The U.S. Department of Defense is investigating a series of mysterious drone sightings over military installations in New Jersey, including Picatinny Arsenal and Naval Weapons Station Earle. Despite multiple reports from local residents and increasing concerns, authorities have been unable to identify the drones’ operators or determine their purpose.
In a statement issued on December 14, a spokesperson from the Joint Staff acknowledged that while sightings of drones over military sites are not new, the recent increase in activity has prompted heightened scrutiny. “We have had confirmed sightings at Picatinny Arsenal and Naval Weapons Station Earle,” the spokesperson said. “This is not a new issue for us. We’ve had to deal with drone incursions over our bases for quite some time now.”
Thousands of local residents have called authorities to report sightings, with drones observed hovering over key military sites. However, investigations so far have failed to establish the identity of those responsible for flying the drones. “To date, we have no intelligence or observations that would indicate that they were aligned with a foreign actor or that they had malicious intent,” the spokesperson said. “But we don’t know. We have not been able to locate or identify the operators or the points of origin.”
The Department of Defense has emphasized that military installations are equipped with systems to detect and respond to such incursions. However, the Joint Staff also acknowledged that, due to legal limitations, the military cannot investigate these activities outside of its installations without coordination with local law enforcement. “We have good relationships and excellent coordination with local law enforcement, and we respond quickly to try to identify them,” the spokesperson said.
Despite the lack of evidence suggesting foreign involvement, the Department of Defense expressed frustration with the continuing drone activity. “It is irresponsible,” the spokesperson stated. “We are trying to deter the activity using our electronic means to respond to most of these small commercial systems and deny them access to the airspace over our bases.”
