Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters during a press briefing that the unusually high number of what appears to be drones being reported in New Jersey and New York are not U.S. military assets.
Ryder said while it is possible some of the drones spotted flying over the northeastern United States could be a security risk, "for the vast majority that is not the case."
"Just to kind of put this into context, ... there are over a million drones registered in the United States, and on any day, approximately 8,500 drones are in flight," Ryder said.
"The vast majority of these drones are going to probably be recreational or hobbyist. They're going to be commercial drones used in things like architecture, engineering, farming or they could be used for law enforcement," Ryder added.
Residents in New Jersey have reported thousands of drone sightings over the past month, as former Gov. Chris Christie -- who also reported a drone over his home -- has called for an investigation.
The Defense Department said Tuesday it will send additional resources to Picatinny Arsenal and Naval Weapons Station Earle, which are both located in New Jersey, to help monitor the drone activity.
"We take all of those reports seriously," Ryder said. "Typically, when we detect them, we attempt to classify them and take appropriate measures. Is it possible that some of those are surveillance? Absolutely. Can you make that assumption in every case? Not necessarily so."
"The thing is, I think we've all recognized the fact that unmanned systems are here to stay," Ryder said. "They are part of modern warfare, whether it's here in the homeland or overseas."
"We want to make sure that we're doing due diligence to protect our forces and protect our equities from a national security standpoint. You will see us continuing to look at that, and it's something we're going to continue to take seriously."
Earlier Monday, federal authorities issued a joint statement, saying they had not found any evidence to suggest the mysterious drone sightings pose a threat to national security or public safety.
"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," according to the joint statement from the Department of Homeland Security, FBI and FAA.
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., on Monday expressed skepticism over the government's responses during a podcast interview and would not rule out that the drones could be from "outer space."
"My concern is, if it's not craft from outer space -- because I think that has to be on the table. That has to be an option -- is it our technology? Or is it Russia or Iran or China? Is there someone who's winning the arms race, and are we behind?" Mace asked during an interview on "OutKick."
"Because my question is about national security, and I hope that it's us," Mace added. "We deserve to have some answers here, because people are scared, and a lot of congressional officers are hearing from people, they're writing in with their concerns when they're seeing these drones."
On Monday, FBI Newark and the New Jersey State Police warned the public to stop pointing lasers at the drones or Unmanned Aircraft Systems. Authorities revealed there has been an increase in the number of pilots on planes being hit in the eyes with lasers. More concerning is people possibly firing weapons at what they believe to be a UAS that could be a manned aircraft, according to the FBI.
Dozens of law enforcement agencies have been out every night to track down drone operators acting illegally and to find the answers the public is seeking, the FBI said as it warned the public to leave the investigating to them.
"There could be dangerous and possibly deadly consequences if manned aircraft are targeted mistakenly as UAS."
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