A seagoing vessel or aircraft approaching a warship of the U.S. — or any nation, for that matter — must identify itself or face what could be lethal consequences.
Conventional spycraft take time to reach their target and can be immobilized before breaching a ship’s security.
But what about a drone, quickly zipping above and around a ship, gathering its spy data, and then just as quickly vanishing?
Welcome to a new military headache.
What’s more, a drone incursion may be more than a spy venture, but an attack.
While U.S. and Japanese officials are somewhat vague about the origins of the video, apparent drone photography was used to post on social media pictures of the American aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan when it was recently at Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan, Stars and Stripes reported.
The video of the carrier appeared on social media platform X.
The drone was reportedly put up by a Chinese citizen.
Another security scandal at Japan’s Yokosuka Naval Base.
A drone launched by a Chinese citizen (not confirmed) flew over the deck of nuclear-powered supercarrier USS Ronald Reagan at Yokosuka Naval Base. pic.twitter.com/qJmhtNQXWe
— Clash Report (@clashreport) May 8, 2024
While not assigning drone photography to the pictures of the Reagan, the Defense Ministry of Japan is pointing to drone operation for video of a docked Japanese destroyer appearing in March on a Chinese website for video sharing, according to NHK World.
Drone operation around military facilities is prohibited in Japan, NHK said. In the U S., recreational drones are prohibited near Department of Defense facilities, according to the Air Education and Training Command.
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