A mysterious drone flying over New Jersey and nearby states has become a hot topic, with some officials, including President-elect Donald Trump, calling on the U.S. military to shoot down the mysterious object.
But experts say such measures come with significant risks. The object could be a legitimate aircraft, helicopter, or other harmless object, and debris from a falling drone poses a threat to people and property on the ground.
“Once people start shooting, things should calm down,” said Jeffrey Wells, a visiting fellow at George Mason University's National Security Institute who focuses on technological threats.
Many of the sightings appear to be of aircraft or hobbyist drones, and the Biden administration has stressed there is no current threat to any government or military facilities.
The frenzy surrounding the swarm of flying objects shows the government needs to be more transparent with the public about what it's tracking, experts told The Hill this week.
Wells said he worries that without answers, the public could start shooting down drones themselves, potentially leading to fatalities.
“There's a lot of risk involved,” he says. “It's a big deal if you damage someone's $500 drone, but if you hit a police helicopter, a paramedic helicopter, or a utility company's drone that was sent out to locate downed power lines, that's a big deal. There will be further danger to lives.”
Drone sightings began around late November, primarily in northern New Jersey and New York City, and have now spread to several other states, primarily along the East Coast.
But over the past week, drones have become a national topic of conversation, with an air of confusion and mystery surrounding their origins.
Lawmakers and New Jersey and New York state officials have taken to social media to express their concerns and advice, calling on the government to take concrete action and stop downplaying concerns.
President Trump last week called on the United States to find out what's going on and shoot.
“Something strange is happening,” he added at a press conference on Monday, accusing the government of withholding information.
And Congressman Chris Smith (RN.J.) criticized the U.S. government's failure to protect U.S. airspace.
“Why can't we get at least one drone in the bag and get to the bottom of the case?” he said at a press conference. “Why can’t we even track suspicious drones back to their source?” Do we have so little control over our airspace? ”
But some Republican lawmakers have joined Democrats in recommending a more cautious approach. New Jersey Congressman Brian Bergen (R) put the brakes on rhetoric about shooting down drones. CNN interview.
“I've seen bullets fly through the air. It's not a good idea to move beyond the United States. We shouldn't shoot things up right now,” he said. “Things shouldn't be shot out of the sky. That's a very dangerous thing to do.”
Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said drone activity near military bases has become more common and there is no threat requiring a response.
“That being said, if there is a threat, there are some measures we can take, some passive and some proactive in terms of detection,” he said. “This could include using our own drones to shoot down drones or essentially redirect them.
“They either work with law enforcement and take appropriate measures to knock the drone out of the sky (not necessarily kinematically) or just monitor it,” he added. .
Ryder also said that for good reason, the military has restrictions on intelligence operations within the country, which prevents the military from conducting accurate drone tracking.
If drones are a threat, there are countless ways to destroy them other than shooting them. These include electronic neutralization, the use of nets, and even attacks using birds of prey such as peregrine falcons.
Biden administration officials said there are more than 1 million drones legally registered with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and thousands more flying legally every day.
The FBI said it has received 5,000 reports of drone sightings in the past few weeks, some of which it is investigating with advanced technology and vision experts. Still, they stress that there is no national security threat.
Drones have been sighted near two military bases in New Jersey, raising serious concerns. It's part of a pattern of drones and unidentified unmanned aerial vehicles flying near other U.S. military installations in Virginia and even overseas, near U.S. military bases in the United Kingdom and Germany.
Robert Pape, a political science professor and airpower expert at the University of Chicago, said the public's distrust of the federal government has created a communication gap that has led to hysteria.
“This is a matter of public trust, and what's happening now is only going to increase public distrust,” he said.
Pape said the government should devote more resources to detecting drones and do a better job of communicating with state and local governments and the public about sightings. But he stressed that Americans should “resist support for political leaders” who seek to shoot down drones.
“Obviously that's not a recipe for stability and success,” he said of the shootdown. “We don't want to live in that world.”
Rep. Mike Walz (R-Florida), whom President Trump nominated to be national security adviser, also raised concerns about government transparency, saying, “Americans need to know where this information is coming from.'' “It seems hard to believe that we don't understand it.” ”
“This shows that there is a gap in our ability and our ability to police what's going on here. And we need to get to the bottom of it.” he told CBS over the weekend..
White House National Security Press Secretary John Kirby disputed the notion that the United States was not actively participating.
“We are making a good faith effort to be as open and candid as possible with you and the American people,” he told reporters on Monday. “There is absolutely no effort to do anything other than be as candid as we can.”
Kirby emphasized that most drones are harmless and that with advances in modern technology, there will be more of them in the future.
“It's important for people to understand the ecosystem of drones over the United States, which means there's a lot of activity. And again, the vast majority of it is legal and legal,” he said.
Congress is now stepping in to address some of the concerns.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, R-New York, called for the United States to deploy specialized drone detection equipment that uses radio wave detectors attached to aircraft to determine the origin of objects in the sky. He also said he would introduce legislation that would give local police departments more drone detection tools.
New Jersey Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill (Democratic) called for a comprehensive plan of action: Deploying Reaper drones and anti-drone radars, creating an interagency task force to address the issue, establishing a streamlined process for communicating findings to the public, and other recommendations.
Other lawmakers are calling for new regulations on where drones can fly within U.S. airspace.
All flying objects, whether drones or aircraft, must use transponders to send out broadcast signals, which allows the FAA to know what's in the airspace.
Drones have wide latitude to fly outside of private property. Homeowners own approximately 500 feet of air above their homes as part of their property before it is considered public airspace.
George Mason University's Wells said it's important for the United States to address critical gaps between local partners and the federal government when it comes to monitoring the skies and informing the public about what's in their airspace. Ta.
“We need to provide more direct information to local governments to make sure that they are actually flying over your neighborhood, that plane, that helicopter, that is being operated by the local utility company. “It’s about letting residents know that there is something going on,” he said.
“What we need is the same level of transparency and clear guidance at the federal level on how to work with local law enforcement to enforce federal laws and protect people. “Wells added. People on the ground feel there's no need to panic, but they also don't feel the need to take action like buying bigger nets or shotguns for themselves. ”
