00:04Trump was out golfing, but surrounding him was a mobile U.S. Army missile defense shield.
00:11New images from President Donald Trump's Bedminster, New Jersey golf club show U.S. Army Avenger air defense systems
00:20and Sentinel radar deployed near the property as part of enhanced presidential protection.
00:27And this was not simply a one-day precaution.
00:31The systems were reportedly already visible at Bedminster on August 1st,
00:36and they remained in place during the weekend of the LIV golf tournament.
00:41So what exactly was protecting Trump?
00:44The AN-TWQ-1 Avenger is a short-range air defense system mounted on a Humvee.
00:52It can carry up to eight Stinger surface-to-air missiles along with a .50 caliber machine gun.
00:59Its job is to provide rapid response protection against low-flying threats,
01:04including drones, helicopters, aircraft, and certain cruise missiles.
01:09But the Avenger does not work alone.
01:12Nearby, the Army also deployed an AN-MPQ-6-4 radar.
01:17The radar provides 360-degree surveillance, detecting and tracking airborne threats
01:24and passing that information to air defense systems.
01:28In simple terms, the radar looks for the threat.
01:31The Avenger is ready to respond.
01:34And there was a striking moment earlier this month
01:36that showed just how visible the system was to Trump himself.
01:40On August 1st, Trump was greeting U.S. service members at Bedminster
01:45when he joked that he was not worried about missiles and drones.
01:49An Army colonel then reportedly responded,
01:52We got it covered.
01:54The officer was pointing toward the nearby Avenger.
01:57That exchange suggests the system was already positioned on the property
02:02well before the weekend golf event.
02:04And that is important, because this appears to be part of ongoing layered protection
02:10rather than a temporary deployment for a single golf outing.
02:14The enhanced security comes amid heightened tensions surrounding Trump
02:18and the broader U.S.-Iran conflict.
02:21Earlier reports have described additional protective measures
02:25following alleged Iranian threats against the President.
02:28The Avenger, therefore, represents an inner layer of protection
02:32around Trump when he is outside or traveling.
02:35Other security measures are far less visible.
02:38Electronic warfare systems, intelligence monitoring,
02:42secret service protection, and coordination with NORAD
02:45can all contribute to the wider defensive network.
02:49Meanwhile, Bedminster was also under a temporary flight restriction.
02:53And that restriction was actively enforced.
02:56NORAD F-16 fighter jets intercepted civilian aircraft
03:01that entered the restricted airspace around the weekend.
03:04The aircraft were reportedly escorted or otherwise signaled to leave the area
03:09following standard procedures for violations of presidential airspace restrictions.
03:14Put all of this together, and the picture becomes clear.
03:18Trump may have been spending the weekend playing golf,
03:21but the security operation around him was anything but casual.
03:25A sentinel radar scanning the skies,
03:28Avenger missile systems positioned nearby,
03:31F-16 fighter jets enforcing restricted airspace,
03:35and secret service and military personnel coordinating the protection of the president.
03:40The army systems themselves are not new weapons purchased specifically for Trump's golf outings.
03:46They are existing military assets that can be deployed
03:49when presidential protection requires additional air defense capabilities.
03:54And officials have not publicly disclosed the exact cost of maintaining this level of protection at Bedminster.
04:00But the message from the deployment is unmistakable.
04:03While Trump was on the golf course, the U.S. military was watching the skies.
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