After Ukraine's surprise drone assault on Russia, new attention drawn to sensitive sites stateside
In recent years, Chinese Communist Party-linked entities have commercially targeted land around the U.S., including in the vicinity of sensitive installations like the Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota.
The Fufeng Group's 300-acre farmland purchase in 2021 first raised the collective antennae of Congress to such under-the-radar transactions – and even Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis swiftly banned them in his state as a result, among other efforts around the country.
On Tuesday, North Dakota's senators agreed that the U.S. must remain vigilant for any malign activity, whether it be from relatively novel drone assaults to potential espionage through real estate transactions.
Ukraine's Surprise Attack Shows It May Take A 'Major Drone Strike' To Change Us Defense Policy, Experts Say
"When adversaries can buy our land, attend our universities, photograph silos in our prairies, perform aerial surveillance, park their ships near our military bases, or even just join our PTAs, they have more opportunities to be nefarious," Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer told Fox News Digital.
Read On The Fox News App
"Our posture must always be vigilant, never assuming foreign actors are benign or have the best intentions," he said. "Whether it's directly spying, indirectly influencing, or sending drones to blow up aircraft, the ability of the enemy increases when we allow them easy access near our national interests."
Cramer's Flickertail State counterpart, Sen. John Hoeven, joined an effort to prevent such land-buys and has worked with federal partners to update the process in which foreign investment is analyzed for approval and decided upon.
"We need to remain vigilant against China and other adversaries," said Hoeven, who is co-sponsoring South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds' bill banning individuals and entities controlled by China, Russia, Iran and North Korea from purchasing farmland or commercial land near sensitive federal sites.
China's Us Influence Could Face Crackdown Under Slate Of New Bills
"At the same time, we're working to update the CFIUS process [which governs federal approval of foreign investments] to ensure proper reviews are taking place as well," Hoeven said.
"We also are working to develop the technology we need to protect our domestic military bases from potential drone threats."
Rounds' bill also has bipartisan support, including from Sen. Catherine Cortez-Masto, D-Nev., whose state also hosts sensitive government sites like Nellis Air Force Base and Area 51.
"It is common sense that we should not allow our foreign adversaries to buy agricultural land next to these locations," Masto said in a statement.
Rounds added in a statement that America's "near-peer adversaries… are looking for any possible opportunity to surveil our nation's capabilities and resources."
Even private-sector entities have expressed concern, including the South Dakota Soybean Association, which said farmland must be protected from foreign purchase for both agricultural and national security purposes.Original article source: After Ukraine's surprise drone assault on Russia, new attention drawn to sensitive sites stateside
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Washington Post
20 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Live updates: Trump hosting Netanyahu at White House as U.S. pushes for ceasefire deal in Gaza
President Donald Trump is set to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday as the United States pushes for a ceasefire deal in Gaza. The two leaders, who are scheduled to meet over dinner, are also expected to discuss U.S. efforts to strike a permanent deal with Iran in the wake of recent airstrikes on its nuclear facilities. Trump is also scheduled to sign executive orders at the White House on Monday. Meanwhile, the administration is scrambling to strike a handful of trade deals this week. Republicans have cheered as President Donald Trump, through a series of lawsuits, executive orders and pure political browbeating, has dramatically expanded the power of the presidency. Those celebrations, however, may turn to anguish the next time a Democrat wins the White House. The onslaught of ads looking to brand the recently passed Republican megabill has begun. A series of Democratic organizations, from Unrig Our Economy to Protect Our Care to the League of Conservation Voters, began airing ads attacking the bill since its passage, with many of the spots directly targeting vulnerable Republicans who voted for the legislation. Since February, the Trump administration has been touting a $5 million visa to wealthy foreigners to get into the United States with lofty promises of an immediate rollout. But in reality, any Trump gold visas are a long way off — if they can ever be implemented at all. BRUSSELS — With only three days remaining before President Donald Trump's self-imposed July 9 deadline, U.S. and European negotiators continue to haggle over a skeletal trade deal that would defer a resolution of their toughest commercial disputes. The prospective accord, which would spare European goods the 50 percent tariffs that Trump has threatened to impose, is one of a relative handful of deals the administration is set to finalize by Wednesday. Republicans waged a mighty, messy and ultimately successful campaign to push their One Big Beautiful Bill Act to President Donald Trump's desk for a Fourth of July signing ceremony. The next campaign — the political battle to define and defend it — will challenge Republicans just as much. By any measure, passage of the bill represents a major victory for a president whose influence and dominance continue to expand.


