DOD poised to respond if unidentified drones over New Jersey ‘escalate to threaten’ military assets
U.S. government and military officials determined that the mysterious, unauthorized drones spotted over New Jersey since late November do not at this point threaten national security or public safety. However, Pentagon and military components are staying on top of those still-emerging reports, and they’re prepared for the case of an escalation where they’re asked to respond, several officials told DefenseScoop on Thursday.
“U.S. Northern Command conducted a deliberate analysis of the events, in consultation with other military organizations and interagency partners, and at this time we have not been requested to assist with these events. If these incidents require additional [Department of Defense] assistance, the Secretary of the Military Department or relevant DOD component head concerned can coordinate with [the command] for an enhanced or increased response,” a Northcom spokesperson said in an email.
They pointed to the FBI and Department of Homeland Security, from which officials revealed on Thursday that they’re supporting New Jersey law enforcement in the ongoing investigations.
To date though, the agencies “have not corroborated any of the reported visual sightings with electronic detection,” according to a joint statement they shared with FedScoop and DefenseScoop.
As the Pentagon implements a newly unveiled classified counter-drone plan, reports and videos have been shared widely online over the last few weeks of what appear to be drones of different shapes and sizes (and groups of such craft) above multiple locations around New Jersey — including a U.S. military munitions facility.
“Naval Weapons Station Earle is aware of the recent reports of drone sightings across New Jersey and continues to closely coordinate with federal and state agencies to ensure the safety of our personnel and operations. 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,” a public affairs officer for the installation told DefenseScoop.
They said that, right now, members of the community should report any suspicious activity near the base to local law enforcement — not federal agencies.
Meanwhile, certain personnel based at the Naval weapons hub remain “prepared to respond to any potential risks, leveraging robust security measures and advanced detection capabilities,” according to the NWS Earle official.
They declined to elaborate on any features of those mechanisms the base is now implementing.
“For security reasons, we do not discuss force protection capabilities or procedures,” the official said.
Separately, the Northcom spokesperson confirmed that command officials are “aware and monitoring the reports of unauthorized drone flights in the vicinity of military installations in New Jersey to include Picatinny Arsenal and Naval Weapons Station Earle.” The two facilities are known to house advanced munitions and other crucial military assets.
Spokespersons from Picatinny Arsenal did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday.
In conjunction with interagency partners, Northcom is continuing to steadily assess new information as it flows in or fresh incidents are recorded.
The command “is prepared to respond when asked or should the situation escalate to threaten any DOD installations,” the spokesperson told DefenseScoop.
At a White House briefing earlier on Thursday, U.S. National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby repeatedly emphasized that his team has “no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or a public safety threat or have a foreign nexus.”
As commander-in-chief, President Joe Biden would “issue the appropriate directives to not only law enforcement — but perhaps, even the military,” if he was supplied with new information that demonstrated any associated drone activities posed a threat to national security or public safety, Kirby said. He, as well as the officials who spoke to DefenseScoop, did not directly answer questions about whether the government is aware of any sources controlling the drones, and who they are.
Kirby broadly rebuffed claims previously put forth by lawmakers that some of the aircraft were observed maneuvering over critical infrastructure and sensitive government locations.
“While there is no known malicious activity occurring, the reported sightings there do, however, highlight a gap in authorities. So, we urge Congress to pass important legislation that will extend and expand existing counter-drone authorities, so that we are better prepared to identify and mitigate any potential threats to airports or other critical infrastructure, and so that state and local authorities are provided all the tools that they need to respond to such threats,” he said.
A DOD spokesperson could not immediately respond to DefenseScoop’s request for more information regarding whether the Pentagon’s All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) is participating in the interagency effort to make sense of the drones — or if any of the systems reported in the state so far are categorized as “unidentified anomalous phenomena,” also known as UAP.
