Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) told Breitbart News in an exclusive interview Tuesday that the Biden administration has failed to introduce legislation to combat the Garden State's drone problem. He said he plans to introduce the bill.
“There is indeed a bill that I am introducing, but it is currently in progress. [legislative] The Department of Defense hasn't done that, so it would empower state police in every state to have real powers around detection and mitigation, including removing drones,” Smith told Breitbart News. .
Smith told Breitbart News that unidentified drones were being attacked. flying Flying over the Garden State, residents are perplexed as they wonder why so many mysterious aircraft flew over residential areas.
multiple reports Found A number of unidentified drones flew around U.S. military facilities, including Picatinny Arsenal in Morris County, New Jersey, and Naval Weapons Station Earle in Colts Neck, New Jersey.
“I was told just two hours ago,” the New Jersey Republican said. [Tuesday afternoon] They're not ours, they're not the Department of Defense, they're not the CIA, they're not, you name that agency in three letters, it's not ours. ”
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Department of Defense (DOD) issued a joint statement Monday stating that drones flying over the state pose a national security threat. declared that it would not be possible. .
Smith said he was “absolutely” dissatisfied with the Biden administration's handling of the issue, calling it an apparent “lack of candor.”
He also noticed Citing a lack of awareness about the potential danger these drones could pose, defense officials say they envisioned al-Qaeda attacking the U.S. embassy in Nairobi, Africa, in 1998. He pointed out that he had not done so.
“No one thought al-Qaeda would attack such a soft target, even though the signs were everywhere,” Smith said.
He added that even during the Reagan administration, “no one thought” that U.S. troops would be in danger in Lebanon.
Smith added, “I don't want to hear that we missed all the evidence, that we missed all the clues and signs, because there are a lot of people who don't want us to be happy. It's about time we realized that. “Because the time has come,” he added.
The New Jersey Republican said he has asked Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to allow him to determine the cause of the drone problem.
Smith asked rhetorically, “And when you think there's a drone hovering over 150 feet away from our sailors watching this, where are the orders coming from?” [Lloyd] Will Austin take decisive action? Looks like he's not there. ”
Sean Moran is a policy reporter at Breitbart News. Follow him on X @SeanMoran3.
