Tensions are brewing among U.S. Coast Guardsmen stationed in Barnegat Light as the Biden administration continues to downplay reports of a mysterious swarm of drones tailing a Coast Guard rescue vessel earlier this month.
What began as a routine patrol has escalated into a heated dispute, with sailors demanding accountability and respect for their firsthand accounts.
The unsettling encounter occurred during a patrol of the Atlantic Ocean, involving a 47-foot Coast Guard rescue vessel. According to eyewitness accounts, a fleet of 12 to 30 drones appeared suddenly around 9 p.m., maintaining pace with the vessel traveling at 20 knots and performing maneuvers that no commercial aircraft could replicate.
One anonymous Guardsman shared his frustration with The New York Post:
“It’s the implication that’s insulting. It’s implying we’re making sh-t up, when the ones making up sh-t are down in Washington, D.C.”
Describing the drones, the sailor said, “They were about 80 to 100 feet above us. Four propellers, seven feet across, with flashing green, red, and white lights. Commercial airplanes don’t move like that. We’re not idiots; we know what drones look and sound like.”
Despite these detailed observations, federal officials, including White House spokesperson John Kirby, have dismissed the reports. Kirby suggested that the sightings were likely misidentified manned aircraft, such as airliners, helicopters, or even stars.
“Having closely examined the technical data and tips from concerned citizens, 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 stars mistakenly reported as drones,” Kirby said in a joint statement from DHS, FBI, FAA, and DoD.
The statement added that no evidence indicated anomalous activity or a national security threat.
However, not everyone is satisfied with the administration’s dismissal. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) expressed alarm over unidentified drones observed near U.S. military installations, suggesting they may be adversarial and possibly of Chinese origin.
“These drones over military bases are adversarial by definition,” McCaul stated. “We need to know who is behind them. I believe they’re spy drones. The PRC [People’s Republic of China] is very good at this. This aligns with their recent behavior, including purchasing land around military bases.”
Adding another layer of intrigue, Belleville Mayor Michael Melham (R) speculated that the drones might be connected to missing radioactive material in New Jersey.
“There was an alert about missing radioactive material,” Melham explained. “On December second, a shipment arrived at its destination, but the container was damaged and empty. Potentially, these drones could be linked to that incident.”
For the Coast Guardsmen who experienced the event, the lack of clear answers is deeply frustrating. As the debate over the origin and intent of these drones continues, the incident highlights growing concerns over national security and the government’s ability to address unconventional threats. Whether tied to foreign adversaries, domestic operations, or other unknown factors, the mystery surrounding the drones demands further investigation.