Anti-Government Militia Targets Weather Radars: What To Know
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An "anti-government militia" called Veterans on Patrol has declared that it is targeting weather radar installations in Oklahoma.
In an interview with News 9 on Tuesday, Michael Lewis Arthur Meyer, the founder of VOP, which the Southern Poverty Law Center describes as an anti-government militia, confirmed the group's intentions. When asked whether they were targeting the radars, Meyer replied, "Absolutely."
Newsweek contacted the SPLC and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for comment on Friday via an online form and email, respectively, outside usual working hours.
Why It Matters
Following widespread floods that have devastated Texas in the past week, a number of conspiracy theories have swirled online around cloud seeding and weather manipulation.
Founded in 2015, Veterans on Patrol initially focused on vigilante activities along the U.S.-Mexico border but has since shifted toward conspiracy-driven campaigns, including those involving weather manipulation. The group's rhetoric has grown more extreme in recent months, raising concerns among public safety officials.
A radar during the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's media day about a field campaign to study southeast U.S. tornadoes in Memphis, Tennessee, on February 8, 2023.
A radar during the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's media day about a field campaign to study southeast U.S. tornadoes in Memphis, Tennessee, on February 8, 2023.
Seth Herald/ AFP/ Getty/Getty Images
What To Know
Meyer's recent admission follows the vandalism of News 9's radar system in northeast Oklahoma City. Surveillance footage captured an individual tampering with electrical components, disabling power to the radar, damaging the generator and control panels, and knocking the system offline for several hours on Sunday.
CBS affiliate KWTV reported having footage of a man disabling the power supply to its NextGen Live radar. The station suggested the incident may be connected to rhetoric from VOP.
Police arrested Anthony Tyler Mitchell, 39, in connection with the incident on suspicion of felony malicious injury to property, burglary and damaging critical infrastructure, NBC News reported, citing Oklahoma City Police. Investigators have not confirmed whether he is affiliated with VOP.
NOAA previously warned of escalating threats to the Next Generation Weather Radar network, a nationwide system of more than 160 radars used to monitor severe weather. In Oklahoma, where tornadoes and extreme storms are frequent, damage to these systems could have deadly consequences.
VOP has said weather radars are being used for sinister purposes. Meyer alleged that the radars, along with other technologies embedded in homes, were part of a larger weather control and individual targeting program. The group said it had placed warning signs near radar sites in protest.
Though NOAA has debunked various weather modification claims, lawmakers in several states have moved to ban weather modification.
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia, announced on July 5 that she was introducing a bill to tackle the "dangerous and deadly practice of weather modification."
She wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that she was creating legislation to make "the injection, release, or dispersion of chemicals or substances into the atmosphere for the express purpose of altering weather, temperature, climate, or sunlight intensity" a felony.
Newsweek contacted Greene for comment via email on Friday.
What People Are Saying
News 9's Chief Meteorologist David Payne refuted Meyer's claims, saying: "We have one of the most powerful live radars in Oklahoma, and one of the most powerful live radars in the country, but we cannot do any weather modification at all."
He added that if the equipment is sabotaged, "we cannot track severe weather. We cannot track tornadoes, and it basically becomes instantly obsolete."
The Oklahoma Department of Public Services told News 9: "Fusion centers play a crucial role in monitoring and mitigating threats to critical infrastructure by serving as focal points for information sharing and analysis. OCTIC (Oklahoma Counter Terrorism Intelligence Center) actively monitors all threats to critical infrastructure in Oklahoma. If you see suspicious activity near critical infrastructures, it's important to report it via the free ProtectOk app. If you witness vandalism taking place, call 911 immediately."
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration told NBC News: "NOAA is aware of recent threats against weather radar sites and is working with local and other authorities in monitoring the situation closely."
What Happens Next
In an interview with NBC News on Thursday, Meyer denied giving any directions to attack weather equipment. However, he suggested that VOP was planning further action and said they were capable of targeting up to 15 radar sites simultaneously across Oklahoma.
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