San Francisco Chronicle
21 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Russia fires over 100 drones at Ukraine as Kremlin dismisses transport chief after travel chaos
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia fired more than 100 drones at civilian areas of Ukraine overnight, authorities said Monday, as the Kremlin dismissed the country's transport chief after a weekend of travel chaos when Russian airports grounded hundreds of flights due to the threat of Ukrainian drone attacks. At least 10 civilians were killed and 38 injured, including three children, in Russian attacks over the previous 24 hours, Ukrainian officials said. Russia recently has intensified its aerial strikes on civilian areas after more than three years of war. Over the past week, Russia launched some 1,270 drones, 39 missiles and almost 1,000 powerful glide bombs at Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday. Russia's bigger army is also trying hard to break through at some points along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620 miles) front line, where Ukrainian forces are severely stretched. The strain of keeping Russia's invasion at bay, and the lack of progress in direct peace talks, has compelled Ukraine to seek more military help from the U.S. and Europe. Zelenskyy said on Saturday that Ukraine had inked deals with European allies and a leading U.S. defense company to step up drone production, ensuring Kyiv receives 'hundreds of thousands' more this year. 'Air defense is the main thing for protecting life,' Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram on Monday. That includes developing and manufacturing interceptor drones that can stop Russia's long-range Shahed drones, he said. Extensive use of drones has also helped Ukraine compensate for its troop shortages on the front line. One person was killed in the southern city of Odesa, 27 were injured in northeastern Kharkiv and falling drone debris caused damage in two districts of Kyiv, the capital, during nighttime drone attacks, Ukrainian authorities said. Russian short-range drones also killed two people and injured two others in the northern Sumy region, officials said. Sumy is one of the places where Russia has concentrated large numbers of troops. Also, nine people were injured and seven killed in the eastern Donetsk region, regional Gov. Vadym Filashkin said. He didn't specify the type of weapons used. Meanwhile, Russia's Defense Ministry said Monday that its troops shot down 91 Ukrainian drones in 13 Russian regions overnight, as well as over the Black Sea and the Russian-annexed Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea. The Kremlin dismissed Transport Minister Roman Starovoyt on Monday, an order published on the Kremlin website said. The announcement did not give a reason for Starovoyt's dismissal. Over the weekend, hundreds of flights were canceled or delayed at Moscow's Sheremetyevo and St. Petersburg's Pulkovo airports. Other airports in western and central Russia also faced disruptions because of Ukrainian drone attacks. ___ ___


Newsweek
21 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Lavrov Lists Russia Demands for Ukraine Peace
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov listed Moscow's demands for a peace deal that would end its ongoing invasion of Ukraine in an interview with the Hungarian publication Magyar Nemzet. Lavrov said an end to the security threat posed to Russia by NATO's expansion, including its potential inclusion of Ukraine, was essential. Moscow's top diplomat demanded the demilitarization of Ukraine to ensure Kyiv's neutrality. He also said his country wants protections for ethnic Russians and Russian culture in Ukraine, which he accused Kyiv of "destroying" since 2014. Moreover, Lavrov demanded "international legal recognition of the new territorial realities," citing Russian occupation of Crimea, Sevastopol, Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson. And Lavrov called for "lifting sanctions on Russia, rescinding all lawsuits against Russia, and returning the illegally seized Western-based assets." "These provisions must be included in a legally binding agreement for peaceful settlement," Lavrov told Magyar Nemzet. U.S. President Donald Trump is trying to broker an end to Russia's war, but said a recent call with Russian President Vladimir Putin left him very disappointed, and he did not think Moscow wanted to end the fighting. This is a developing article. Updates to follow.