As a wave of reported drone sightings, centered in New Jersey and New York, have sparked concerns outside of the Northeast, members of Congress are among those demanding more openness from the federal government.
According to an FBI official in the state who briefed reporters over the weekend, reported sightings of drones, officially known as unmanned aerial systems, or UAS, have increased since Nov. 18, when authorities received multiple reports of suspicious drone activity near critical infrastructure in New Jersey.
Despite security authorities’ warnings for caution, the growing activity has alarmed some and prompted lawmakers to demand that the federal agencies give more information on drone activities.
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer urged the federal government to install additional drone-detection equipment and to share information with local authorities in a statement that detailed an epidemic of constant drone sightings.
Regarding a drone-detection technology used by the federal government, Schumer, a Democrat from New York, stated, “I want it deployed widely across New York and New Jersey to help give us concrete answers on what is going on, and from where.” Data is what we need now. There is no proof that this is a government or foreign action, according to the briefings I’ve received, so we must logically ask: who is involved?
Schumer said he would cosponsor a bill that would give local law enforcement more power to respond to drone sightings and urged Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to implement the drone-detection system.
The Federal Aviation Administration regulates drones, much like it does airplanes and other users of the national sky.
On the Senate floor on Monday, Schumer stated, “We still have very few answers on where some of these drones come from and who may be operating them.” There are many questions and few solutions for the citizens of New Jersey and New York. But we do know one thing. Currently, local officials lack the power and resources necessary to investigate the situation.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat from Minnesota and a senior member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, which oversees the FAA, demanded that government representatives tell U.S. senators on the CBS Sunday morning television program Face the Nation.
She stated, “We need more transparency.”
Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, spokesman for the U.S. Defense Department, said reporters Monday that there is currently no proof that the alleged drone sightings are related to foreign countries or represent a threat to public safety or national security.
In any case, he provided further context while stating that he wished to take the public’s concerns seriously.
With over 1 million commercial and hobby drones licensed by the FAA and 8,000 in operation every day, the drone market is growing.
He compared drone sightings—including those that occur close to military installations or other significant locations—to drivers who get lost and end up in their automobiles where they shouldn’t be, which he claimed occurs frequently and without incident.
The main point, he stated, is that operating a drone is not prohibited. Every day, thousands of drones are flown throughout the United States. Drones in the sky are therefore not very uncommon, nor do they pose a threat to public safety or be a sign of nefarious activities.
Democratic governor of New Jersey Phil Murphy said Monday that federal investigators had not discovered any harmful behavior and advised citizens to relax over drone sightings.
Commercial planes on regularly scheduled nighttime itineraries were identified as the source of numerous recent drone sightings made by non-experts.
The great majority of the more than 5,000 tips his office has gotten in the last month regarding unexplained objects in the night skies, according to the FBI official located in New Jersey, have not been actionable.
According to the official, who briefed reporters and officials from other agencies under the stipulation that their names not be published, the FBI was in the process of determining which of the about 100 tips did warrant more inquiry.
“You can’t ignore the sightings that have been there, and we are as concerned about those as anybody else is,” the FBI official stated, trying to avoid raising fear or anxiety. We are making every effort to identify the source of those particular drone operations. However, I believe that there has been a minor overreaction.
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