White House national security spokesman John Kirby took heat from New Jersey lawmakers for downplaying the drone threat after repeat sightings – including one at a U.S. Navy facility hours after he briefed reporters.
Kirby, a retired Navy admiral, said at the White House Thursday that there was no evidence that a series of drone sightings posed a national security threat, and even said many of the aircraft appeared to be manned.
The latest encounter came at a Naval Weapons Station Earle in New Jersey, where there ‘at least’ two confirmed drone sightings.
‘While no direct threats to the installation have been identified, we can confirm at least two instances of an unidentified drone entering the airspace above Naval Weapons Station Earle,’ according to a statement issued by the base, which posts a long pier to supply U.S. warships with munitions.
‘The base remains prepared to respond to any potential risks, leveraging robust security measures and advanced detection capabilities. We encourage members of the community to report any suspicious activity near the base to local law enforcement,’ it said.
New Jersey Assemblyman Brian Bergen (R) tore into Kirby for his latest explanation. ‘That guy is an idiot. That I can tell you right now,’ the former U.S. Army helicopter pilot told Fox News Thursday evening.
‘Naval Weapons Station Earle confirmed this morning that there were unmanned aerial drones above their facilities, and that’s a fact, New Jersey Assemblyman Paul Kinatra told CNN.
‘And we were told in our briefing that they were over Picatinny Arsenal as well just a couple days ago,’ he said.
Describing the function of Naval Station Earle, he said it was a place ‘where some very serious machinery and ordnance is based on.
‘And that’s on the heels of coming out of my district, the coast guard cutter that was trailed by about 12 drones and was harassing their crew, and they confirmed that to us as well. so there’s very real incidence of this occurring.’
The base says it provides ‘shore services and infrastructure that enable the deployment of lethal forces over the horizon.’
The pushback came after the White House provided an odd response to a string of reported drone sightings over New Jersey.
Kirby was pressed about a lawmaker’s claim the drones could be from an ‘Iranian mothership.’
But Kirby said they’re not foreign, and they may not even be drones.
‘We have no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or a public safety threat or have a foreign nexus,’ Kirby told reporters Thursday.
Kirby addressed the matter after New Jersey Rep. Jeff Van Drew said the repeat activity could be from an Iranian ‘mothership’ offshore, as federal and local agencies have fielded reports of drone sightings.
The White House shot down the idea of foreign direction and sought to assuage anxiety, even while failing to offer a full explanation of what was going on. Instead, Kirby said there was ‘no malicious activity’ and that there were no ‘confirmed sightings’ inside restricted airspace.
‘The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI are investigating these sightings, and they’re working closely with the state and local law enforcement to provide resources using numerous detection methods to better understand their origin,’ Kirby said.
He said the agencies used ‘very sophisticated electronic detection technologies’ but ‘have not been able to – and neither state or local law enforcement – corroborate any of the reported visual sightings.’
‘To the contrary, upon review of available imagery, it appears that many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft being operated lawfully,’ he said, denying the aircraft were even drones.
He said the Coast Guard is providing support and ‘confirmed that there is no evidence of any foreign based involvement from coastal vessels. And importantly, there are no reported or confirmed drone sightings in any restricted airspace,’ he said – amid concerns about a nearby military base.
He said the administration takes ‘seriously the threat that can be posed by unmanned aircraft systems, which is why law enforcement and other agencies continue to support New Jersey and investigate the reports, even though they have uncovered no malicious activity or intent at this particular stage.’
The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI put out a joint statement Thursday saying that there is no national security risk.
‘We have no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or public safety threat or have a foreign nexus,’ the statement reads.
With the drone story taking off online and filling time on cable news, Kirby also appeared to raise doubts about the footage being circulated.
‘I’m not aware that we have U.S. Government-produced imagery ourselves,’ he said, adding that the government had done ‘thorough analysis of the existing imagery.’
He made one legislative pitch, seeking authority from Congress to ‘extend and expand existing counter drone authorities’ – although there is no predicting how long it could take to pass such a law.
