Reports of drone sightings in New Jersey have rattled Garden State residents in recent days, with Gov. Phil Murphy (D) saying on Monday that he is taking them “deadly seriously.” The local FBI field office in Newark last week said that they, alongside New Jersey authorities, “are asking for the public to report any information related to the recent sightings of possible drones flying in several areas along the Raritan River.” A Republican state senator called for “a limited state of emergency” over the drone sightings on Tuesday. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) wrote a letter to federal officials dated Tuesday about the drone sightings. Here’s what to know about the New Jersey drone sightings that have raised concerns among both the public and government officials:
There are mounting reports of sightings
According to a Wednesday report from NJ.com, the drones were first spotted last month, with the majority of sightings in Hunterdon and Morris counties, which are part of the northern and central regions of the state. The outlet reported that some newer drone sighting reports have been located close to the Jersey Shore, as well as a number of northern and southern counties. A spokesperson with the Morris County Sheriff’s Office described the drones as similar to “small cars” in size, according to NJ.com. According to Walt Miller, the police chief for the southern New Jersey township of Evesham, eyewitnesses called the drones “as large as an SUV with blinking lights on them,” the outlet reported.
New Jersey officials are expressing concern about the sightings
On Monday, New Jersey Gov. Phill Murphy (D) said he is taking unidentified drone flights in his state “deadly seriously.” “These are apparently … as I understand it, very sophisticated,” Murphy told a group of reporters. “The minute you get eyes on them, they go dark. And, you know, we’re obviously most concerned about sensitive targets and sensitive, critical infrastructure. We’ve got military assets, we’ve got utility assets, we’ve got the president-elect’s, one of his homes, here. This is something we’re taking deadly seriously,” he added.
Last week, in a post on the social platform X, Murphy said he convened a briefing to “discuss reported drone activity over parts of North and Central New Jersey,” which included Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, others in the Department of Homeland Security, New Jersey government officials and members of the state’s congressional delegation.
In a letter posted to X Tuesday by Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), addressed to outgoing FBI Director Christopher Wray, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Mayorkas, the New Jersey Democrat pushed for them “to share any relevant information about these drone sightings with the public.”
“Without transparency, I believe that rumors, fear, and misinformation will continue to spread,” Booker added. In an interview with The Hill’s sister network NewsNation, White House national security communications adviser John Kirby said Tuesday that there was nothing suggesting then “that it’s a foreign adversary or a foreign actor” behind the drone sightings. “The FBI’s looking at this. DOJ’s looking at this. I know the Department of Defense when it … when it affects or comes near a military base, they’re looking at this,” Kirby said, adding that he “can’t tell you definitively exactly what we’re talkin’ about here.”
A state senator called for a ‘a limited state of emergency’ due to the drone sightings
“The State of New Jersey should issue a limited state of emergency banning all drones until the public receives an explanation regarding these multiple sightings,” state Sen. Jon Bramnick (R) said in a statement Tuesday. Bramnick said in an appearance on Fox News’s “Fox and Friends” Wednesday that he requested the limited state of emergency because “we do that in a snowstorm the day before the snow.” “Here’s a situation where people [are] worried about drones flying over their houses, flying over military bases and there seems to be no answers,” he added.
A military research center has denied being behind the drones
The Daily Record, a regional outlet, reported Tuesday that an Army base commander for Morris County’s Picatinny Arsenal military research center pushed back against the notion that the drones are coming from the base. “While the source and cause of these aircraft operating in our area remain unknown, we can confirm that they are not the result of any Picatinny Arsenal-related activities,” Lt. Col. Craig Bonham II said in a news release, according to The Daily Record.
New Jersey isn’t the only state with drone sightings
Local newspaper The Staten Island Advance reported Tuesday that there have now been drone sightings within the last few days in Staten Island, which is a borough of New York City. According to a Monday report from Philadelphia’s WPVI-TV, the station was provided with multiple reports of flying objects within Delaware and Philadelphia counties. The Hill has reached out to Murphy’s office, the FBI, the Department of Transportation and the Department of Homeland Security for comment.
