The Pentagon says it will arm two military bases in New Jersey with counter-drone technology after multiple drone sightings, with the Dronebuster, technology that cuts the unmanned aircraft's signals, mentioned by name.
According to Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Patt Ryder, the military is providing "active and passive detecting capabilities," along with counter-drone capabilities to Picatinny Arsenal and at Naval Weapons Station Earle, after the military confirmed drone sightings at the bases, Business Insider reported.
Sightings have also been reported at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.
His comments, at a press conference Tuesday, came after the Pentagon said commanders are authorized to take action to mitigate and counter unauthorized drones.
Ryder said the equipment would include the Dronebuster, which "employs non-kinetic means to interrupt drone systems."
Picatinny did not confirm specific systems but said it will strengthen its capabilities to detect and mitigate drones. Naval Weapons Station Earle has not confirmed what will be placed there.
The Dronebuster, developed by the U.S. firm Flex Force, first came online in 2016. The hand-held system allows a user to point a handheld device at a drone. The weapon then sends a signal to cut the connection between a drone and the operator controlling it.
The military trains soldiers to use the Dronebuster in tandem with a Smart Shooter system that uses a rifle with a special optic to track the drone and tell the user when they have a good chance of shooting it.
The Dronebuster can also be used by security personnel and first responders as a radio frequency system jammer.
The device, Ryder said, is "a methodology that we have that is able to essentially bring drones down non-kinetically should we need to do that."
"I think we've all recognized the fact that unmanned systems are here to stay," he added. "They're a part of modern warfare, and whether it's here in the homeland or overseas, we want to make sure that we're doing due diligence to protect our forces and protect our equities from a national security standpoint."
There are challenges to fighting drones stateside as compared to in a combat zone, Ryder said.
"The intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities that we can employ outside the United States are much different, for very good reasons," he said.
White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters Monday that nothing has been identified as a threat to national security or public safety.
Federal agencies have said the mysterious objects are likely commercial or hobbyist drones, law-enforcement drones, manned aircraft, helicopters, or stars.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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