Pentagon press officials dogged by journalists over low-flying drones

The Pentagon continues to be dogged by US media over the mysterious sightings of drones over bases and homes in New Jersey and other states.

Social media is full of video footage of drones flying over houses, including at least one of a person who is firing at one.

Pentagon Press Secretary Major-General Pat Ryder has again had to address questions about the drones, taking the focus away from Ukraine and Syria, during a briefing for journalists.

He told journalists that the US Department of Defence is working with the White House, Department of Homeland Security and Federal Aviation Administration.

“Just to kind of put this into context, … (there are) over a million drones registered in the US and on any day, approximately 8500 drones are in flight,” Ryder says.

“The vast majority of these drones are going to probably be recreational or hobbyist.

“They’re going to be commercial drones used in things like architecture, engineering, farming or they could be used for law enforcement.”

Drones flying near or over US military installations is not something new, the general said.

“We take all of those (reports) seriously,” he said. “Typically, when we detect them, we attempt to classify them and take appropriate measures.”

He says local base commanders have the power to respond appropriately.

The department has sent extra “resources” to the Picatinny Arsenal and Naval Weapons Station Earle bases in New Jersey where drones have been sighted.

These include active and passive detection systems like Drone Busters to better detect, track and monitor drone activity, Ryder said.

“The thing is, I think we’ve all recognised the fact that unmanned systems are here to stay,” he said.

“They are a part of modern warfare, whether it’s here in the homeland or overseas.

“We want to make sure that we’re doing due diligence to protect our forces … you will see us continuing to look at that. It’s something we’re continuing to take seriously.”