Comment: This crap going on in New Jersey sounds like the same crap that recently went on over Langley Air Force Base and the Navy bases around Norfolk. Our government says it’s concerned, but it doesn’t look like they’re that concerned. The FAA has not modified any of the flights over New Jersey. Why not? My guess is that we’re not being told everything the government knows. Or it could be we’re being pranked by a bunch of jokers like those who were planting crop circles all over the place.
TTG
Just more of the same massive incompetence at federal and state levels.
Don’t drain the swamp, nuke it.
Remember the spy balloon and the drones over Norfolk and the worthless military did nothing.
But they all know their pronouns.
My knucklehead great grandson is dropping hints that he would look kindly to an FPV drone in his Christmas stocking. No way! If he’s anything like me when I was his age he’d be snooping around where he shouldn’t be.
leith,
Let him have the drone. It’s far better than what I did as youth. I built a black powder cannon to fire a sabot round consisting of a cement filled Ballantine beer can with a penetrator spike. I tested it. It worked. My intent was to fire it at tank cars of the chemical train going to the Naugatuck Chemical Plant. That plant and the US Rubber Plant destroyed the Naugatuck River. I was about to become an ecoterrorist. Luckily I thought better of the plan and just used it for target practice. Both plants eventually closed and the river was cleaned up. You can fly fish for trout and salmon there now.
TTG –
What kind of stovepipe did you use for that cannon and what range did you get?
As a youth I daydreamed of stopping the raw sewage that was discharged into the Merrimack. My grandfather had told me that he used to catch sturgeon and shad in that river when he was a boy. Too bad my experiment with a hydraulic cement plug was a bust. But I heard the fish are coming back now.
PS – I always thought the leader of the Monkey Wrench Gang and former green beret, George Washington Hayduke, was fictional. But perhaps he’s alive and well living in northeastern Virginia? But no worry, I won’t pass your name to the loggers up here in Washington state that are still hoping to wreak some vengeance on tree spikers.
leith,
I used two iron pipes, one inside the other made tight and solid with a new-fangled two part epoxy that my father got from Pratt & Whitney Aircraft. (He didn’t know what I was doing.) I still hid behind a tree or berm when I lit it off, remembering the stories of bursting cannons in the Civil War. It managed to penetrate steel plate at about 50 feet.
I always liked Hayduke’s line: “When the situation is hopeless, there’s nothing to worry about.” It’s the ultimate FIDO.
Supposedly the character was modeled on Viet green beret veteran turned environmentalist, Doug Peacock. He once took Arnold Schwarzenegger to get up close and personal with a grizzly sow and cub in Yellowstone.
PS – I bet a couple of those New Jersey drones are from newspaper or TV reporters. The Iranian drone motherships are reportedly both at anchor off of Bandar Abbas, despite claims otherwise.
https://x.com/MT_Anderson/status/1866943720567792064
I think you’ve got it about right. More likely a major exercise being conducted (albeit quietly) than an adversary attack, or techno-punks playing, or a criminal conspiracy that didn’t make the cut for a Bond flick. If only Alex Jones were allowed to explain it to us – how unfortunate.
Congress is concerned about what is causing this, and how to, if necessary, counter it:
“[2025] NDAA directs Pentagon’s UAP office to team with new counter-drone task force
The legislation would require the department’s All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office to liaise with a new “C-UAS Task Force.” ”
https://defensescoop.com/2024/12/10/uap-aaro-2025-ndaa-counter-uas-task-force/
“The conferenced version of the fiscal 2025 National Defense Authorization Act would require
the Pentagon office [AARO] charged with investigating unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP)
to partner with a new counter-drone task force that lawmakers want the U.S. military to establish.
…
The bill, released Saturday by the House and Senate Armed Services Committees,
includes provisions aimed at beefing up the Defense Department’s capabilities for detecting and defeating unmanned aerial systems —
which are a growing threat in the United States and abroad.
…
Section 925 of the NDAA would task the secretary of defense, no later than 30 days after the enactment of the legislation,
to establish or designate from existing organizations and personnel of the department
a “C-UAS Task Force.’’ “
For a look at various current and potential counter-drone technologies, see
https://thedebrief.org/why-the-mystery-drone-craze-is-a-legitimate-threat-a-look-into-counter-uas-gaps/
Skip over the part about Aaron Rodgers to get to the good part, e.g.:
“To combat the growing UAS threat, counter-drone technologies have evolved into a sophisticated field encompassing detection, tracking, and neutralization systems.
