Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has requested that “special detection systems” be deployed in New York and New Jersey after recent drone sightings fueled anxiety among residents in the region.
Schumer told reporters on Sunday that he made the request to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and pushed for Robin Radar Systems, which he said has a better chance of detecting drones because of their “360-degree technology.” Schumer’s request comes after a series of reported drone sightings in the Northeast over the last month, including ones that caused a New York airport to shut down on Friday.
“We’ve seen lots of recent sightings in New York, New Jersey, Long Island, Staten Island. So it’s remarkable, with all these sightings over the last while, why do we have more questions than answers?” Schumer said Sunday. “If the technology exists for a drone to make it up into the sky, there certainly is the technology that can track the craft with precision.”
Earlier Sunday, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the federal government is “deploying additional resources” to address the aerial drones.
“There’s no question that people are seeing drones,” Mayorkas said on ABC News “This Week.” “I want to assure the American public that we in the federal government have deployed additional resources, personnel, technology to assist the New Jersey State Police in addressing the drone sightings.”
Mayorkas said more than 1 million drones are registered in the U.S. A Chinese national living in Northern California was arrested last week on suspicion of flying a drone over restricted airspace — over Vandenberg Space Force Base, according to Mayorkas.
“It is our job to be vigilant,” he said. “If there is any reason for concern, if we identify any foreign involvement or criminal activity we will communicate with the American public accordingly. Right now we are not aware of any.”
Witnesses have described clusters of lights, saying they look like drones hovering over populated areas around New Jersey. The reported sightings have expanded to New York and Maryland and have attracted the attention of residents and politicians.
President-elect Donald Trump chimed in Friday, posting on social media: “Can this really be happening without our government’s knowledge. I don’t thinks so!”
New York to get ‘state-of-the-art’ detection system
Also Sunday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said the federal government will deploy a new drone detection system in her state. Drones forced runways at Stewart International Airport, 60 miles north of New York City, to shut down for about an hour Friday night. The airport serves commercial and military air traffic and is adjacent to the New York Air National Guard Base.
“In response to my calls for additional resources, our federal partners are deploying a state-of-the-art drone detection system to New York State,” Hochul said in a statement. “This system will support state and federal law enforcement in their investigations.”
Hochul provided no details on the new system.
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-New York, sparked controversy last week when she said she does not believe the federal government does not know what the objects are. She urged the Biden administration to “be straight with us and just tell us what is going on.”
Malliotakis doubled down on her claims Sunday, saying on Newsmax Sunday that lawmakers are getting “zero answers” from the White House, which she said shows the government “knows exactly what is going on.”
Drone sightings won’t be a ‘Hollywood movie’
Rep. James Himes, D-Connecticut, in an interview with Fox News Sunday, was asked about the emerging conspiracy theories. Himes said he understood why people are anxious, and he chastised the FAA for failing to explain to the public that the large number of commercial, private and military aircraft that fly over New Jersey in any 24-hour period could be confused with drones.
“Now, let me say something that I know with confidence. It is not the Iranians. It is not the Chinese. They aren’t Martians,” Himes said. “I know that’s very unsatisfying for people who want a Hollywood movie out of this.”
Last week, White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby said the drone sightings appeared to be piloted aircraft, adding that there was no evidence the sightings “pose a national security or a public safety threat or have a foreign nexus.”
Kirby did say the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI were working closely with state and local law enforcement to provide “numerous detection methods” to solve the mystery.
Chinese-built drones drawing scrutiny
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Illinois, ranking member of the House Subcommittee on China, told Sunday Morning Futures he was concerned about the influx of Chinese-made drones into the U.S. Krishnamoorthi said even the U.S. military buys them “because they are cheap.” He said he was concerned China could access data from the drones “in a backdoor manner” and so they ultimately could spy on Americans.
“The problem is, you are basically sacrificing our national security in the name of buying more inexpensive drones,” he said.
Chris Christie sees a drone from his yard
Add former Gov. Chris Christie to the list of New Jersey residents reporting mysterious “drone” sightings outside of their homes. Christie said during an interview Sunday on ABC’s “This Week,” he believes he saw a drone over his house last week.
“I’ve never seen anything like that before, and I’ve been living at that house for 30 years,” Christie said.“You can see why people are concerned, and it’s a lack of communication from the government at the federal and state level that’s at fault here,” Christie said.
Christie said he wants the state police to have authority to “bring those drones down and find out why they’re doing what they’re doing.” He said he understood why people are concerned.
− Zac Anderson
Some sightings may not be drones
The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security have said such sightings mostly appear to not be drones at all. “Historically, we have experienced cases of mistaken identity, where reported drones are, in fact, manned aircraft or facilities,” the agencies said in a joint statement.
Harry Direen, an electronic and software engineering expert at DireenTech, said he wouldn’t be surprised if people were seeing drones at first, but that once the notion of drones took hold, people assumed any aircraft they couldn’t identify was a drone.
“After what were likely valid sightings of possibly hobbyist drones, every aircraft can then become suspicious,” he said.
