JAN. 2025. Blues Vol 41 No. 1

NY Post - A New Jersey

NY Post - A New Jersey congressmanclaimed Wednesday that the mysterydrones over the Garden State are from Iran,and they’re being launched by a mothership parked off the East Coast.Rep. Jeff Van Drew, a Republican, said thedrones “very possibly could be” from Iran,citing confidential sources during an appearanceon Fox News Wednesday morning.“These drones should be shot down,” hesaid, adding that “the military is on fullalert with this.”He did not reveal where he got the information.Van Drew, whose district includesmost of the Jersey Shore, sits on the HouseTransportation and Infrastructure Committee.“I’m going to tell you the real deal. Iranlaunched a mother ship that contains thesedrones,” Van Drew said. “It’s off the EastCoast of the United States of America.They’ve launched drones.”“These are from high sources, I don’t saythis lightly,” he added, categorically rulingout that the drones were being flown byhobbyists or the US government itself.SHOOT THEM DOWN?The buzz around the mysterious flurry ofdrones above New Jersey and other nearbystates has prompted some officials, includingPresident-elect Trump, to call for theU.S. military to shoot down the mysteryobjects.But such measures come with major risks,experts say. The objects could be legitimateaircraft, helicopters or other innocuous objects,and debris from falling drones posesa threat to people and property on theground.“If people start shooting, things have tocome down,” said Jeffrey Wells, a visitingfellow at the National Security Institute atGeorge Mason University who focuses onthreats from technology.Many of the sightings appear to be aircraftor hobbyist drones, and the Biden administrationhas stressed there is no presentthreat to any government installationsor military sites.The frenzy around the swarm of flyingobjects points to a need for the governmentto increase its transparency with the publicabout what it is tracking, experts told TheHill this week.Wells said he was worried that, withoutanswers, the public might start shootingdown drones themselves, which could leadto a fatal accident.98 The BLUES Blues - December JANUARY ‘25 ‘24

“There’s a whole bunch of risks that comewith that,” he said. “If you damage somebody’s0 drone, big deal, but if you hita police helicopter or medevac helicopteror a utility company’s drone that’s out tosee where the downed wire is, now you’recreating some additional life risk.”The drone sightings, which began aroundlate November primarily in northern NewJersey and New York City, have now spreadto several other states mostly along theEast Coast.But for the past week, the drones have becomea national story, leading to confusionand an air of mystery as to their origins.Members of Congress and New Jersey andNew York state officials are among thosewho have brought their concern and counselto social media, calling for the governmentto take concrete action and to stopdownplaying the concerns.Trump last week called for the U.S. toclarify what was happening and to shootthem down.“Something strange is going on,” he addedin a Monday press conference, accusingthe government of hiding information.And Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) decried thefailure of the U.S. government to protectAmerican airspace.“Why can’t we bag at least one droneand get to the bottom of this?” he said in anews conference. “Why can’t we even tracka suspect drone to its origin? Have we solittle control over our airspace?”The The Blues BLUES - December - JANUARY ‘24‘25 99 99