President Donald Trump signed three executive orders Friday regarding the use of drones and other aviation technologies. White House officials said the orders are in direct response to a string of bizarre sightings along the East Coast last year.
Dozens of civilians and military personnel reported seeing unexplained anomalous phenomena in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania in November and December 2024. The Biden administration, working hand-in-hand with state governments, eventually determined that the craft were legally operated commercial drones, not UAPs, and did not pose a threat to national security. The Trump administration affirmed that determination shortly after Trump was sworn into office in January.
Recommended Stories
- FAA to pause hundreds of passenger flights from Reagan during Trump military parade
- Trump considering ditching his Tesla after breakup with Musk
- Trump tries to put Musk feud behind him: 'Won’t be speaking to him for a while'
Friday’s three orders focus on “unleashing American drone dominance, restoring American airspace sovereignty, and leading the world in supersonic flight,” White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios said ahead of Trump’s signing ceremony.
“For too long, red tape has hindered homegrown drone innovation, restricting commercial drone use, and burdening their development. That’s why the executive order signed today will enable routine, beyond-visual-line-of-sight commercial operations, like drone deliveries, and allow for greater testing and scaling. We’re also securing our drone manufacturing supply chains, reducing resilience on adversarial nations,” Kratsios said.
He added, “These orders also address the growing threat of criminal, terrorist, and foreign misuse of
drones in U.S. airspace. We have a responsibility to protect and restore our airspace sovereignty. Under President Trump’s leadership, we are securing our borders from national security threats, including in the air.”
White House officials said the orders are particularly timely, given that the United States will co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympic Games.
Sebastian Gorka, National Security Council senior director for counterterrorism, acknowledged the impetus that the New Jersey drone sightings had on crafting Trump’s executive orders, but said developments on the battlefield in Ukraine have hammered home the need to innovate in the space.
TRUMP CONSIDERING DITCHING HIS TESLA AFTER BREAKUP WITH MUSK
“Anyone can go online right now and just look at footage from the Ukraine, how an otherwise innocent technology is being utilized in very innovative ways for good and bad uses, and the timing couldn’t even be better than it is today, given what we witnessed with the remarkable drone operation that occurred just a few days ago in Russia,” Gorka said. “Drones are a disruptive technology. They have an amazing potential for both good and ill.”
“The President understands this, and today he will act decisively to allow American innovation while at the same time protecting our nation,” he added.