FPV Drone Attack Risk Sinks Future Navy Infrastructure At U.S. Border

BusinessAerospace & DefenseFPV Drone Attack Risk Sinks Future Navy Infrastructure At U.S. BorderByCraig Hooper,Senior Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Craig Hooper evaluates security threats and proposes solutions. Follow AuthorJun 08, 2026, 02:34pm EDTNavy Base San Diego is at risk of FPV Drone attack.The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty ImagesAudacious Ukrainian First Person View (FPV) drone attacks on Russia’s Kronstadt naval base and dark fleet cargo vessels this month are hammering home a lesson the U.S. Navy has been slow to accept. American naval bases and other waterfront industrial support facilities on the U.S. mainland are no longer safe havens. In particular, small, shorter-range FPV drones are making maritime-related infrastructure investments within 100 miles of the border obsolete. As America shifts to a wartime footing, all waterfront less than 100 miles from U.S. border is a no-go zone for new critical maritime infrastructure investments. On a larger scale, America’s entire approach to maritime basing and support infrastructure requires a thorough strategic rescrub, prioritizing defendability, resiliency and dispersal potential over longstanding naval habits, peacetime preferences and ease of use.This is a big lift. Shifting near-border Navy and associated maritime industrial base facilities to more defendable areas of the West and Pacific coasts will be unpopular. Take the sprawling Navy Base San Diego, located a few miles north of the Mexican border. It is a fabulous harbor, home to the largest concentration of U.S. naval power in the Pacific. Sailors love the surf and San Diego’s sunny climate. Retirement-bound Admirals are loathe to let some pesky risk assessments interrupt their enjoyable afternoon golf scrambles. A long-ingrained perception of invulnerability has made dispersal of the fleet farther north to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Humboldt or to rougher, more easily secured ports in Ala...