(NewsNation) — A former leader of the Defense Department’s advanced aerospace threat identification program told “CUOMO” that he believes “mysterious drones” have become a huge problem for the United States.
Luis Elizondo said America consistently does not know what’s operating in its skies.
“We’ve been saying now for years, ever since, frankly, Sept. 11, that we do not have complete U.S. air domain awareness of our skies. The bottom line is, we do not know what’s in our skies all the time,” Elizondo said.
House Oversight Committee gives no answer on UAP sightings
The House Oversight Committee met on Tuesday to discuss unauthorized drone activity over U.S. military sites. Lawmakers pressed Pentagon and Federal Aviation Administration officials about the reports and their response.
The hearing was held months after the White House said the mysterious drones spotted over New Jersey at the end of 2024 were not “the work of an adversary.” The sightings in New Jersey prompted concern from residents for weeks.
Following Tuesday’s hearing, Elizondo reiterated America’s vulnerability to drone attacks.
“Drones fly completely unchallenged. We still don’t know where they’re coming from, we still don’t know who’s behind the wheel. We still don’t know where they’re going. This is a big problem. And we’ve known about it for a long time,” Elizondo said.
Lawmakers are slated to continue questioning the drone sightings and their place in national security.
White House claimed drones were authorized by FAA
The House Subcommittee on Military and Foreign Affairs has said sightings of UAPs, or unidentified anomalous phenomena, above military bases have increased and that those sites are being exposed to surveillance, espionage and potential weaponization.
The White House had said in January the drones were authorized by the FAA.
However, Elizondo told “CUOMO” this was not accurate.
What appears to be multiple drones fly over Bernardsville, N.J., on Dec. 5, 2024 (Brian Glenn/TMX via AP, File) 
A drone is seen over Ridge, New York, on Dec. 12, 2024. (AP) 
Residents have reported sightings of mysterious drones in New Jersey. (Storyful) 
A resident in Marion County, Indiana, grew concerned after what he saw flying above his home and neighborhood. (WXIN) 
In this image taken from video, what appears to be drones fly over Randolph, N.J., on Dec. 4, 2024. (MartyA45_ /TMX via AP)
“Sen. Cory Booker… spoke to the FAA, and on the record, he said, ‘No, guess what, FAA does not know what all these drones are,” Elizondo said.
Elizondo also rebuked claims that drone sightings above military bases were sanctioned.
“You do not close sensitive military installations and airspace because you have an authorized drone flight,” he said. “That does not make sense, and you heard it today again: We simply do not know what’s in our skies.”