Here’s why the U.S. Navy had to take out a drone over Whidbey Island air base

Naval ordinance knocked a drone out of the sky at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station on Tuesday. A U.S. Navy spokesman, a civilian who serves as the base public information officer, told The Bellingham Herald that the drone intrusion was without apparent hostile intent.

“The drone operator was a reservist here on temporary duty with his unit conducting training. During a break, unbeknownst to his superiors, he deployed a personal drone in violation of base regulations. The drone was detected once airborne and countermeasures were deployed to render the device inoperable. The suspect was identified, apprehended by base security forces and interviewed by Naval Criminal Investigative Service agents. He was subsequently released to his unit,” Michael Welding said Wednesday in an email.

No injuries were reported in the incident, Welding said. The drone was sighted about 1 p.m. Tuesday at Ault Field, Welding said in a statement issued Tuesday.

“The drone was detected and rendered inoperable by defense systems. Base security and (base personnel trained in explosives) secured the scene around the intrusion area until (the bomb disposal team) was able to determine it did not carry explosives or constituted any other type of threat,” Welding said.

Whidbey Island Naval Air Station, which is located near Oak Harbor in Island County, is the home for about a dozen squadrons of EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft, whose job is to jam enemy communications and tracking equipment.