These technologies are broadly categorized into kinetic and non-kinetic solutions, each with unique advantages and challenges.
…”
For a review of various sightings and reports, see
https://thedebrief.org/mystery-drones-invading-new-jersey-airspace-are-keeping-officials-on-edge-as-feds-probe-for-answers/
I long for the day when the drone was only around for the purpose of impregnate the Queen Bee ( sort of like JayZ). I am sure that at some point we will know what and who is behind this. In the meantime, there will be much speculation. We get strange sightings here in Florida too, but they are usually from places like Ohio.
been visiting FL since the late ’50s. long been a serious competition for strangest sighting among natives, occasional occupiers & foreign delegations.
Whoever put this op into action deserves a commendation. Talk of Syria and HTS conquering the country has been driven of the legacy news front pages. Mission accomplished.
Surely there is a bird photographer with a camera and the huge telephoto lens in the area who could snap a closeup of the drone or alien craft;-)
Chinese man arrested for flying imaging drone over Space Force base:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/chinese-citizen-arrested-allegedly-flying-215702011.html?fr=yhssrp_catchall
Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ) says he has good intel that the drones are being launched from an Iranian ship off the NJ coast. The Pentagon says there is no Iranian ship. Seems like it should be easy enough to verify whether or not there is an Iranian vessel loitering within drone range of the coast. Why would Iran be interested in testing or deploying their drones over New Jersey? Why would anyone be?
The hell hasn’t anyone shot one down? If those things were flying around my property, at this point, with no one claiming ownership, I would most definitely explore what a mag full of 5.56mm green tip would do to a drone like that.
Eric –
https://x.com/MT_Anderson/status/1866943720567792064
Here’s another Eric:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTpYN70tZ6Y
Leith,
Sure. No doubt the freakin’ Iranians are our enemies and they have motherships and drones, but parked off the coast of NJ for days or weeks and flying drones all over inland areas?
Well, if the Iranians are really there, send some steroid super squids (SEALs) out there to get them. This is not complicated.
And, again, why has no one shot one of these things down?
Eric – you’re too smart to believe that we’d let them off our coast and use drones on us. Or maybe you believe it cuz some dumb-arse tin-foil-hat congressman said so?
Leith,
I AM saying that, 100%, no one can anchor a drone mothership off our coast without being detected. The congressman is a fool, as most all of them are.
However, drones could be launched from a passing cargo ship (or ships). The drones go on a one way trip inland where they are picked up – along with their cargo – by terrorists ensconced in towns along the coast.
If the drones are small enough and painted with the right reflective material, they won’t be picked up by radar. Radar is tuned to not pick up large birds or even flocks of them.
Eric –
Your cargo ship launch is possible. Although normally the Coast Guard tracks marine traffic and has a lot of details on offshore vessels, to include exact location, country of origin, last port, and next scheduled port. You and I can get that all that data via a civilian app. But surely the Coast Guard and the Navy have more precise tracking and info available.
As you mention, traditional radar is not built to track small drones. But supposedly the ARSR-4 radar in Gibbsboro NJ can. Reportedly it’s detection ability by small radar Radar Cross-Section (RCS) is:
”
• 1m²: 215 nautical miles (398 km)
• 0.5m²: 180 nautical miles (333 km)
• 0.1m²: 130 nautical miles (241 km)
• 0.01m²: 85 nautical miles (157 km)
• 0.001m²: 55 nautical miles (102 km)”
Yah, they’d have to lower the RCS filter gates, but doable. Low and slow is no good as it has a ‘look-down’ capability; and has MTI filters that allows it to detect and track objects moving as slow as 8 knots. It’s part of the USAF/FAA Joint Surveillance System.
https://bsky.app/profile/radioandnukes.teamosint.social/post/3ldcqqcuyfs2o
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Route_Surveillance_Radar
Leith,
Lots of possibilities here, outside of some weird covid-esque, tulip bulb market, witches cursing the village and Massons poisoning the wells mass hysteria.
