The White House reiterated Tuesday that recent sightings of drones across the Northeast do not pose a national security threat, saying the drones in question were flying “lawfully and lawfully” in U.S. airspace. emphasized.
White House National Security Council Press Secretary John Kirby said, “As I stand here today, our assessment is that this is a legal, legitimate, commercial, recreational, even law enforcement operation.” aircraft activity.” He further emphasized that the types of aircraft involved are diverse, saying, “Some are manned, and some are unmanned.” “I fully accept that many of these are probably drones, but they are flying legally.”
Kirby emphasized that there are more than 1 million drones registered with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), so their presence in the skies is not unusual. “It’s legal to fly a drone in unrestricted airspace as long as it’s registered with the FAA,” he explained. “And there are thousands of flights of this type every day.”
The federal government has seen a spike in reports of drones, particularly around New Jersey, with the FBI receiving about 5,000 tips. However, only about 100 of these required further investigation. “We have not identified any abnormalities or national security or public safety risks in the civil airspace of New Jersey or any other state in the Northeast,” Kirby said.
In response to speculation about a potential national security threat, Kirby reiterated, “If there was an actual national security threat, that’s what I would say.” He explained that many of the reports are duplicates or involve misidentified aircraft, including manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and even stars.
Looking ahead, the White House is calling for increased oversight and asking Congress to address concerns about airspace congestion. “When Congress reconvenes in January after the holidays, the White House will appoint a bipartisan task force to study sky congestion and help develop appropriate rules to address public concerns,” Kirby said. We are planning to convene.”
Kirby also responded to President-elect Donald Trump’s comments claiming that the Biden administration knows more about drones than they are sharing. “There is no effort whatsoever other than to be as candid as possible,” Kirby said. “We have made a very sincere effort to have as open and honest a relationship as possible with all of you and the American people, and I think that will continue.”
