Summary: Several recent media reports highlighted recent calls from an anti-government extremist group to target and destroy weather radars operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Analyst Note: According to open source reports, Veterans on Patrol–an anti-government extremist group–believes NOAA’s radars are a “weather weapon controlled by the military.” Based in Pima County, Arizona, Veterans on Patrol incorporates anti-government beliefs and conspiracy theories related to QAnon and immigration into their ideological worldview. The group’s leadership wrote in repeated messages on Telegram that the equipment was “poisoning our skies.” An email from NOAA to its staff said the extremist group is recruiting people for “penetration drills” on locations hosting Next Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD) systems.
The group shared images of radar sites earlier this month, encouraging followers to investigate whether the equipment can be “easily sabotaged.” Another Telegram message identified an unspecified NEXRAD site purportedly in Northern California that was visited by a “lone wolf.” The group also said it had “boots on the ground” gathering information in Washington and Oklahoma.
These radars are critical for extreme weather preparedness, allowing meteorologists to track natural hazards before they impact local communities. This case is a classic example of a blended threat since physical attacks against these radar systems could exacerbate the impact of extreme weather events.
Original Source: https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/05/weather/weather-weapons-nws-radar-attack
Additional Reading:
- Anti-government group threatens crucial weather radars, NOAA warns
- Weather Service staff urged not to visit sites alone after threats from militia group that believes radars are ‘weather weapons’
Mitigation Recommendations:
Related WaterISAC PIRs: 1, 2, 3, & 4
