The Iron Dome refers to a missile-defense system used by Israel to shoot down rockets.
President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming national security said the United States needs an “Iron Dome” amid a rash of recent drone sightings in New Jersey and New York.
Top officials, including Alejandro Mayorkas, the outgoing secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and authorities in the FBI have said the drones do not appear to pose a public safety or national security threat. They also have ruled out the drones are being operated by a foreign adversary, as suggested by several lawmakers last week.
“What the drone issue points out are kind of gaps in our agencies, gaps in our authorities between the Department of Homeland Security, local law enforcement, the Defense Department,” he said.
Waltz said Trump has suggested “an Iron Dome for America,” referring to Israel’s missile defense system used to counter Hamas and Hezbollah rocket attacks.
“That needs to include drones as well, not just adversarial actions like hypersonic missiles,” Waltz said.
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Developed with U.S. backing, Israel’s Iron Dome is a mobile air defense system designed to intercept short-range rockets and artillery shells that endanger populated areas.
The spate of reported drone sightings began in New Jersey in mid-November but has spread in recent days to include Maryland, Massachusetts, Virginia, and other U.S. states. That prompted Trump to write on social media that the government should disclose all relevant information about the drones—if there is any—or shoot them down.
“There’s no question that people are seeing drones,” Mayorkas told ABC News’ “This Week” anchor George Stephanopoulos, appearing to counter claims made by several elected officials that the drone sightings are mainly “manned aircraft.”
“I want to assure the American public that we in the federal government have deployed additional resources, personnel, technology to assist the New Jersey State Police in addressing the drone sightings.”
He said, however, that the federal government has limited authority in dealing with the drones, responding to a question about whether officials can just shoot the unmanned vehicles down.
Also on Sunday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said federal officials are set to deploy high-tech systems to detect and track the drones over her state and New Jersey, about a day after a drone sighting closed down an airport in New York’s Hudson Valley.
Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said he is putting pressure on federal officials to use technology to address a rash of drone sightings over his state and New Jersey in recent months.
The senator added that his office is asking the DHS to “deploy special detection systems like the Robin, which use not a linear line of sight, but 360-degree technology that has a much better chance of detecting these drones” and “bring them” to New Jersey and New York.
Robin refers to Robin Radar Systems, a tracking tool used for small targets such as drones.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Original News Source Link – Epoch Times
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