The White House continues to try to appease the debate over a series of suspected drone sightings on the US East Coast. The data and tips from concerned citizens are being examined as thoroughly as possible, said John Kirby, communications director for the National Security Council.
The analyzes so far have shown that there was a “combination of legal commercial drones, hobby drones and law enforcement drones as well as manned aircraft, helicopters and even stars,” explained Kirby. He stressed that no “anomalies” had been identified and that there was no risk to national or public security at this time.
Reports and discussions about sightings of suspected drones in the skies over the US East Coast have been circulating for days. Video footage of mysterious bright lights is spreading rapidly on social media, sparking speculation.
Trump: “The government knows what’s going on”
Shortly before Kirby’s statement, US President-elect Donald Trump called on the incumbent government of Joe Biden to be more transparent with regard to sightings of suspected drones. “The government knows what’s going on. Our military knows where they launched from,” Trump said at a news conference in Florida, without explaining how he came to that claim.
Kirby: More than a million legally registered drones
Kirby rejected Trump’s allegations. One tries to communicate “to the best of one’s knowledge and belief, as openly and directly as possible.” However, it is important not to fuel speculation. He pointed out that there are more than a million drones legally registered in the United States, with “thousands” of them flying every day for various purposes.
The current reporting is now leading to “more and more people looking to the sky,” reporting information to the authorities and taking video recordings, Kirby continued. It often turns out that several people have perceived the same objects from different perspectives. Of the around 5,000 tips received, the authorities only classified around 100 as actually relevant to the audit.
Trump said he had canceled a trip there because of drone sightings near his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. When asked about this, Kirby said he didn’t know what to say, but pointed out that the area was closed airspace anyway. It is therefore illegal to operate manned or unmanned aircraft there without authorization.
