New Jersey Congressman Calls for Shooting Down Army of “Mystery Drones”

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💥 As drone mystery continues, Congressman wants to shoot them down

💥 Does the U.S. military have the authority to shoot the drones?

💥 FBI official seems to back shooting down a drone

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After seeing an ‘army of drones’ following behind a Coast Guard vessel off the coast of New Jersey, Congressman Chris Smith (R-4) suggests the U.S. military shoot one down.

Smith’s comments came during the House Homeland Security Committee hearing on Tuesday.

He and other members of the committee were stunned to hear the FBI still doesn’t know the origin of the drones or who is piloting them.

FBI Assistant Director of the Critical Incident Response Group Robert Wheeler continued to insist they had no evidence suggesting the public was at risk, but when pressed he added, “But we just don’t know. And that’s the concerning part.”

Smith says he was “deeply concerned” after police video recorded an army of 55 drones coming from off the coast of New Jersey’s. Dozens of those drones also trailed a U.S. Coast Guard vessel.

A mission for NJ fighter planes?

After seeing the scary drone flights with his own eyes, Smith says he reached out to officials at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.

“I reached out to the commanding officer at the Joint Base, which is also in my district, and talked to him,” Smith told the House Homeland Security Committee, “I had a very good conversation with Colonel Anthony Smith.”

He says he asked Col. Smith if they could send up a military fighter jet and just shoot one of the drones down and then retrieve it.

“Why can’t you deploy them, at least to the ocean, bring one of these down, and find out who’s doing it,” Smith asked the Colonel.

Smith says the Colonel told him they do have the capability, but not the authority, unless the drones are over restricted airspace over and around the military base.

The New Jersey congressman says he has reached out to U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to ask him to order the military action.

As of today, there has been no response.

Could there be a military operation?

There is some loose precedent that could lean toward a military operation to bring one of the unidentified drones to the ground.

In Feb. 2023, President Joe Biden authorized the military to bring down a Chinese spy balloon that had been drifting over the U.S. and Canada.

An F-22 fired a single A9X missile at the balloon as it drifted off the coast of North Carolina at 58,000 feet. It was shot down over the ocean to avoid the potential for civilian casualties.

At the time, the Biden administration said it was confident the surveillance balloon was from China, though the Chinese government claimed it was a weather balloon that had veered off course.

What makes this situation different is the fact that these UFO drones are flying at much lower altitude and mostly over heavily populated areas of New Jersey.

On Tuesday, White House Spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden has been briefed about the drone situation in New Jersey and it has been determined no foreign government is behind the mysterious flights.

Smith has suggested the military shoot one down over the ocean, since that where they appear to be coming from.

FBI seems to support shooting drone down

If the U.S. military were to shoot down one of the drones, the hope would be to recover the wreckage largely intact so information about what they are doing could be recovered.

During Tuesday’s hearing, Smith said, “We always seem to miss something, and I’m very concerned that we’re missing something here.”

He asked the FBI’s Wheeler if he would pressure the Department of Defense to authorize an intercept mission.

Wheeler seemed open to the idea.

“I’d just say I share your concern,” Wheeler told Smith and the Committee, “I share a lot of frustration, and I’m more than willing to continue working with the Department of Defense to try to get better.”

Smith also conceded even if the military brought a drone down, the public may not get the answers they seek.

“I’m not saying you’ve got to share it with the sheriffs. It’d be nice,” Smith said, “Just do it yourself in the interests of the American public.”

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