Rep. Jeff Van Drew accused the Pentagon on Thursday of hiding the truth about mysterious drones spotted near military sites in New Jersey.
The Allegations and Denials
Defense officials balked on Wednesday at the New Jersey Republican’s unsubstantiated claims that car-size drones flying around the state were coming from an Iranian “mothership.” The back and forth underscores how drones, once the play toy of amateur photographers, are fast becoming a national security concern.
“We aren’t being told the truth,” Van Drew responded Thursday on Fox News. “They are dealing with the American public like we’re stupid.”
The Pentagon denied Van Drew’s claim that the drones were launched by foreign invaders. “There is no Iranian ship off the coast of the United States, and there’s no so-called mothership launching drones towards the United States,” said Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh. She did not say whether officials know why a drone or drones are suddenly hovering over New Jersey.
Van Drew on Thursday appeared to soften his assertion, saying sources indicated there was a “real possibility it could be Iran, that it could be a ship.” He also said the drones could be Chinese.
He described his sources as people with security clearances who were “in essence, whistleblowers.” He provided no evidence for his claims.
Potential Threats and Technology
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy also rejected Van Drew’s idea. “I’m not sure what he’s been watching lately, but he might want to watch the news,” he said. “Israel has decapitated Iran, and we have, through economic sanctions … So let’s not try to fear monger this. Let’s try to honestly put our heads down with a sense of urgency, based on facts, and try to figure this out together.”
The drones are up to “six feet in diameter,” and impossible to detect by monitoring radio frequencies, said New Jersey Assemblymember Dawn Fantasia on X, describing a briefing given by law enforcement.
The difficulty identifying the drones via radio frequency monitoring could suggest sophisticated or modified equipment.
While security officers can normally monitor radio frequencies for the signal between a drone and its controller, drone operators in Ukraine have developed innovative ways for controlling drones without this tell-tale signal, including by controlling drones through fiber-optic cable. There’s no indication, though, that this drone came from Ukraine.
Global Concerns
The sightings in New Jersey follow reports of unknown drones flying over U.S. military installations in Virginia and Great Britain.
