Wyoming Congresswoman Harriet Hageman is pressing the Federal Aviation Administration for transparency and accountability following an increase in sightings of unidentified unmanned aerial systems (UAS), or drones, near sensitive military sites and elsewhere across the United States.
“The increase in drone activity across the U.S. is alarming,” Hageman said in a statement released today.
“The Biden administration failed to act when we had a Chinese Communist Party spy balloon cross our nation, and they are failing to act now. Either they don’t know what these drones are, or they’re deliberately keeping their origins from the American people. Both possibilities are deeply concerning. Regardless, the federal government owes us an explanation. Transparency and accountability are not optional when it comes to the safety of our airspace and national security. I am pushing the FAA to deliver the answers the American people deserve.”
According to NBC News, drones have been lighting up the night sky since mid-November, most notably in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and other eastern states. This has prompted a public response from national, state, and local officials. Yet their operators and purpose remain unknown.
On December 13th, Hageman sent an official inquiry to the FAA warning that delays in responding to potential threats could undermine public confidence in the federal government’s ability to protect national airspace and sovereignty.
Drone sightings in Wyoming over the past month have been far fewer. One social media poster claimed to have taken this photograph, perhaps depicting more traditional aircraft ten miles south of Lander on December 5th.
A similar, less publicized flap of drone sightings in Wyoming and Colorado occurred in 2020. While officials have not officially explained those sightings, they may have resulted from routine action by Air Force Global Strike Command, which operates counter-drone exercises out of F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne.
The Air Force provides routine counter-drone training to allow service members to combat drones more effectively.