I am beginning to solidify on the notion that some drones are cargo drones delivering weapons to scumbag bastards imbedded INCONUS and some drones are federal trying to detect nuclear material delivered by drones and now in possession of aforementioned scumbags, whether Islamic, Chinese or Russian origin (my guess is Islamic, but that is my bias).
My career barrier has always been imagination, which is antithetical to government and other bureaucratic organizations.
Enjoy your diversity = awesome, because falafel tastes good and woah dude like all people are the same, Northwest Coast, psychedelic, ecto-slugs, hippy BS, while it’s still fashionable, ideology.
Eric –
Your mass hysteria guess is a good call:
https://x.com/webflite/status/1868389934597369999/photo/1
Eric –
In addition to slugs I have bear, elk, black tail, king salmon, steelhead, six foot long sturgeon, oysters, and clams (incl steamers, razors and gigantic gooeyducks). No psychedelics here unless you count the Californians that come here ‘shrooming the dune pines for magical fungi; local cops just arrested a shroomer in November. No hippys here either. They’re in Seattle, four hours away. But yes, we have diversity; mostly Irish, Finns and other Scandinavians plus a few Mexicans imported by the fishpackers and oysterbarons for cheap labor.
Leith,
Sounds pretty nice – except for all the rain. I’m just chapping your hide a little bit, of course. I get it, the kooks are in the cities and country folk are always more solid. Actually, I think there is some value in the psilocybin mushrooms if used under the right conditions, for the right reasons, by the right people. I thought all of that was decriminalized in Washington state.
The drones – kind of like Covid. Yes there was a virus, just as there are drones. Yes, the virus could be fatal, like a bad flu, to those already medically compromised, but nothing on the scale that the hysteria would have people believe; just as there are some drones being used by nefarious actors and others tracking the nefariously deployed ones, but most sightings are nothing of concern. With covid, the hysterical reaction was worse/more damaging than the virus. We must be careful that the reaction to the drones doesn’t follow the same ill-advised course.
IMO, the real government drones are looking for radioactive signatures and other terrorist activities because there is some threat of “dirty” bombs or an actual nuclear bomb. No idea how serious the threat is. I also think that some foreign drones are gathering intelligence on US military installations.
As much as we have criminals and terrorists involved in high stakes operations, they will utilize drones. Even drug smugglers. It’s an obvious solution to various long-standing challenges to their operations. So people will see those drones and people will see the counter drones. I think the government needs to be more transparent about what is occurring. On the other hand, the people cannot be panicked by the revelation of the *possibility* of certain threats, like nuclear, because there is no way to handle the results of the panic; like millions fleeing NYC and NJ in abject fear of being irradiated or disintegrated. The bad guys have the US govt by the short hairs. The only solution is to find them, disrupt their plot(s), kick all possible support elements out of the country and make sure we don’t let new ones in.
12 ga full choke shotgun with #4 buck should do a job on a drone if flying below 40 yds
eh – 10 ga even better. Go big or go home.
In all of the euphoric comments about the effectiveness of Ukraine’s drone warfare, America is once again reaping what we have sown. Our adversaries are well educated by us, and we are shocked when it is used against us. Look at the Chinese who have compromised US cell phone companies. They learned well from the US, NSA, and the Five Eyes. God help us in our eagerness to teach others a lesson. They learn from the experience and turn it back on us. Galatians 6:7: “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap” (ESV).
Do not be surprised when swarms of UAVs start killing Americans. We started it with the MQ Reapers in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Africa; the Ukrainians have made it asymmetric, and now we reap the results. It is today’s version of Orson Welles’ October 1938 broadcast of H.G. Well’s War of the Worlds (https://www.thoughtco.com/war-of-the-worlds-radio-broadcast-1779286).
Max,
China invented gunpowder in the 8th century and made … fireworks. But they were a Leader(!) in gunpowder technology for 5 centuries; An American invented the telephone more than a century ago, but China….
Drones will do what their operators and programers tell them to do, maybe. Especially the human drones.
If I might go off topic, @AlMonitor is reporting “Syria’s Kurdish-led SDF withdrew from Manbij following a warning from the Biden administration that the US could not protect them if they did not relocate east of the Euphrates”.
