The governors of New York and New Jersey, the former governor of Maryland and congressmen have in recent days appealed to the federal authorities to explain the case of mysterious “drones” observed, among others, near military bases in these states. The White House says many of the reports involve helicopters, for example.
Letter to the president Joe Biden regarding persistent reports of drones of unexplained origin in New Jersey, announced on Friday by the governor of this state, Democrat Phil Murphy.
He said that police in his state have been receiving reports about drones since November 18, but despite the FBI's assistance, they have not been able to obtain specific information about them, and “continuous reports of unmanned aerial vehicle activity have raised more questions than answers and led to the emergence of many theories.” conspiracy on social media.
On Friday, Kathy Hochul, the governor of New York state – where there were also reports of drone activity – announced her own actions in the matter, stating that she was cooperating with the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security to “protect New Yorkers.” She also noted that there is no evidence yet that the observed objects pose a threat to security.
Mysterious drones near military bases
The issue of drones in New Jersey – some of which were said to be the size of large cars – gained particular attention this week after a statement from Republican Congressman Jeff Van Drew.
He stated that the aircraft observed over his state – some near military bases – were Iranian drones sent by an Iranian “mother ship” stationed near the US east coast.
Drone. Illustrative photoRITCHIE B. TONGO/PAP/EPA
In response, Pentagon deputy spokeswoman Sabrina Singh denied claims that the objects were of foreign origin or belonged to the US military. She also denied that any Iranian ship was near the coast of New Jersey or New York.
The White House responds to reports
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Thursday that the U.S. Coast Guard had confirmed it. He added that despite the use of “advanced detection measures”, federal services failed to confirm any of the drone reports.
He noted that many of them seemed to concern manned aircraft, including helicopters. Kirby, however, assured that the White House is taking the problem seriously.
However, these explanations did not reassure some politicians. On Friday, former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan released his own video purporting to show the alleged drones as dots of light in a dark sky and said the authorities' response so far was “totally unacceptable.”
“I join a growing bipartisan chorus of leaders demanding that the federal government address this issue immediately. The American people deserve answers and action now,” the Republican said on Platform X. Other politicians have made similar calls, including fellow New Jersey congressman Chris Smith.
Drones in Germany and Great Britain
In recent weeks, reports of drone sightings around US military bases have also appeared in other parts of the world. In late November, the U.S. Air Force reported sightings of “small unmanned aerial systems” in various configurations around Lakenheath, Mildenhall and Feltwell air bases in the United Kingdom.
Reports of similar phenomena also appeared around the bases in Germany. The Pentagon has not yet explained the origin of the objects in the UK, but has determined that they did not pose a security risk.
Main photo source: RITCHIE B. TONGO/PAP/EPA