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Commentary

Who’s Controlling the Drones and Why Aren’t We Doing Anything about It?

December 12, 2024

On Wednesday, a New Jersey congressman said on Fox News that the drones haunting the Garden State are Iranian, operating from a mothership off the East Coast. If true, this is worse than the 2023 Chinese spy balloon incident and could be part of a campaign to bring the Mideast war to America.

Representative Jeff Van Drew, a Republican, said the drones “very possibly could be” from Iran. He indicated his sources were highly placed. “These drones should be shot down” and our “military is on full alert with this.”

Let’s take a step back and consider two things: the appearance of the drones over the past few weeks without official explanation, and, if Iran is the drone source, then we need to understand their intent.

New Jersey residents have reported dozens of sightings of large drones in their night skies for the last few weeks. Evidently, there have been similar sightings over parts of Pennsylvania and New York’s Staten Island as well.

Press reports state the FBI is leading a multi-agency investigation and asked the public to submit their sightings to that agency. However, so far, law enforcement officials have not identified a threat to the public posed by the drones, even though many anxious residents understandably demand answers. Besides, this isn’t a law enforcement issue, it’s more likely a national security crisis.

Eyewitness reports by New Jersey residents indicate these are large drones — “car-sized,” flying over various parts of the state, including critical infrastructure and a military research facility.

Thus far, in spite of New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy’s (D) reassurance he is “in close coordination with our federal and law enforcement partners on this matter,” the public is outraged by the lack of an official explanation. That was until Van Drew declared the drones are being launched by Iran, a nation whose leaders consistently call for “Death to America.”

The frequent appearance of the drones and some of their characteristics isn’t in dispute. What’s frustrating the public is their unknown purpose and who is responsible. After all, it is unlikely the drones are part of a criminal or commercial activity, which would have been announced. Rather, as the congressman said, they may represent a non-American source: the Islamic Republic of Iran. Therefore, the Pentagon ought to call on Northern Command, which is responsible for the defense of the homeland, to use its intelligence capabilities, naval, and air assets to identify the culprit and if necessary, to down the drones.

Next, if the congressman is correct, and the drones are being launched by Iran then we need to identify their intent. Clearly, the mullahs in Tehran are an enemy of the United States having killed many hundreds of our servicemembers across the Middle East over the past three decades and a sworn enemy of our best ally Israel. Are these drones part of an Iranian campaign that might lead to lethal attacks?

In early 2003, our intelligence community warned that Iraq might take pre-emptive actions in anticipation of our invasion of that country. Fortunately, that did not materialize. However, in the case of Iran, given our lethal aid to Israel and pro-active attacks on Iranian proxies like the Houthis in Yemen, it is little wonder the leaders in Tehran might be anxious to bring the fight to our homeland.

Keep in mind Iran also has long been a primary source of drones supplied to its ally, Russia for the war in Ukraine. Those drones supplied to Moscow conduct reconnaissance and carry lethal packages, which have been especially devastating.

Beginning in the 1980s, Iran built many sophisticated drones. After all, Tehran found that unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) are an excellent alternative to manned aircraft and less expensive. Thus, it focused its efforts on their development and today they are a world leader in drone platforms of all types.

Therefore, as the congressman suggests, Iran’s use of sophisticated drones against America albeit allegedly launched by a cargo ship loitering off our East Coast shouldn’t surprise anyone. In fact, like the Chinese spy balloon fiasco, Tehran may have already accomplished its mission of gathering intelligence, sensing our numerous vulnerabilities, and messaging America that it is obviously vulnerable. Their next move could be quite devastating, especially because we don’t have an anti-drone defense network like the Israelis, who have a three-tiered air defense system.

Finally, it is especially troubling that our homeland is so defenseless against such threats. Where is the Biden administration? Why have these drones enjoyed such freedom for weeks, and yet no official can give us an accounting?

This is yet another example of incompetence at the highest level. If, as the congressman said, these are Iranian drones piercing our night skies unopposed, then they ought to be downed immediately and the mothership captured. These incursions of our sovereign airspace are an act of war and yet the Biden White House, once again, is asleep at the switch.

Bob Maginnis is a retired U.S. Army officer and the author of 12 books, including “Preparing for World War III: A Global Conflict that Redefines Tomorrow.” He serves as Family Research Council’s senior fellow for National Security.



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