Intelligence officials insist there is nothing nefarious about the drone invasion that has plagued New Jersey residents in a three-hour classified briefing.
The CIA, FBI, Department of Homeland Security and Department of Defense met with members of the House Intelligence Committee on Tuesday night about the unidentified aircrafts that have been reported in multiple states.
It was argued the aircrafts are not the work of a classified government operation, and said there seems to be no one reason behind the phenomenon.
Many of the more than 5,000 reported drone sightings are just planes, helicopters or hobbyist drones operating lawfully, the officials told congressmen, according to Fox News.
‘There is no evident threat coming from any place,’ Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, said following the hearing.
Rep. Jim Hines, a Democrat from Connecticut, also claimed: ‘There’s no evidence that anybody acted unlawfully here or that any of these drones, in as much as the authorities know about them, are associated with malign intent.
‘I don’t think we have any reason to believe that they are hiding information,’ he added. ‘And again, we asked an extraordinarily detailed series of questions of 28 people over a period of three hours.’
Even President Joe Biden tried to assure the public that there was no reason to fear the drones.
President Joe Biden tried to assure the public that there was no reason to fear the mysterious drones that have popped up across the eastern United States
The FBI has received more than 5,000 drone sightings, many of which officials say are just planes, helicopters or hobbyist drones operating lawfully
He told reporters at the White House on Tuesday that there is ‘nothing nefarious, apparently’ about the drones, NBC News reports.
‘We’re following it closely,’ he added. ‘So far, no sense of danger.’
The comments echo that of a joint statement the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, FAA and Department of Defense released on Monday, as well as that of White House National Security Spokesman John Kirby.
Yet US Coast Guard licensed captain and New Jersey resident Paul Sprieser, 56, has said he does not believe all the sightings can be explained by commercial aircraft or other sanctioned activities.
‘There’s a large percentage of them that are not commercial aircraft, like these stationary objects in the sky that are the size of an SUV that are just hanging out there for five or six hours, or seven hours,’ Sprieser told DailyMail.com.
It is possible that the drones could be the result of a 2018 defense contract to develop and test ‘counterterrorism’ drones.
The Department of Defense is allowed to deny claims of third-party technologies if the drones were placed on a secure tech list for contract disclosures, which means the government is applying special restrictions to the information.
The restrictions are added when technologies protect national security or to keep advanced systems hidden from hostile nations, and the developer holds primary liability if the government is not operating the drones, Retired CIA Intelligence Officer Rudy Ridolfi explained to DailyMail.com.
He noted that the Federal Aviation Administration issued an air restriction alert on November 21 prohibiting flights over the Picatinny base for ‘special security reasons’ through December 26.
‘This FAA notice shows US drone testing is happening in the area. It’s a warning for others to stay out of the area during those dates,’ Ridolfi said.
‘While the nature of the testing isn’t specified, it’s most likely the testing of payloads related to reconnaissance.’
In this image taken from video, what appears to be drones flying over Randolph, N.J., on December 4, 2024
On December 7, US Coast Guard licensed captain was alerted a UAP flying near his home in North Bergen, NJ by a device that ‘can detect changes in magnetic fields or electromagnetic radiation’
The drone sightings began in mid-November when drones were spotted over the US Army’s Picatinny Arsenal and President-elect Donald Trump’s golf course in Bedminster — both in New Jersey.
In the weeks that followed, similar drones were reported throughout the state, especially in and around Morris county, and have since spread to other states in the region.
State and local officials are now pressuring the federal government to take action as government agencies will lose their counter-drone authority without Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization from Congress.
Rep. Chris Smith, a New Jersey Republican and outspoken critic of the Biden administration’s response to these sightings, told Fox News he plans to introduce legislation as early as this week that would allow state police to better handle the drone threats = including tracking the drones and taking them down.
He said he sees the bill as a ‘very real extension of a capability that is needed right now’ in US defense space.
‘There’s more vulnerability here that anyone wants to accept, but we need to take action – decisive action.’
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat from Illinois, also said Congress has to ‘work in a bipartisan manner to plug some holes within the law in terms of who is allowed to operate drones, in what manner and how do you disable or deal with drones in improper airspace.’
The Federal Aviation Administration issued an air restriction alert on November 21 prohibiting flights over the Picatinny base for ‘special security reasons ‘ through December 26
Monmouth County is home to the Naval Weapons Station Earle, a navy base. Experts have mused that foreign powers could be targeting areas like this which harbor intelligence and weapons bases. (Pictured: points of interest in NJ where drones have been seen overhead)
Still, he insisted he was ‘satisfied’ with the answers he got from the briefing, but said the government needs to do more to assuage concerns of the public.
‘The public needs to see for themselves what these government officials have concluded and the technology that’s been used,’ the Congressman said.
New York State Gov. Kathy Hochul also previously said she ‘will do whatever it takes to ensure New Yorkers remain safe,’ in a post on X.
‘New York is investigating these incidents, but the federal government needs to grant us the powers to deal with the drones directly,’ she added.
