With drone sightings becoming a common event across the New York and New Jersey areas, the federal government has decided to deploy a drone detection system to assist local and state authorities. According to X post of Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York announced the deployment, stating, "In response to my calls for additional resources, our federal partners are sending a drone detection system to New York." This move comes amid heightened concerns from both states' officials and residents about the numerous drone sightings, some of which have prompted temporary shutdowns of airspaces, including Stewart International Airport in New York.
In response to my calls for additional resources, our federal partners are sending a drone detection system to New York.
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) December 15, 2024
I am grateful for the support, but we need more. Congress must pass a law that will give us the power to deal directly with the drones.
As the sightings spread to other East Coast states, the mystery deepens, with federal authorities repeatedly stating that the drones do not pose a security threat. Nevertheless, they don't seem to fully grasp where these drones are coming from or who is behind them. In an attempt to be proactive, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas advised Congress to "quickly act" to extend and expand the FAA's current drone-countering authorities which are set to expire soon. "There's no question that people are seeing drones," Mayorkas said in an interview on ABC's This Week, as reported by NPR.
While the federal assistance includes technology and personnel, there is a push from officials for further action. "This has gone too far," Gov. Hochul remarked, according to ABC7NY. In addition to the detection systems, there is a strong call for the passage of the Counter-UAS Authority Security, Safety, and Reauthorization Act. Sen. Charles Schumer was quoted stressing the urgency: "If the tech exists for a drone to make it to the sky, there is definitely tech to determine what these are and what the heck is going on."
Further highlighting the tension, NPR reported Rep. Jim Himes, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, expressing frustration. "There's a lot of us who are pretty frustrated right now," Himes told Fox News Sunday. "We don't know' is not a good enough answer," he added, positioning the sentiment shared by many officials on the lack of clear information regarding the drone activities.
The deployments and legislative initiatives are responses to incidents like the one that closed Stewart International Airport's runways and suspended air traffic at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, as unmanned aerial systems were reported in the vicinity of and over the bases. These interruptions, while not unprecedented, underscore the importance of the proposed expansions of authority to counter potential risks presented by drones. However, as a Pentagon spokesperson also conveyed, the drones continue to "frustrate" the Department of Defense, largely due to limited investigative authorities.
NJ Governor Phil Murphy also chimed in on the issue, expressing surprise over the lack of comprehensive federal insight into the drone flights. Murphy might be traveling to Washington D.C. to seek more information and advocate for increased federal resources to tackle the drone sightings that have both perplexed and perturbed the local population.