We are now throwing the Kurds to the dogs because they have outlived their usefulness. As we always do.
James,
I suppose that’s one way to look at it. The US negotiated with Turkiye to evacuate the Kurds from Manbij rather than abandon them to increasing attacks from both Turkiye and their jihadi militias.
TTG,
Deutsche Welle, which reliably echoes White House talking points and is reliably onside with the US in its messaging, is now saying about the Syrian Democratic Forces “if you believe that a democracy can be ruled by a single party, if you believe that the GDR and the Soviet Union were democracies then you might believe that the PKK is a democratic movement”.
Here is the video so you can hear it for yourself:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5so9Lyb_i-Q
For 12 years Deutsche Welle has been lauding the SDF (sometimes referring to them as “the Kurds”) as heroic freedom fighters fighting for democracy, and two days after Al-Qaeda takes Damascus suddenly DW stops calling them the SDF and stops calling them “the Kurds”, and is now referring to them as the PKK and is comparing them to the Soviet Union.
I know that we have a history of throwing the Kurds under the bus but that did not take long at all.
Somebody on Reddit provided a great explanation. If these were really unidentified aircraft/drones, local air control would have published a NOTAM alerting aircraft in the area. Apparently, no NOTAMs related to this have been published which is a strong indication that these are either small, low flying drones that don’t require special approval and don’t present a danger to general aviation or larger drones that have gone through the system and got approval and are flying in their approved areas.
Apparently, one of areal mapping companies have been flying heavily in the area during the night, so while levels of air traffic are much lower. Their aircraft have been tracked on Flightradar24 flying what almost looks like a search pattern grid. The company also commonly uses drones, so it’s likely that they are doing some drone testing, possibly formation flying to get larger area coverage, and comparing drone data to full size airplane data.
voislav,
The FAA has had a NOTAM out on these drones since Dec 4.
https://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_4_1797.html
I Have read Extensive Storys at Both German and British News Site about
These Exact same typpe of Large Military Grade Drones and Similar Fixed Wing
Aircraft Flying All Over German Bases..factorys.
.And All other Types of Strategic
Areas…gas plants…power plants..areas where Ukraine soldiers train..
including Our Ramstein Airfield..All Beginning Again This Month After Many Previous Intrusions..
No One At Any Level or Area of Govermment…Military or Police Can Identify Them With Any Resouces Germany Has…They Only Fly at NIGHT Groups of
3 to 5…The Suspicion They Are the same Type Being Used Now in the United States..
and Are The Russian ORLAN-10 Being Used For Espionage..And Sabatoges
Preperation…Its Suspected They Are Launched From Artic Bases..
U.S. Army General Darryl Williams Is Quoted in the Daily Mirror About the Orlan-10
Russian Activity And With Much more Data and Video in that Story..
It Makes Sense The Russians are Upset About The Billion of Dollars and Military Assistance Given too Ukraine…And They Dont want These Stprys Published in the United States..
How drones are controlled:
No doubt there are more sophisticated ways,
but here is the basic garden-variety way for hobbyist drones:
https://netlinetech.com/how-drones-are-being-controlled-and-the-way-to-neutralise-them/
That seems like a natural target for SIGINT.
One wonders if NSA cannot figure out ways to intercept the communications between the drone and its controller,
and use that to determine the location of the controller.
Having looked at reports, there are real UFOs (e.g. non-terrestrial) and the government is obfuscating, for the good of the people, by flying a bunch of drones.
Also, stupid Biden admin. “These are no threat”
Then, “We don’t know what they are”
The two statements are not compatible. If you don’t know what it is, you don’t know whether or not it’s threat. So they are either lying about not knowing what they are – or just talking smack about not being a threat. That’s government for you, somewhere on the spectrum of incompetent to useless.
I still don’t understand why no one hasn’t shot one down. I’ve heard excuses, but no viable reason other being afraid of some government red tape causing an arrest, or something. Our enemies must be laughing at us harder than usual. Russian Tik Tok vids not needed to erode confidence in our elected and appointed officials.