Pressed by a Fox News reporter on how he could guarantee there was no security threat, with objects as large as bicycles or cars reported over populated areas, Kirby responded that ‘the analysis thus far in an investigation that is ongoing has not revealed any national security or criminal activity.’ Then he offered a remidner that ‘we’re at the beginning here, not the end.’
Democratic senators from New York and New Jersey have written the administration seeking answers, and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy posted that he spoke to Homeland Security Advisor Liz Sherwood-Randall ‘to discuss my concerns over the federal government’s response.’
The sightings date to mid November, and include FAA reports of sightings near Morris County. ‘Witnesses have spotted the cluster of what look to be drones and a possible fixed wing aircraft,’ the FBI field office in Newark said December 3rd.
They have even sparked calls for a ‘state of emergency’ and that they be shot down. There are even theories they are of Russian origin.
The Coast Guard has reported ‘multiple low-altitude aircraft’ being observed near one of its vessels near Island Beach State Park.’
They have also been sighted near President-elect Donald Trump’s Bedminster, New Jersey golf course, and near the Picatinny Arsenal research facility.
The Picatinny Arsenal PD confirmed 11 reports of what was called drone activity during evenings over a period of days between November 13 and December 6.
Van Drew accused the Pentagon of being ‘incredibly stupid and incredibly weak’ when it comes to addressing the drones.
‘I had credible individuals who have high security ratings, and they came to me and again, these are dependable, credible individuals that have security clearance that felt they wanted to clear the air,’ Van Drew told Fox News on Thursday.
‘They were in essence whistleblowers and said look, they believe there’s a real possibility it could be Iran,’ the lawmaker insisted.
‘There could be a ship out. Not right on the coast of New Jersey, not right there, but these drones as sighted by the coast guard are coming in and out of the ocean,’ he continued.
It came one day after Van Drew make the jaw-dropping claim point blank that his sources said Iran had launched a ‘mothership’ about a month ago where the drones are based, and it’s now stationed off the coast.
Van Drew argued Thursday the U.S. is not being told the truth and the American public are being treated as ‘stupid.’
His accusations came in response to the Pentagon, which shot down his initial claim almost immediately Wednesday afternoon.
‘There’s no Iranian ship off the coast of the United States, and there’s no so-called “mothership” launching drones toward the United States,’ said Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh.
She reiterated the Pentagon does not believe the drones are coming from a foreign adversary but also stated they are not U.S. military drones.
‘The government claims it’s not them. They say it’s not them, so who is it?’ Van Drew asked Thursday.
The GOP lawmaker claimed the drones are not the ‘backyard drones’ of a hobbyist and more sophisticated than those commercially available.
He said the U.S. needs some real answers, but when asked to respond directly to the Pentagon rejecting his Iran claim, Van Drew expanded his accusations.
‘These drones very well could be launched from a ship,’ he insisted. ‘It could be hundreds of miles out at sea. These types of drones go much greater distances.’
‘So there is a real possibility. Could it be China? Absolutely. Could it be something else? It sure could,’ he said.
Van Drew said ‘they don’t know what it is, what it’s about. They haven’t taken one down to analyze it.’
He said even if officials give more information, it’s ‘a month too late.’
But the Pentagon was not the only one to dismiss the lawmaker’s ‘mothership’ claims.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy also slammed Van Drew’s original comments about the drones coming from Iran as a ‘wild assertation.’
He noted the FBI said there was zero evidence to support Van Drew’s original claim.
‘I’m not sure what he’s been watching lately, but he might want to watch the news,’ Murphy responded in a radio interview with WNYC.
He has been in contact with the White House over the situation. The governor said he understands people are frustrated and called it a top priority.
The FBI and local and state officials have been investigating the mysterious drone sightings that witnesses have spotted on numerous occasions.
Residents have noted the unexplained cluster of ‘drones’ and a possible fixed wing aircraft for several weeks which have sparked concerns as they have been seen flying over sensitive locations, such as military instillations.
A top FBI official told House lawmakers on Tuesday that they still do not know where the drones are coming from or who is responsible for them.
But he did note some of the drones are believed to be bigger than those commercially available.