Sunday, prompting a Naval Criminal Investigative Service inquest and a warning to the public that unmanned aerial systems are prohibited on Defense Department property, according to the service.
The incident occurred at Camp Blaz, a fairly new base that was established last year in an effort to boost the Corps’ presence in the Indo-Pacific against Chinese influence in the region. When asked, a spokesperson for the Marine Corps would not say whether it was a civilian or foreign drone that was shot down, citing the ongoing NCIS investigation.
Earlier this month, commanders in charge of two Pacific-aligned rotational units said that unmanned aerial systems, or UAS, were a “wicked problem” that they did not have assets to combat on their own. In a press release the following week, the Marine Corps touted how it was “one step closer to defeating” UAS as it urgently works to bring the capability to Marines’ hands.
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“On Jan. 14, a drone flying over Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz was disabled,” Maj. Diann Rosenfeld, a spokesperson for the base, told Military.com on Monday. “NCIS is investigating the incident. As a public reminder, drone activity over Guam DoD property is prohibited.”
When pressed for details, Rosenfeld declined to specify how the drone was…
