In recent days, multiple drone incursions have taken place over US Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.
The Defense Department has confirmed the incident and highlighted that it’s taking all reports of drone incursions seriously and working with the White House, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Federal Aviation Administration to examine the sightings and assess the situation.
“Just to kind of put this into context, … [there are] over a million drones registered in the United States, and on any day, approximately 8,500 drones are in flight,” said Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder.
Six instances of drone incursions
Most of these drones are likely to be “recreational or hobbyist drones.”
“They’re going to be commercial drones used in things like architecture, engineering, farming or they could be used for law enforcement,” added Ryder.
He also underlined that it is possible some of the drones could be up to malign activities, but for the vast majority, that is not the case. The facility experienced drone incursions between December 9 and December 15.
Reports have claimed that there were six instances of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) observed entering Camp Pendleton’s airspace. However, the facility spokesperson has maintained that these incursions were no threat to installation operations.
Drones flying near U.S. military installations not something new
Ryder has stressed that drones flying near or over U.S. military installations is not something new.
“We take all of those [reports] seriously. Typically, when we detect them, we attempt to classify them and take appropriate measures. Is it possible that some of those are surveillance? Absolutely. Can you make that assumption in every case? Not necessarily so,” said Ryder.
“Local installation commanders have the authorities to respond appropriately and will continue to do so.”
Last week, reports claimed that New Jersey has been subject to mysterious SUV-sized drone sightings. Multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), were investigating the sightings.
5,000 reported drone sightings in the last few weeks
After some recent drone sightings over New York, Governor Kathy Hochul announced that federal officials are providing a drone detection system to aid investigations. However, details about where and how it will be used remain undisclosed.
A statement from the Department of Homeland and Security has confirmed that FBI has received tips of more than 5,000 reported drone sightings in the last few weeks with approximately 100 leads generated, and the federal government is supporting state and local officials in investigating these reports.
“Consistent with each of our unique missions and authorities, we are quickly working to prioritize and follow these leads. We have sent advanced detection technology to the region. And we have sent trained visual observers,” added the statement.
RECOMMENDED ARTICLES
NEWSLETTER
The Blueprint Daily
Stay up-to-date on engineering, tech, space, and science news with The Blueprint.
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra Prabhat, an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, is a tech and defense journalist. While he enjoys writing on modern weapons and emerging tech, he has also reported on global politics and business. He has been previously associated with well-known media houses, including the International Business Times (Singapore Edition) and ANI.
Conservative 
Search
Trending
Current News 
