Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said federal officials were “not aware of any foreign involvement” in mass drone sightings across the nation’s northeast, but said over the weekend that officials were short on officials. Social and political unrest continued to rise. information.
“I want to assure the American people that we are working on it,” Mayorkas said.
He called for the authority to shoot down drones to be “expanded and expanded” beyond just those passing through restricted military airspace. And New York Gov. Cathy Hochul said Sunday the federal government will deploy high-tech drone detection systems in New Jersey and Connecticut after a spate of sightings and state and local officials requesting more. He announced that he was ready. Aggressive Federal Action – Some call drones “a very serious danger.”
Later, Democratic U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer added his name to the request for drone detection technology. Florida Rep. Mike Walz, the next White House national security adviser, said the drone issue illustrates the security gap between federal agencies and local law enforcement. He said there was.
“Americans find it hard to believe that we can’t figure out where these things came from,” he said on CBS’s Face the Nation. “From a Pentagon perspective, we’re focused on bombers and cruise missiles. This shows there’s a gap in our capabilities and our ability to police what’s going on here.”
Meanwhile, reports that Iranian drone ships were patrolling off the east coast of the United States were dismissed as unfounded.
“Thousands of drones fly every day in the United States, both recreational and commercial,” the US domestic security chief told ABC News. He also pointed out that in September 2023, aviation regulators enacted rules allowing drones to fly at night, leading to an increase in such activities.
U.S. authorities shied away from vigilante response to drone intrusion in New Jersey, fearing innocent bystanders could be hit by falling debris or legitimate civil aviation could be mistaken for unidentified drones. I’m trying.
“We want state and local governments to have the ability to counter drone activity under federal oversight,” Mayorkas said.
Mayorkas, hoping to counter authorities’ relative inability to quell public anxiety stemming from drone sightings, said some were drones and others were manned aircraft mistaken for drones. .
“There’s no question…people are seeing drones,” Mayorkas said. “And I want to assure the American people that as a federal government, we are committing additional resources, personnel, and technology to help respond to drone sightings.”
On December 9, a Chinese national was arrested in California on suspicion of flying a drone used for space launches and missile tests over Vandenberg Air Force Base. Drone overflights have also been reported at other military bases.
“If we find any foreign involvement or criminal activity, we will communicate to the American people accordingly,” Mayorkas added.
Meanwhile, as Donald Trump prepares to take office as president for a second term, he is demanding greater government transparency over what he calls “mysterious drone sightings across the country.”
“Is this really happening without the government’s knowledge? I don’t think so,” Trump added. “Inform the people now, or shoot them down.”
On Sunday, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was asked if the state’s residents were experiencing an outbreak of mass hysteria.
“It would be wrong to say this is not anomalous activity,” Christie said. “I’ve lived in New Jersey all my life, and this is the first time I’ve noticed a drone over my house.”
Christie said conspiracy theories are overwhelming agency officials because of a lack of official information.
“If we don’t fill that void, all the conspiracy theories will be filled in,” Christie added. “So when Congressman Jeff Van Drew says there’s an Iranian mothership offshore, that’s probably not true.”
Outgoing President Joe Biden’s administration and state officials need to be more vocal and let people know what they’re doing, he added.
Mr Christie said people were right to be concerned, pointing to new technologies being used as weapons in conflict zones.
Hochul joined other U.S. elected officials on Saturday calling on the White House for federal action after the runway at Stewart International Airport was temporarily closed due to what was described as “drone activity in the airspace.” joined the choir.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy also contacted Biden, expressing “heightened concerns about reports regarding unmanned aircraft systems.” In Connecticut, another state where drone sightings have increased since mid-November, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal said drones should be shot down “if necessary.”
But a lack of consistent response from authorities led residents to look for answers on their own.
Mika Rasmussen, director of the Lebovich Institute at Rider University, told NJ.com that the Biden administration’s response is “just a textbook example of how misinformation happens and how disinformation happens.” .
“When people don’t know what to believe, they don’t believe in anything, and that’s a dangerous position we’re in,” Rasmussen said.
New Jersey Republican Rep. Dawn Fantasia said the federal government’s response accomplished the near-impossible: uniting Republicans and Democrats in the state on the issue.
“I don’t know who is managing the crisis from the White House, but it’s embarrassing,” Fantasia told the newspaper. “You know, we’re feeling like we’re watching ‘Star Search’ in the ’80s right now. They’re just auditioning spokesmodels who say stupid things.”
Another New Jersey politician, Democratic Rep. Josh Gottheimer, said hundreds of reports of drones flying over federally controlled airspace “leave a huge information gap.” .
Hundreds of additional sightings of unidentified flying objects have been reported since an unauthorized drone was spotted flying near Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey on November 13th.
Some are described as “SUV size”. Some of the flights were reportedly coordinated. Domestic security agencies have consistently maintained that there is no threat to national security or public safety.
However, military authorities have confirmed 11 sightings on Picatinny base and multiple sightings on naval weapons bases, raising concerns.
The sighting comes after the Biden administration tried to downplay a Chinese reconnaissance balloon that crossed the United States in early 2023, but was ultimately shot down off the East Coast.
“Many of the reported sightings appear to be actually legally operating manned aircraft,” White House National Security Press Secretary John Kirby said in a statement.
But New Jerseyans aren’t satisfied with that, Rasmussen told NJ.com.
he said: “There’s only so many opportunities to explain something before people say, ‘I’ve heard enough.’ I can’t believe what you say anymore. I’m done listening, obviously you’re trying to insult my intelligence.”
