Federal officials said Tuesday that drones spotted along the East Coast over the past month do not pose a threat to national security or public safety.
Four federal agencies – the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Aviation Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Defense – issued a statement Tuesday after weeks of reports about drone activity. In some cases, airports have been closed as a result of the drones.
The Pentagon statement said that the majority of the more than 1 million drones registered with the FAA are used legally for commercial, recreational or governmental purposes. The agencies noted that the recent sightings likely involve a combination of these legal activities and misidentifications of manned aircraft, helicopters, or even celestial objects such as stars.
The statement said the agencies have “not identified anything anomalous.”
Despite this, the agencies acknowledged the public’s concern and urged Congress to expand counter-drone authorities to address potential future threats better.
U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., posted on X this week that he would move for the Senate to pass legislation “giving local officials the tools and authorities necessary to act quickly and in lockstep with government agencies.”
The FBI received more than 5,000 reports of drone sightings in recent weeks, with fewer than 100 warranting further investigation. Advanced detection technologies and personnel were deployed to assist local and state authorities with monitoring and assessing the sightings.
At a news conference on Monday, President-elect Donald Trump said the U.S. government and military know what is happening and where the drones are coming from.
“Something strange is going on,” he said. “For some reason, they don’t want to tell the people, and they should.”
The joint statement comes amid heightened public interest and speculation surrounding the origins and intentions of the mystery drones. Law enforcement officials in Virginia recently reported “suspicious” drone sightings appearing over counties located within an hour outside of the Washington, D.C. metro area containing sensitive military bases and national security facilities.
The increase in unexplained drone activity in the skies over New Jersey and Pennsylvania caused alarm among state officials who were already critical of federal authorities’ response to the drones and demanded action.
The agencies said there had been a “limited number of sightings” of drones over military facilities in New Jersey and elsewhere, including restricted airspace.
They continued that sightings over Department of Defense installations aren’t new and reiterated that the department takes unauthorized access to its airspace seriously and is closely working with federal, state, and local law enforcement authorities.
“Local commanders are actively engaged to ensure there are appropriate detection and mitigation measures in place,” according to the Pentagon.
