WASHINGTON — A U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter involved in a fatal midair collision with a passenger jet near Washington, D.C., this week was conducting a training exercise for a classified military operation designed to evacuate top officials during a national crisis, authorities revealed Thursday.
The flight was part of the Pentagon’s highly secretive “continuity of government” and “continuity of operations” protocols — emergency measures intended to ensure survival of federal leadership and critical government functions if the capital comes under attack.
While such military helicopters routinely shuttle VIPs through the capital’s busy airspace, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the aircraft’s connection to the sensitive mission during a White House briefing. “This crew was conducting required annual night training along a designated flight corridor for continuity of government operations,” Hegseth stated, emphasizing the routine nature of the exercise.
The collision has cast rare light on the military’s clandestine preparedness efforts, which include rehearsals for evacuating senior officials to secure locations in catastrophic scenarios. Though vital to national security, details of these operations remain tightly guarded, with only fragments disclosed publicly over decades.
