Federal authorities, along with the U.S. military, have put out a fairly detailed statement Monday evening, saying that after they have conducted an extensive investigation into strange drone sightings along the East Coast — and some in California and over Ohio — there doesn’t appear to be anything nefarious going on and there is no threat to the general public. What’s really frustrating here is the lack of transparency. How do they know there’s no threat or anything nefarious going on? Why don’t they actually give us a reason for these drones to be popping up all over the place?
It’s really looking like the drones belonging to the government or military. Why else would they be so secretive about the purpose of their deployment and flying around? It’s maddening.
via The Daily Wire:
The statement comes from the Department of Homeland Security, FBI, FAA, and Department of Defense. It follows weeks of speculation and widespread news coverage of the sightings, many of which have occurred in New Jersey.
“Having closely examined the technical data and tips from concerned citizens, we assess that the sightings to date include a combination of lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones, and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and stars mistakenly reported as drones,” the statement explained. “We have not identified anything anomalous and do not assess the activity to date to present a national security or public safety risk over the civilian airspace in New Jersey or other states in the northeast.”
The U.S. government entities said that there are currently more than a million registered drones in the U.S. and that thousands are flown daily, which they expect to increase in the years to come. They said that the FBI alone has received more than 5,000 tips over the last few weeks, which has generated approximately 100 leads that authorities have investigated.
“We continue to support state and local authorities with advanced detection technology and support of law enforcement,” the statement added. “We urge Congress to enact counter-UAS legislation when it reconvenes that would extend and expand existing counter-drone authorities to identify and mitigate any threat that may emerge.”
Authorities then said that drones that have been spotted close to U.S. military facilities, while somewhat concerning, are not anything the Defense Department hasn’t dealt with before. In fact, the statement said the DoD “takes unauthorized access over its airspace seriously and coordinates closely with federal, state, and local law enforcement authorities, as appropriate.”
“Local commanders are actively engaged to ensure there are appropriate detection and mitigation measures in place,” the statement further elaborated.
I’m not buying it. Seems to me this statement is just gaslighting the American people while keeping the truth about these drones under wraps. Personally, I think it’s new military technology being tested. What they are for and what kind of tests are being done is anyone’s guess. I wonder if we’ll finally be told the truth when President-elect Donald Trump takes office?
I hope so.