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“Mystery continues to swirl after nearly a month of drone sightings over New Jersey, sparking fear among residents and furious debate about what the flying objects are - and if they are drones at all. US authorities have been unable to provide definitive answers, saying only that the objects are not believed to pose a danger to the public or national security… “On Thursday, White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters that available images suggested that many of the reported drone sightings were actually manned aircraft. But on Sunday, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said some of the sightings were in fact of drones, as well as manned aircraft commonly mistaken for drones. He added that he knows of ‘no foreign involvement’ linked to the drone sightings.” BBC
Both sides worry that the US is vulnerable to hostile activity involving drones:
“Since the late 1940s, the U.S. considered itself adequately in control of 2.4 billion cubic miles of continental airspace (that is, up to 750 miles in altitude) if one condition prevailed: It could establish early warning of approaching aircraft or ballistic missiles. Now drones can be launched and controlled by foreign agents within our borders. They can also be controlled remotely from outside the country…
“A serious country would have gotten serious after a one-ton Chinese spy balloon was tracked over the U.S. for days last year. Instead a realistic discussion was sidelined by a Biden White House statement saying it had no evidence that aliens were involved.”
Holman W. Jenkins, Jr., Wall Street Journal
“New Jerseyans — like all Americans — don’t want others snooping in their private affairs, whether via mysterious flying video cameras hovering over their patios, data brokers scooping up their health and location data, or old-fashioned Peeping Toms. We don’t like it when other people invade our privacy — and for good reason… our privacy matters a great deal…
“Hopefully, we'll get to the bottom of this mystery soon. But at the very least, the New Jersey drone mystery should be a wake-up call. We need our elected officials to act thoughtfully to protect our privacy against new technological threats, aerial and otherwise. No matter who is operating these drones, they are at best an off-putting nuisance and at worst a violation of our right to privacy.”
Neil Richards, MSNBC
“There are genuine domestic security concerns about the proliferation of drones. More than 1.7 million drones are registered for commercial and recreational use in the United States, and it’s not hard to imagine some of them being employed for espionage or even terrorist attacks. In November, the FBI arrested an alleged white supremacist who was charged with plotting to use a drone loaded with explosives to attack a power station in the Nashville area…
“No one wants to see enforcement agencies shooting at random objects in the sky — especially if they mistake a manned aircraft for a drone. But there are many non-kinetic approaches to defeating drones, such as radio-frequency jammers and even cyberweapons that can take control of drones from their operators… If the New Jersey drone scare does prompt congressional action against this growing potential threat, it will have achieved something worthwhile.”
Max Boot, Washington Post
“America’s got a drone problem. Some are actually airplanes. Some drones are legal and no threat to you and me. Some are flown by drug cartels dropping off fentanyl in San Diego. Gen. Greg Guillot, Commander, U.S. Northern Command, told the Senate more than 1,000 drones per month cross the southern border. Other drones belong to the police, or to the military. Don’t forget the NYPD has 110 drone operators qualified by the FAA…
“But without question, the U.S. is vulnerable to a national security threat from drones in a way we’ve never experienced before. While many U.S. military installations have anti-drone systems, the rest of the country doesn’t. A new plan for countering drones in U.S. airspace should be top priority for President-elect Trump’s incoming Cabinet.”
Rebecca Grant, Fox News
Other opinions below.
“Drones are just by their nature really hard to detect, track, and intercept. Their small size makes them hard to see from a distance, and the fact that they generally fly less than 400 feet off the ground means that they’re often hidden by trees, hills, and buildings…
“The FAA requires drones registered with the agency to be equipped with a technology called Remote ID that broadcasts a signal which allows its operator to be identified. But detecting that signal requires equipment that most people don’t have. And the system only works if people willingly take part…
“A few weeks ago, a drone detection system at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California picked up an unregistered drone flying overhead. They were only able to track it down because base personnel noticed a Chinese national named Yinpiao Zhou, spoke to him, and found the drone hidden in his jacket that contained photos of the base.”
Jeff Wise, New York Magazine
“Given the recent history of the Biden administration’s leadership, one must seriously wonder whether any government official would be honest with the people if the drones were a threat. After all, this administration was less than candid about a Chinese spy balloon that traveled halfway across the country before the government took action or told the public what it was…
“Biden has directed this country to spend billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine, sending weapons, defense systems, and other defense devices to help a foreign country, yet the United States cannot even protect itself from aerial espionage…
“The U.S. is supposed to be the preeminent country in the world with the most advanced technology, military, weapons, and national defense. The presence of these drones and the lack of knowledge of where they are from are truly unacceptable and a national embarrassment.”
Christopher Tremoglie, Washington Examiner
How Pesto the Penguin will celebrate Christmas.
Woman's Day
