President Joe Biden says a surprising wave of apparent drone sightings along the US East Coast is “not negative at all”.
gave Observations in recent weeks Occurrences have occurred in New Jersey and several neighboring states, sometimes in the vicinity of air bases. This trend has given rise to a number of conspiracy theories about foreign intervention.
Officials have not given many definitive answers, other than to say that the sightings are not always drones, and that they do not believe there is a national security threat or that a foreign power is at work.
Members of the US House Intelligence Committee, who were briefed in camera on Tuesday, joined Biden on Wednesday in trying to reassure the public.
Among the committee members who spoke to reporters afterward was Democrat Chrissy Houlahan.
“To date, they have found nothing to indicate that foreign influence, foreign actors, or even little green men are working on the American people,” The Hill reported of him. Referring to
Another lawmaker, Rep. Jim Hames of Connecticut, said there was “no evidence of laws being broken” by drones.
He added that the “vast majority” of sightings were ordinary aircraft or drones being operated legally.
Hames said there are “millions” of unregistered drones operating across the U.S., in addition to 800,000 registered drones weighing more than half a pound.
In his comments to the media, Biden said: “We’re following this closely, but so far, there’s no sense of danger.”
He stressed that the sightings were not proof of any wrongdoing. “There are a lot of drones allowed out there,” he said. “I think that one started it and they all — everybody wanted to be in on the deal.”
On Wednesday, a motion to fast-track a federal bill aimed at giving local law enforcement agencies more resources to identify and neutralize drones failed in the Senate.
Unanimous consent was required to move the bill through quickly. Despite the support of Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, it was vetoed by Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, who was concerned about privacy.
In recent days, the sightings have led to the temporary closure of New York’s Stewart International Airport and Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.
Government agencies had previously said they had “not identified anything unusual”. He agreed with Biden that many of the drone sightings were flown legally by hobbyists and law enforcement — adding that people “mistaken for human fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and stars.” was reported as a drone”.
But the public’s questions remain. Earlier in the week, New Jersey man Noel Thomas described his experience of seeing a mysterious object in the sky to the BBC. He said it was the size of a school bus, rectangular with flashing lights, and “definitely something I’ve never seen”.
A police officer from the same state said: “We’re just looking for some concrete, reasonable answers so that people can live their lives and not live in this hysteria that we’re going into.”
As the mystery persists, state governments are calling for more power to deal with small, unmanned aircraft seen in the skies. Earlier this week, New York Gov. Cathy Hochol said officials were sending her a drone detection system.
Among those expressing their skepticism is President-elect Donald Trump, who has said the government “knows what’s going on”, but “for some reason they don’t want to comment”. However, he said he “can’t imagine it’s the enemy”.
The Pentagon previously denied a New Jersey lawmaker’s suggestion that the potential drones came specifically from an Iranian “mothership,” while an FBI official said there was “little pushback” on the topic. action” can be