Drones over the US show gaps in aviation security, top Trump adviser says Reuters

By Phil Stewart, Kanishka Singh and Sarah N. Lynch

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Drone surveillance in New Jersey and other U.S. states has revealed gaps in U.S. aviation security that need to be closed, President-elect Donald Trump’s national security adviser, Mike Waltz, said on Sunday.

Outgoing President Joe Biden’s administration has played down concerns about the number of drone sightings, saying most of them involve civilian aircraft and stressing there is no evidence of a national security threat.

But US lawmakers, including some of Biden’s fellow Democrats, have expressed dismay at the government’s lack of transparency and aggressive response to public concerns.

Waltz said Americans are growing frustrated with the Biden administration’s failure to clarify its position on the drone reports.

“What the drone story is about are gaps in our institutions, gaps in our governance between the Department of Homeland Security, local law enforcement, the Department of Defense,” Waltz told CBS News’ Face the Nation.

“President Trump has talked about Iron Dome for America,” Waltz said, referring to Israel’s missile defense system. “This should also include drones, not just hypersonic missiles.”

Developed with US support, Israel’s Iron Dome is a mobile air defense system designed to intercept short-range rockets and projectiles that threaten residential areas.

The surge in drone sightings began in New Jersey in mid-November but has spread in recent days to include Maryland, Massachusetts and other US states. The sightings have attracted media attention and led to the creation of a Facebook (NASDAQ:) page called “New Jersey Mystery Drones – let’s solve it” with nearly 70,000 members online.

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas defended the US response, saying his agency had deployed personnel and technology.

“If there is any reason for concern, if we find out the involvement of other countries or terrorist activities, we will communicate with the American people accordingly. At the moment we do not know anything,” Mayorkas told ABC News.

Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, dismissed concerns that America’s adversaries would send drones into US cities when they could use satellites to spy on the US more safely and easily.

He said the Federal Aviation Administration, which manages civil aviation, should do more to address public concerns.

“When people are anxious, when they’re scared…people will fill the void with their anxiety,” Himes said.

Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar urged Biden’s administration to hold a briefing for senators to explain “what’s going on here.”

“We want to be more transparent,” Klobuchar said.

He also asked to look at the rules.

“Because it can’t be: ‘Nobody knows why this big drone is on top of their house.’