The White House has emphasized that the flying objects do not pose any threat and that public reaction may be a “slight overreaction,” but federal officials have faced criticism for not providing adequate information. On Sunday, Governor Kathy Hochul announced the deployment of a state-of-the-art drone detection system, expressing her gratitude for the federal support.
“In response to my calls for additional resources, our federal partners are deploying a state-of-the-art drone detection system to New York State. This system will support state and federal law enforcement in their investigations,” Hochul stated.
She also called on Congress to act, urging better response mechanisms for dealing with numerous reports of unidentified flying objects.
“We are grateful to the Biden Administration for their support, but ultimately we need further assistance from Congress. Passing the Counter-UAS Authority Security, Safety, and Reauthorization Act will give New York and our peers the authority and resources required to respond to circumstances like we face today,” she added.
The White House downplayed the sightings during a Saturday press call, noting that most of the incidents are likely attributed to manned airplanes. A Department of Homeland Security official clarified that “no threat has been identified from the drone sightings.”
Hochul had called for more immediate action on Saturday after drone activity shut down runways at Stewart Airfield for an hour on Friday, calling the situation, “This has gone too far.”
