The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a one-month ban on drone operations in certain areas of New Jersey, unless operators receive special permission from the government due to “special security reasons”.
This comes as dozens of night-time drone sightings have been reported across New Jersey and other states along the eastern coast of the US over the last several weeks.
The sightings have occurred in residential areas as well as near a military research and manufacturing facility, causing panic among local residents and sparking various conspiracy theories about their origins.
The FBI, Department of Homeland security, and other government agencies and officials have repeatedly said that there is no evidence of a threat to public safety.
On Wednesday, the FAA implemented temporary flight restrictions prohibiting drones that have not been authorized by the government in parts of New Jersey. The ban will remain in effect until 17 January and is in effect for areas including Bridgewater, Cedar Grove, North Brunswick, Metuchen, Evesham, Elizabeth, Jersey City and more.
The restrictions state that no unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) are allowed to operate within one nautical mile of the specified airspace, including from the ground up to 400ft above ground level.
Pilots who do not comply with these restrictions may be intercepted, detained, and questioned by law enforcement or security personnel, according to the Notice to Air Mission statement.
The government may also use “deadly force” against the drones if they pose an “imminent security threat” it adds.
Since reports of drones started coming in, the FBI set up a hotline to address the drone sightings, and have said that they are looking into and investigating the reports.
Federal agencies also deployed advanced detection technology to the regions where the drones are being spotted as well as trained visual observers.
Of the over 5,000 reported sightings so far, about 100 required further investigation, the federal bureau said. A Department of Homeland Security official echoed previous statements from federal agencies, stating again this week that there is no evidence of a threat to public safety.
On Tuesday, the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense, and Federal Aviation Administration issued a joint statement, stating that after examining “the technical data and tips from concerned citizens” they “assess that the sightings to date include a combination of lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones, and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and stars mistakenly reported as drones”.
The agencies noted there are over one million drones registered with the FAA in the US, and that thousands of commercial, hobbyist and law enforcement drones fly in the sky lawfully on any given day.
“We have not identified anything anomalous and do not assess the activity to date to present a national security or public safety risk over the civilian airspace in New Jersey or other states in the northeast,” the statement reads.
The agencies also addressed concerns about drone sightings over military facilities, including restricted airspace, which have sparked local worries and stirred up conspiracy theories online.
“Such sightings near or over DoD installations are not new” the agencies said. “DoD takes unauthorized access over its airspace seriously and coordinates closely with federal, state, and local law enforcement authorities, as appropriate.”
“Local commanders are actively engaged to ensure there are appropriate detection and mitigation measures in place,” they stated.
The agencies acknowledged community concerns about drone sightings and pledged to continue to support state and local authorities “with advanced detection technology and support of law enforcement”.
They also urged Congress to enact counter-drone legislation that would “extend and expand existing counter-drone authorities to identify and mitigate any threat that may emerge”.
On Wednesday, the US Senate reportedly rejected a proposal to fast-track a bill, supported by Chuck Schumer, the Democratic Senate majority leader, and others, that Schumer says would expand government authority to conduct drone detection among other things.
Republican Senator Rand Paul blocked the measure, Reuters reported, arguing it would give the government excessive surveillance power and that Congress should not rush into legislation.
This week, Joe Biden addressed public concerns regarding the increase in reports of sightings of drones and other aerial objects in the skies, stating that there was nothing alarming about the increased reports.
“Nothing nefarious apparently, but they’re checking it all out,” the president told reporters. “We’re following this closely, but so far, no sense of danger.”
John Kirby, the White House national security communications adviser, has also said that the drones are not a national security or public safety risk.
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