A number of mysterious drones have been reported flying over New Jersey and other parts of the eastern U.S., fueling speculation about their origin.
A viral post claims the Pentagon confirmed that the drones are “not of earthly origin.”
“The Pentagon has confirmed that the mysterious drones appearing worldwide are NOT of earthly origin: They are not US Military drones and they are not foreign entities or adversaries,” the post with more than 9 million views said.
The Pentagon has confirmed that the mysterious drones appearing worldwide are NOT of earthly origin:“They are not US Military drones and they are not foreign entities or adversaries”pic.twitter.com/bCs81JLkwF
— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) December 15, 2024
The video begins with a clip of Pentagon Deputy Defense Press Secretary Sabrina Singh stating, “These are not U.S. military drones, again, this is being investigated by local law enforcement. Our initial assessment here is that these are not drones or activities from a foreign entity or adversary.”
It then transitions to a montage of commentary and news reports speculating on the drones’ origins, including claims of unexplained phenomena such as vehicle clocks allegedly stopping when drones passed overhead.
VERIFY reader Desiree tagged us on Instagram to ask if the Pentagon actually said drones are “not of earthly origin.”
THE QUESTION
Did the Pentagon confirm drones “are not of earthly origin”?
THE SOURCES
- U.S. Department of Defense transcript from a Dec. 11 press conference
- Dec. 10 hearing with the House subcommittee hearing on the drones and witness testimony
- John Kirby, Pentagon press secretary
- President Joe Biden remarks on Dec. 17
THE ANSWER
No, the Pentagon didn’t confirm drones are “not of earthly origin.”
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WHAT WE FOUND
Viral claims the Pentagon confirmed the drones “are NOT of earthly origin” are false. The viral video pieced together clips out of context with ominous music. The phrase “not of earthly origin” is never mentioned in any of the clips.
Here’s the real context behind some of the video segments.
The clip of Pentagon Deputy Defense Press Secretary Sabrina Singh is from a Dec. 11 press conference. Singh did not suggest the drones were not from Earth, but clarified that the drones weren’t being operated by the U.S. military. Here is the transcript from that portion of the press conference:
Q: Can you rule out that these are American drones or US military drones?
Singh: These are not US military drones. Again, this is being investigated by local law enforcement. What our initial assessment here is that these are not drones or activities coming from a foreign entity or adversary.
Another clip in the video is from a Dec. 10 House subcommittee hearing on drone activity. At around 1 hour and 42 minutes into the hearing, Rep. Tony Gonzalez (R-Texas) expressed frustration over the lack of answers regarding the drones’ origins.
“Sometimes I feel like I’m in the twilight zone up here, like month after month people come before us, they testify and you don’t get a lot of answers. It’s concerning. It’s frustrating. You’re telling me we don’t know what the hell these drones in New Jersey are, is that correct?” Gonzalez asks the panel.
Robert Wheeler Jr., the FBI’s assistant director of the critical incident response group, responds, “That’s right.”
None of his remarks were about extraterrestrial drones. Witness statements from the hearing also made no mention of drones being “not of earthly origin.”
VERIFY has found no reputable sources confirming the drones aren’t from this planet.
Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby has explained that the drone sightings include a mix of lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones, and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and even misidentified stars. Senior officials from the FBI, Pentagon and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have stated the drones don’t pose a national security threat, safety risk, or connection to foreign actors.
On Dec. 17, President Joe Biden told a reporter the drones are “nothing nefarious.” He speculated one authorized drone was sighted and it may have sparked a trend.
“There’s a, they think it’s just one, there’s a lot of drones authorized to be up there. And I think one started, and they all got, everybody wanted to get in the deal … We’re following it closely. So far, no sense of a danger,” Biden said.
On Dec. 16, during his first news conference since winning the election, President-elect Donald Trump said he believes the government knows more about the drones than it’s saying.
“Our military knows and our president knows and for some reason they want to keep people in suspense,” Trump said.