The White House reiterated on Tuesday that recent sightings of drones across the Northeast pose no national security threat, emphasizing that the drones in question are “legally and lawfully” operating in US airspace.
John Kirby, White House National Security Council spokesman, said, “I stand here today to date, our assessment is that this is lawful, legal, commercial, hobbyist, and even law enforcement aircraft activity.” He further clarified that, “Some of it’s manned, some of it’s unmanned,” underscoring the variety of aircraft involved. “We absolutely acknowledge that a lot of these are probably drones, but they’re flying legally.”
With over 1 million drones registered with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Kirby stressed that the presence of drones in the sky is far from unusual. “It is legal to fly drones in nonrestricted airspace as long as you’re registered with the FAA,” he explained. “And there’s thousands and thousands of these kinds of flights every single day.”
The federal government has faced a surge in reports regarding drones, especially around New Jersey, with the FBI receiving approximately 5,000 tips. However, only about 100 of these warranted further investigation. “We have not identified anything anomalous or any national security or public safety risk over the civilian airspace in New Jersey or other states in the Northeast,” Kirby said.
In response to speculation over a potential national security threat, Kirby reiterated, “If there was actually a national security threat, I would say so.” He explained that many of the reports are either duplicative or involve misidentified aircraft, including manned fixed-wing planes, helicopters, or even stars.
Looking ahead, the White House is calling for more oversight, urging Congress to address concerns over airspace congestion. “When Congress reconvenes in January after the holiday break, the White House will call for a bipartisan task force to look into congestion in the skies and to help set appropriate rules to address the public’s concerns,” Kirby announced.
Kirby also responded to President-elect Donald Trump’s comments alleging that the Biden administration knows more about the drones than it has shared. “There’s absolutely no effort to be anything other than upfront as we can be,” Kirby stated. “I would say that we are making a very good-faith effort to be as open and direct with all of you and with the American people as we can and that will continue.”