New Data and Photographs.Gathered and Presented to The Media by
Oceon County New Jersey Sheriff Michael Mastonardy…Who Launched
The Departments Own Drone…To Search and Approach
The UFO Drones
Around His Area….They Detected 50 Drones Approaching New Jerseys
Coast from offshore and notified the coast guard…The Sheriff Drone Approached them and took Photographs.
The UFO Drones Had Strange Body Shapes as Large as a SUV…and Had 8 Foot Wing Spans…They had Bright Lights All Over Them with Five Very Bright Lights Glowing where the Cock Pit would Be…I Suspect All These Bright Flashing Lights are Used to Cloack The Actual Apperance of these Craft…The Sheriff Said His Drone could Not get a eat Signature off These UFO Drones..
The Coast Guard Then found 13 of them Approaching Shore…These Storys and Photos are Available with a Google Search…
Jim,
I saw that. No heat signature is disconcerting. Drones like this are expensive and there are a fair number of them. No hobbyist behind it. If legitimate commercial, I would think that the owner would, at this point, reveal that just to make sure his drones are not shot up, if not for the purpose of being a good citizen. Same with US government (unless they have some extremely nefarious and clever false flag or psyop underway). Again, why is the Coast Guard not shooting these things down? If no one is claiming ownership, then they are fair game. Worst that happens is they shoot down a legitimate drone and have to pay a few bucks to the owner.
Possible theory: what if these drones are being deployed as delivery vehicles? They are dropping weapons, explosives, chemical or nuclear material off to foreign fighters within the US. We know China is increasing pressure on Taiwan right now and we know that there are a lot of military age Chinese men who have come through the wide-open border. We know that the various jihadi groups + Iran have sworn to conduct Oct 7th type attacks on the US and to kill Trump (in the case of Iran). We know that there are a lot of those mofos in the country. Cargo ships could bring the drones within range of the US. The drones are assembled and loaded with presents for jihadis and then flown to jihadi pick-up points in the US. The drones do not fly in a straight line to their destination so as to obscure their true destination. Maybe the drones return to the ship to be loaded up for another delivery, or maybe they stay with the terrorists to be used in a future attack.
Then pranksters get involved further obfuscating the situation. There are also the usual false sightings, mistaken sightings and sightings of legitimate drones flown by the police and commercial entities.
The enemy has been probing military installations across the country for a while with drones, drivers (like at Quantico) and fence hoppers. Maybe connected.
Eric..Thank You..I Agree with your Thinking..I Spent all day Looking at Images of all Types and Sizes of Drones…And the Ones Described by The Sheriff Seem to Match The Heavy Lift Cargo Drones ..I Have Looked at some Images Photographed over New Jersey that Are Large and Have a similar Body……My Impression now is This Heavy lift Drone…..
is Similar the The Body of a C-130…with a Long Wide Flat Bottom..Nose..Cockpit area..The Types of Motors and Tail Configuration..Seem Well Camouflaged With all
the Bight Lighting..They are a Definite Stealth/Cargo aircraft,,
As For You Theorys about Their Intent and Application..Very Possible in Todays
World….I Found a Company that has Developed an Anti Infrared Fabric..That bsorbs and Refects back..NIR..SWIR..MWIR..and FIR Infrared Radiation..It Can Hide Temps to 1000 degrees..even a Helo Turbine… That Company Is Foreign. And a European Nation Air Force is using that IR Cloak Technology.
I Think Once They Reach Land..like New Jersey..Things change..You made me Think all These other Drones people see flying around..all Lite up..Making Loud Noises like a Harley Motor…Are all DIVERSIONS….So The Heavy Lifts Can Complete thier Missions…..Cloaked and undetected…
Thanks for to Feed Back..I Love the Research..Semper Fi..
Why not a nation-wide exercise conducted by the armed forces on how to run a vast dragnet using drones capable of picking up gamma radiation and perhaps sniff out other evidence traces, say, of a possible NBC attack (such as nerve gas) and including the interception of signals traffic which would be guiding such an attack by sleeper cells transporting a nuclear device on the move in a truck on the interstate? This explanation is mentioned on Twitter. Drones over Stafford, too!
