Update: Penatagon Denies Congressman’s Claims Of Drone Source
Congressman cited ‘qualified, responsible’ sources.
Iran’s Shahid Bagheri drone carrier.
U.S. Representative Jefferson Van Drew (R-NJ 2nd District) today called for shooting down the drones that have been flying over New Jersey and parts of New York, claiming he has “credible evidence” they are being launched and operated from an Iranian “mothership” off the East Coast. The Pentagon has quickly denied Van Ness’s claims.
Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said today there was “no evidence” that the drones were connected with Iran, nor that there was an Iranian ship dispatching drones to cover New Jersey. She said, “There is not any truth to that. 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.”
Presumably, Van Ness was referring to the Shahid Bagheri, a converted container ship drone carrier that was reported to have likely left its port in Iran as of November 28. Its current whereabouts are unclear, but the Pentagon statement discounts speculation that the ship is involved in the current drone mystery.
Van Drew, a 71-year-old dentist who has served in the House since 2019, wrote a letter to President Biden in which he urged him to “act quickly.” He wrote, “I propose flight restrictions be placed over the New Jersey airspace and an order be given to neutralize any drone aircraft in violation of those restrictions.” Van Drew, who is Vice-Chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and a member of the Aviation Subcommittee, appeared on Fox News this afternoon where he cited unnamed sources who are “high up, qualified, and responsible,” for his assertion that Iran is behind the drone incursions. He said, “These drones should be shot down.”
Bad weather over New Jersey has paused drone sightings for the last two days, and the actual source of the drone activity remains a mystery.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported Monday that the U.S. Justice Department, FBI, other agencies – and the National Football League (NFL) – have called upon Congress to expand U.S. governmental authority “to detect and destroy drones that could pose security threats over stadiums and other locations.” According to NFL security head Cathy Lanier, unauthorized drone flights over NFL stadiums during games increased to 2,845 last year, up from 2,537 in 2022. “The time to act to keep fans safe is now,” she said.
Proposed new regulations would expand federal authority over protecting airports and other critical infrastructure sites such as power plants, oil refineries, chemical facilities and “high-risk prisoner transports,” according to the Reuters report. Local and state law enforcement would also be empowered to expand their drone-defense authority; and airport and infrastructure operators could also access federally-vetted drone-detection assets.
According to joint written testimony from the FBI and Justice Department, "Gaps in legal authorities leave sensitive federal facilities, such as CIA headquarters, vulnerable to both intelligence collection by foreign states and physical attacks by hostile actors. We also need to allow critical infrastructure operators to take steps to protect their own facilities and assets."
