Hegseth Warns U.S. Enemies: ‘I Want To Know Who Owns The Land Around Our Bases’
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a blunt warning Tuesday that the Trump administration is actively investigating who owns land near U.S. military installations — and foreign adversaries should no longer assume those purchases are going unnoticed.
“I want to know who owns the land around our bases and strategic bases,” Hegseth said, stressing that foreign companies, individuals, and governments buying property near sensitive military sites pose a direct threat to national security. “It’s common sense. Food security, energy resilience, and even where we get our water are all national security matters — especially in a contingency.”
Hegseth said the Pentagon is working closely with the USDA and the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to identify and shut down high-risk acquisitions. He emphasized that the goal is to ensure that troops can rely on domestic resources and infrastructure without the risk of foreign interference. “No longer can foreign adversaries assume we’re not watching and we’re not doing something — because we are,” he warned.
The remarks follow legislative pushes by congressional Republicans to curb foreign land purchases near U.S. military bases. In April, Rep. Pat Harrigan (R-NC) introduced the Military Installation Retail Security Act to ban companies owned by enemy nations from operating retail stores on military bases. Last year, Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) proposed the Protect Our Bases Act, which would require CFIUS to annually update a list of national-security-sensitive sites for real estate transaction review.
In North Carolina, lawmakers are advancing multiple bills to block foreign governments from purchasing land near military facilities, with proposed restrictions ranging from 25 to 75 miles around installations such as Fort Bragg, Pope Army Airfield, and Camp Lejeune. The concern is that property near runways, radar stations, or training grounds could be used for surveillance, drone staging, or other espionage activities.
The warning also comes in the wake of the high-profile fight in North Dakota against the Chinese-owned Fufeng Group’s attempt to build a corn mill just 12 miles from Grand Forks Air Force Base — a hub for U.S. air and space operations. While CFIUS concluded it lacked jurisdiction to block the project, the U.S. Air Force called it “a significant threat to national security.” The Grand Forks City Council ultimately voted unanimously to stop the deal.
Hegseth’s stance signals that the Trump administration is preparing to take a far more aggressive approach to foreign land ownership around U.S. defense assets, framing the issue as a matter of both economic protection and military readiness.