The US Coast Guard has expressed its frustration after White House members suggested that sailors were fabricating claims about being followed by drones.
Guard members at Barnegat Light reported that one of their 47-foot vessels was closely tailed by a group of 12 to 30 drones during a patrol in the Atlantic Ocean earlier this month.
A spokesperson from the Coast Guard later confirmed to Fox Digital that they had observed “multiple low-altitude aircraft in the vicinity of one of their vessels near Island Beach State Park, New Jersey.”
‘While no immediate threats or disruptions to operations were identified, the Coast Guard is assisting the FBI and state agencies to understand the type, origin, and intent of these aircraft and address potential risks to safety and security
‘We take any and all aircraft activity near federal assets seriously and urge the public to report any suspicious activity to local authorities,’ they told the outlet.
But instead of providing support, the White House brushed off their concern and suggested that the drones may be flown by hobbyists, could be planes or just be brightly lit stars.
However, the implication that the drones are not of any worry has left sailors furious.
‘It’s the implication that’s insulting. It’s implying we’re making s*** up, when the ones making up s*** are down in Washington, DC,’ a Coast Guard member who claims to be one of the 12 crewmembers on the boat that night told the New York Post.
The US Coast Guard has been left enraged after members of the White House implied the sailors were ‘making up stories’ about being followed by drones
Several guards stationed in Barnegat Light had revealed that one of their 47-foot vessels, boats, was trailed very closely by a fleet of 12 to 30 drones as they patrolled around the Atlantic Ocean earlier this month
He further explained: ‘We were actually out there to see if we could spot any drones, because of all these sightings. Well, we found some drones. Or more accurately, they found us.
‘The drones appeared out of nowhere’ at about 9 p.m., and followed the boat for approximately 15 minutes. When the vessel shifted course, so too did the drones.
‘I’m terrible with measurements, but [the swarm] was about 80 to 100 feet above us. They had four propellers. Seven feet across. The flashing lights, like you’ve seen. The festive green, red, and white lights.’
Furthermore, the alleged witness claims that the swarm was moving at a speed of ‘around 20 knots, which is just over 20 miles an hour’.
‘Commercial airplanes don’t move like that. I’ve been out there [on the water] when planes were coming in for landings in New York, and trust me, you can tell the difference. We’re not idiots, we know what drones look and sound like.’
The sailor’s comments come after White House national security spokesman John Kirby spoke to reporters and shared his theories on the drone sightings.
He began his remarks to reporters at a briefing by pointing to the proliferation of hobbyist drones over the sky.
But instead of providing support, the White House brushed off their concern and suggested that the drones may be flown by hobbyists, could be planes or just be brightly lit stars
The sailor’s comments come after White House national security spokesman John Kirby spoke to reporters and shared his theories on the drone sightings
‘There are more than 1 million drones that are lawfully registered with the Federal Aviation Administration here in the United States, and there are thousands of commercial hobbyists and law enforcement drones that are lawfully in the sky on any given day,’ Kirby told reporters.
Furthermore, Kirby said the FBI had received tips on 5,000 drone sightings in recent weeks of which 100 they ‘felt needed to be followed up on’.
He also pointed towards the array of explanations over what US officials believe to be in the skies, having looked at the various tips – even saying misidentified stars were part of the problem.
‘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.’
‘We have not identified anything anomalous or any national security or public safety risk over the civilian airspace In New Jersey, or other states in the Northeast. The work continues.’
Furthermore, Kirby said the FBI had received tips on 5,000 drone sightings in recent weeks of which 100 they ‘felt needed to be followed up on’
The flying objects (example above) are larger than drones used by hobbyists, witnesses have noted, raising questions about their proximity to critical infrastructure and sensitive sites
‘But I want to stress again, our assessment at this stage is that the activity represents commercial, hobbyist law enforcement drones, all operating legally and lawful and or civilian aviation aircraft,’ he underlined.
He cited federal ‘resources and personnel’ as supporting the efforts, including additional ‘advanced detection technology’ and trained observers.
His comments were similar to a joint statement later released by the DHS, FBI, FAA, and the Defense Department.
The bizarre unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs) were first noticed hovering over New Jersey over a month ago, yet neither local or federal authorities have offered an explanation behind the lights that dash across the sky from dusk to dawn – notably disappearing during daylight.
