A drone flies over Hohenfels Training Area, Germany, in March 2021, in preparation for an exercise. U.S. Army Europe and Africa said Jan. 9, 2024, that it hasn't encountered interference from suspected Russian spy drones while training Ukrainian troops in Germany. Russian drones have reportedly disrupted similar training at a German base west of Berlin. (Julian Padua/U.S. Army)
The Army in Europe said this week that Russian spy drones haven’t interfered with the training of Ukrainian troops at American bases in Germany, following reports of unmanned aircraft disrupting similar efforts at a German base west of Berlin.
But members of the military community should remain vigilant and report any signs of mischief, U.S. Army Europe and Africa said Tuesday in a response to a Stars and Stripes query.
“Due to operational security, we cannot discuss specific U.S. Army and host nation policies and procedures that have been put in place to combat against these types of threats to U.S. Army bases,” said Eliza Cantrell, a USAREUR-AF spokeswoman.
The Army call for vigilance comes amid reports that the German military has faced repeated intrusions from drones that are suspected to be linked to Russian espionage efforts.
On Sunday, the tabloid newspaper Bild reported that a German army base at the Klietz training area, 60 miles west of Berlin, has been a frequent target of such efforts.
Citing various government officials, the report said suspicious drones have been flying around German military posts on a weekly basis. Sites such as Klietz, where the Germans are training Ukrainian troops on the Leopard tank, are a favorite target, Bild reported.
“This is clearly organized and strongly points to Russia,” German parliamentarian Marcus Faber of the pro-business Free Democratic Party told Bild.
Sebastian Schaefer, a Green party member of parliament, said the army lacks a strategy to counter drones, Bild reported.
The German army appears to lack the necessary jamming devices to down the unmanned aircraft, government officials told the newspaper.
Like the Germans, the U.S. military has been training Ukrainian troops on a range of weapons systems, including the Abrams tank, at sites near the rural Bavarian towns of Grafenwoehr and Hohenfels.
While the Army declined to comment on what steps it could take to disable an intruding spy drone, the military has made counter-drone operations a focal point, given the expanding role of unmanned aircraft.
They have become a staple of warfare, from the battlefields of Ukraine to Iraq and Syria, where U.S. troops are routinely targeted.
Suspicious activity at U.S. bases can be reported to the Army’s counterintelligence office by phone at 800-225-5779 or online at www.inscom.army.mil/isalute.
