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By John Feng and Joe Edwards
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What's New
A new map by Newsweek highlights the flurry of mysterious drone sightings reported at U.S. military bases both at home and abroad.
In response, the Department of Defense referred Newsweek to a Pentagon statement which said*:* "We take all of those [sightings] seriously. We will typically, when we detect them, attempt to classify them and take appropriate measures."
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Why It Matters
A spate of unidentified drone sightings, both domestic and international, have been reported in recent weeks. The phenomenon has become a mystery that has taken the internet—and now even mainstream politics—by storm.
Both the FBI and local law enforcement are investigating sightings, some of which occurred near critical infrastructure and military installations.
In the same time frame, unidentified drones were also reported flying over three U.K. air bases used by the U.S. Air Force, as well as U.S. military bases in Germany.
What To Know
Last month, residents across multiple New Jersey counties began noticing unidentified drones, with recent reports of sightings extending into New York and Pennsylvania.
Drones have also now reportedly been spotted at numerous military installations of strategic interest to the U.S, including:
Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey: This Army research and manufacturing facility has reported 11 drone incursions, according to some reports.
Naval Weapons Station Earle, New Jersey: Reports of drones entering its airspace have been confirmed by the Joint Staff.
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio: The base temporarily closed its airspace due to drone incursions on December 13, 2024, CNN reported.
Langley Air Force Base, Virginia: Several reports back in October indicate drone sightings in the vicinity of the base.
In addition to these domestic U.S. bases, several similar incidents occurred at bases in the U.K. these were at RAF Lakenheath, RAF Mildenhall, and RAF Feltwell.
"Small unmanned aerial systems were spotted in the vicinity of and over RAF Lakenheath, RAF Mildenhall, and RAF Feltwell from Nov 20 to Nov 26," a USAF spokesperson said in an emailed response to Reuters at the time.
The USAF also said small, unmanned systems were spotted over RAF Fairford.
In addition, citing the German magazine Spiegel, Reuters reported that unidentified drones were spotted above the U.S.'s Ramstein Air Base in Germany on December 3 and 4.
What People Are Saying
President Joe Biden to reporters at The White House on Tuesday: When asked what was behind the numerous sightings, the president said: "Nothing nefarious apparently. But they're checking it all out. There's a—I think it's just one. There's a lot of drones authorized to be up there. I think one started it, and they all got it, and everybody's wanting to get in the deal."
He added, "We're following this closely, but so far, no sense of danger."
Department of Defense in response to a request for comment from Newsweek: Newsweek was pointed to comments made yesterday by Pentagon Press Secretary Major General Pat Ryder during a press conference.
In response to a question on the spate of drones sightings, Ryder said that whilst it was "entirely possible" that some drones could "be up to malign activity," the "vast majority" it was not the case.
Ryder added: "In the case of drones flying near or over US military installations, that in and of itself just given the volume of drone flights we see on a given day, is not something that's new.
"We take all of those seriously. We will typically, when we detect them, attempt to classify them and take appropriate measures. Is it possible that some of those are surveilling? Absolutely. But can you make that assumption in every case, not necessarily. So in each case, commanders have the authority, installation commanders and authorities have the authority to respond appropriately, and we'll continue to do that."
President-elect Donald Trump on Truth Social: "Mystery Drone sightings all over the Country," the Republican wrote on Friday.
"Can this really be happening without our government's knowledge. I don't think so! Let the public know, and now. Otherwise, shoot them down!!! DJT."
FBI, Department of Homeland Security, Federal Aviation Administration and Department of Defense in a joint statement on Monday: The agencies said they "have not identified anything anomalous and do not assess the activity to date to present a national security or public safety risk," CBS News reported.
The FBI has previously said it received some 3,000 tips relating to unidentified drone activity since November.
White House National Security Spokesperson John Kirby to reporters on Monday: "We assess that the sightings to date include a combination of lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and even stars that were mistakenly reported as drones."
What's Next
Authorities have said they will continue to investigate the sightings.
Do you have a story we should be covering? Do you have any questions about this article? Contact LiveNews@newsweek.com
Update, 12/18/24, 07:24 a.m. ET: This article was updated with a response from the Department of Defense
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