Tidewater,
You mean like the old ‘Red Cell’ exercises? I thought about that too. However, I ruled it our because the sightings have taken place over a long time period and over a wide geographic area – and involve so many drones. I don’t see the need for such a prolonged and extensive effort. Most of the testing of the tech would be done at some proving grounds, away from the populace. Then, maybe just a final proof of concept with a red cell team in the role of terrorists, running around Newark hiding material in real urban environments with the drones attempting to find it. I think it would be limited to a small area, say a few city blocks, but who knows? Maybe they want the exercise to be as realistic as possible. The drones probing military installations could be a red cell different operation, though that also doesn’t fully make sense to me. We all know a drone can be flown over a military installation. It seems like there has been no effort to neutralize, take control of, shoot down or otherwise capture the drones. So what is the point of the exercise? To demonstrate the vulnerability? Ok – but these probes have been happening for a while – like two or three years, at least. I’d think that by now the vulnerability is demonstrated and some kind of counter would have been deployed, in which case we wouldn’t be hearing about the probes because the counter defeats the drone and it is discovered that it is ours, everyone is debriefed and goes out and has a beer.
Eric,
Good points.
One thing that bothers me about my little theory is that the Pentagon says the drones are not military. This makes me think that we might soon be learning about some three-letter agency we never really noticed before, which could be civilian but closely linked to the military, and which amazingly has a drone air force. I am wondering about the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). Who are they? There is also the National Reconnaissance Office. I just think the government must be running this thing, ’cause everything is a bit too copacetic for it not to be.
Tidewater,
You make good points too. “National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). Who are they? There is also the National Reconnaissance Office.” I hadn’t thought about that.
Eric Newhill,
The NGA is just an amalgamation of the old Defense Mapping Agency (DMA) and the National Photographic Interpretation Center (NPIC) originally called the National Imagery and Mapping Agency. When James Clapper took over, he lobbied to have the name changed to NGA because he wanted to be in charge of a three letter agency again. They would be a major user of imaging and sensing drones. The NRO is just satellites.
There is an extensive discussion of the old DMA here:
“The Defense Mapping Agency, 1972-1996”
https://www.nga.mil/history/Defense_Mapping_Agency_-_The_Legacy_Endures.html
Those who lived in Washington then may recall seeing its HQ on a major road (Macarthur Blvd?) in Bethesda, MD.
Regarding NGA:
There is an amusing anecdote, I believe in Clapper’s memoir,
that the natural proposal was to call it NGIA.
But that was shot down when it was considered how that would be pronounced.
“Joint Staff Addresses Drones Over New Jersey Military Installations”
2024-12-14
https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/4002374/joint-staff-addresses-drones-over-new-jersey-military-installations/
“The spokesperson said that the military has “limited authorities” when it comes to conducting investigations off of military installations in the United States,
and is also prohibited from conducting intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations in the United States which might be used to determine the origins of who might be flying the drones.
But the spokesperson also said those military installations have good relations with local law enforcement, who can conduct investigations off the installation.”
Keith,
I’ve seen that reasoning repeated in many forums. I don’t buy it. Try driving a car through the fence of any military installation. You’re going to end up with guns pointed at you and if you get too froggy, you might get shot. Well, a drone, to my thinking at least, is the full equivalent of driving through the fence. While it’s over the installation it could be captured or shot down, just like you in your car.
“DHS, FBI, FAA & DoD Joint Statement on Ongoing Response to Reported Drone Sightings”
Dec. 17, 2024
https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/4006538/dhs-fbi-faa-dod-joint-statement-on-ongoing-response-to-reported-drone-sightings/
“Having closely examined the technical data and tips from concerned citizens,
we assess that the sightings to date include a combination of lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones, and law enforcement drones,
as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and stars mistakenly reported as drones.
We have not identified anything anomalous …”
Keith,
Well I, for one, am relieved to know these are not the drones we are looking for.
On the topic of UFOs something from our local news. Two days ago a bunch of airline pilots called in reports over Oregon of something strange.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCm_0dsMxg0
Sure, nothing to see here folks. It’s just some swamp gas or Venus.
Now get back in line for your tenth Covid “vaccine” booster so you don’t contract and spread the virus. Feel free to graze on the lawn while you wait your turn.
