Overview
- Images and video from Sunday show a Humvee-mounted Avenger short-range air defense system and an AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel radar positioned at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, and the White House confirmed the footage is authentic.
- NORAD reported that F-16 fighters intercepted two general-aviation aircraft that violated the temporary flight restriction over Bedminster and safely escorted them out of the area.
- The command told reporters that when Avengers assist Secret Service protection missions they are operated by the Army’s 263rd Army Air and Missile Defense Command.
- The Avenger is a Humvee-mounted point-defense system that fires Stinger heat-seeking missiles, has been upgraded for counter-drone roles, and is often paired with Sentinel radar for airspace awareness.
- The visible deployment builds on a history of threats and past golf-related attacks and could normalize more frequent military layers around presidential outings while prompting stricter airspace enforcement and pilot checks of NOTAMs.