Summary: A former US Army intelligence officer warns that Iran possesses the technology and motivation to launch devastating drone attacks on California from offshore vessels, with America unprepared for such strikes.
The threat of drone warfare has taken a chilling turn as a top American military expert raises the alarm about Iran’s capability to strike California at any time using unmanned aerial vehicles launched from ships off the US coast.
FBI Issues Urgent Warning
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has issued an urgent alert to law enforcement agencies across California regarding a potential Iranian drone attack. According to the warning that emerged on Wednesday, intelligence suggests Iran has been planning a surprise assault using drones deployed from vessels in international waters.
The Bureau’s alert stated: “We recently acquired information that as of early February 2026, Iran allegedly aspired to conduct a surprise attack using unmanned aerial vehicles from an unidentified vessel off the coast of the United States Homeland, specifically against unspecified targets in California, in the event that the US conducted strikes against Iran.”
Expert Sounds the Alarm
Brett Velicovich, a former US Army intelligence and special operations soldier with extensive experience in drone warfare, has delivered a sobering assessment of America’s vulnerability to such attacks. Velicovich, who spent years using drones to hunt down ISIS leaders and other terrorist commanders, believes the threat is both real and imminent.
“We’re extremely vulnerable to drone attacks,” Velicovich warned bluntly. “We’re not prepared for this.”
President Trump recognized Velicovich in July as one of America’s leading authorities on drone warfare, lending additional weight to his alarming assessment.
The Technology Behind the Threat
According to Velicovich, Iran possesses thousands of sophisticated attack drones capable of being controlled remotely from thousands of miles away. These unmanned aerial vehicles can fly hundreds of miles before reaching their targets, making them particularly dangerous weapons.
“These are long range, one way attack drones that are extremely capable and can be sent in swarms,” Velicovich explained.
What makes the threat even more concerning is the ease with which these weapons can be deployed. The drones could be launched from regular vessels or even unmanned drone ships, requiring no human presence near the launch site.
“You don’t even need a human anywhere near this,” he said. “You can launch these things over Starlink from a boat 1,000 miles away.”
Strategy of Fear
Velicovich believes Iran’s approach would be designed to maximize terror and disruption rather than simply inflict military damage. The strategy, he says, is to create widespread panic while crippling critical infrastructure.
“It’s population centers, infrastructure, ports, locations that can disrupt the economy,” he explained. “This is an issue that deserves national attention.”
Potential targets identified by the expert include:
– Sporting events and large gatherings
– Hotels and commercial buildings
– Office complexes
– Government facilities
– Military installations
– Ports and transportation hubs
A Wake-Up Call for National Security
The FBI’s decision to alert local law enforcement demonstrates the seriousness with which American security agencies are treating this threat. However, according to Velicovich, mere awareness is not enough – the United States needs to dramatically improve its defensive capabilities against drone attacks.
The warning comes at a time of heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran, with the FBI alert specifically mentioning that Iran might execute such an attack “in the event that the US conducted strikes against Iran.”
As drone technology becomes increasingly sophisticated and accessible, the threat posed by state-sponsored drone attacks represents a new frontier in warfare – one for which, according to experts like Velicovich, America remains dangerously unprepared.
The question now is whether US authorities can develop adequate countermeasures before Iran or other adversaries decide to test California’s defences with a swarm of deadly drones launched from the Pacific Ocean.
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