The Fact is..The Proof….Chinese Agents have been Caught and Arrested Flying
Drones over Restricted Spaces inside the United States…and are Known for Spy Networking..and Recruiting and Buying Thousands of Farm acres..some Close to Top Secret Military and RnD Locations..They are Masters at Hacking..and Gathering Data..
without Detection..
The Known Reliable Fact is..The Ocean County Sheriff..New Jersey..Put up His Department Drone This Week…It Located 50 Large Drones Approaching Shore from
out in the Atlantic…They were described as SUV size..Fixed Wing..UFO Drones..and about 8 Foot Wings…No Signatures Obtained…Several Followed a Coast Guard Ship into Shore..That has Been Reported Before..Following Coast Guard Ships..Why ..???
I Have to Reason that these Drones are Assembled on a Cargo Ship Off Shore..
and flown off before the Pilots of Customs arrive. There Cannot be any Hobbyist
or Civilian Application..In This Case..
I Recently also Did Research on ..RC Model Airplanes…and Found Several Large
C 130 models…that Often Come in 3vParts..so Wings and Fuselage Detach…
Some of these Models..Costing close to $1000 Dollars…Can Take off…Fly Long Distances…The Controller can Open the Back Cargo Door…Turn on The Interior
Light…and Drop a Payload of Candy to The Kids up to Ten Pounds..
I Dont Know any thing about RC..But Wonder if even Bigget Models with 8 Foot Wings..
Bigger Fuselages..Better Motors and Batterys Could Be Built…Are RC Frequencys Different from Standard rones…There is No Limit to the Spy Ware and Electronic and Cameras you Could Put On These…And The Chinese are Excellent..And You all Know it..
Thier Ship Yards can Build 240 Navy Ships..While we Build 1.ONE…..As I Write ”Our Navy is Preparing To DEcom and Destroy Another Los Angeles Class Fast Attack Submarine..the USS Topeka…along with many other types of perfectly good Missle Ships…Why…??? Oh…Yes..I. CIC..We Have Fence scrap to sell Too..Prioritys..
What actually happened. 🙂
https://x.com/TheKrazyKat/status/1868683105739092388
Watch Trump’s mannerisms, as well as what he says:
https://youtu.be/q5VbSul_364
“Our military knows and our president knows.”
Keith Harbaugh,
Trump doesn’t know. If he did, he would have surely made a big deal out of it at the press conference. He doesn’t know what the military knows either.
There are definitely drones out there. Two hobby/commercial drones were already found. It was just recently that the FAA changed their rule to allow night drone flying. A lot of the sightings do turn out to be aircraft and one turned out to be the stars in the belt of Orion. Hysteria is running rampant.
the Admiral…of McHales Navy..Says Public News ..NO Problem Here..All Legal Aircraft…All Legal..Planes…Police Traffic…Sports..Hobbyist…No Problem…Just 3000 x Normal Traffic…Of New..Unidentified Hobbyist…Over Nite…ans No Thought if 3000
Hobbyist are Iranian…or Sputniks..or Soy Sauce..Deliverys..Yes..
.All Legal..and All Super Lighted Like the Fourth of July..in the ..Sky..Waiting For Santas Convoy..in Ambush…Mr. Bud Wiser.. Admiral Mac…
I Research German and UK News for Real Data With Photos..Far Superior”like the UKs..Daily Mirror story ..Search UK Daily Mirror..Russian Drones.. Its Up There..
and Makes Sense…Even Active Russian Sleeper Cells..Remembor Those Days..FBI.?
Real SPY News with Documentation..Facts and FotosLand..Air..and SEA
.Russian Operations..Russian Spy Ships..Launching Minatures Sub/..And Drones..Most Near Strategic Communication Underwater Cables…Non Stop Spying..Probing..Plottimg..and MONITORING The Locations and Movements..of US..UK Nuclear Weapon’s…and Missles..including Trident…As The Russians Have Done..and ARE Doing Now…Since We are on Active THREAT Footing…Growing Daily.. But..We are Inferior to the British..Our Agencys..Cant handle the Truth..
jim
Larry Johnson has interesting comments here:
https://sonar21.com/what-are-we-to-make-of-the-mysterious-drone-activity-over-the-united-states/
He presents several possible explanations for what is happening.