The Pentagon’s response to drones is dangerous and duplicitous
Either officials truly don’t know what’s flying above the United States — an egregious national security failure — or they know but are refusing to share information.
As a New Jersey resident, I’m alarmed by government officials like White House national security spokesperson John Kirby minimizing reports of unidentified drones in our state as posing no threat to public safety. As someone who researches UFOs and unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP), Kirby’s dismissal seems blatantly disingenuous and deceptive.
By engaging in a game of semantics on two distinct points, the Pentagon and White House are hiding from accountability on one of the most egregious national security failures in decades.
The first semantic sleight of hand is calling the invasive objects in America’s skies “drones” despite their characteristics clearly aligning with the definition of UAP. The All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, the Pentagon’s office tasked with investigating UAP, defines them as objects observed “that are not yet attributable to known actors and that demonstrate behaviors that are not readily understood by sensors or observers.”
Considering the Pentagon, FBI, Department of Homeland Security and other authorities have failed to identify who these crafts belong to or why they’re monitoring critical facilities and civilian areas, they should be classified as UAP.
This is an important distinction. If these craft were categorized correctly as UAP, the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office would be investigating them. However, journalist Christopher Sharp recently reported that the office “received no reports of UAP in conjunction with recent drone flights or incursions in the New Jersey area.”
This follows a troubling pattern. Last year, more than a dozen unidentified “drones” swarmed Langley Air Force Base in Virginia for more than two weeks, forcing the relocation of F-22 fighter jets. Yet, no reports of UAP were made to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office. Similarly, during the recent swarm of unidentified “drones” over U.S. military bases in the U.K., the office received no reports of UAP.
Pentagon spokesperson Susan Gough, addressing the U.K. incident, stated, “These were drones and known to be drones from the beginning. Hence, they were not UAP and the AARO does not have a role in resolving them.” Yet, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand recently stated, “They [the drones] are using technologies in some of these instances that are unfamiliar.”
Drones and UAP aren’t mutually exclusive. If these objects are using unknown technologies from unknown origins, they’re UAP.
This misclassification raises a critical question. Is the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office being excluded from these investigations due to intentional decisions or bureaucratic dysfunction caused by labeling these craft as drones?
The second charade in semantics from the executive branch is the refusal to classify these incursions as a national security threat. By downplaying the clear dangers these events pose, responsibility shifts from the Department of Defense to the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and state agencies — entities far less equipped to handle such incidents than the Pentagon.
While government officials attempt to calm fears by guilefully asserting that these drones pose no threat, statements regarding UAP contradict this reassurance. Kirby himself admitted last July that UAP are a real concern that affects military readiness.
Other high-level government officials have gone even further. Former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, who will likely become the next CIA director, stated that some UAP viewed via satellite demonstrate “technologies that we don’t have and, frankly, that we are not capable of defending against.” And Rep. William Timmons assessed that UAP technology, “Isn’t like 10 years ahead of where we are — this is like 50 to 100 years ahead of where we are.”
How can dozens or possibly hundreds of advanced unidentified craft operating over civilians and critical infrastructure with impunity not be considered a national security threat? It’s indefensible.
Beyond the immediate danger, the lack of cohesive information-sharing among government agencies constitutes a grave national security risk. Painful reminders of these failures scar our nation’s history. The attacks on Pearl Harbor and 9/11 occurred partly because adversaries exploited blind spots in national defense and agencies failed to properly share intelligence. Must we wait for another tragedy to take this threat seriously?
Either officials at the Pentagon truly don’t know what’s flying above the United States — representing one of the most egregious national security failures since 9/11 — or they know but are refusing to share information with the public and other government agencies.
Whichever is true, these drones are UAPs and a national security risk until proven otherwise. The government must stop ignoring the Dumbo-sized presence in our skies. The All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office must investigate these incursions, with the Pentagon taking responsibility for neutralizing them. Hiding behind a smokescreen of disinformation and duplicitous wordplay while American lives are at stake is simply unacceptable.
Gregory T. Goins is a UFO/UAP researcher and advocate for UAP transparency legislative action. He recently published an op-ed on UFO/UAP transparency in The Inquirer and has been a commentator on the issue for Fox News.