Governor, Senators Say Federal Briefing on Virginia Drone Activity ‘Unsatisfactory’

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin and Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine released a statement Dec.19 following a classified briefing at the Capitol from the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Justice, and the FBI regarding the ongoing investigation into the unexplained drone sightings in Virginia.

While we appreciate the agencies taking the time to update us on the situation, this briefing was insufficient and unsatisfactory. It has been more than a year since these sightings over key military facilities in Virginia and the lack of answers about the nature, intent, and origin of these incidents is completely unacceptable. The safety of Virginians remains our top priority, and we are determined to continue pressing for additional details as well as greater coordination with state and local officials. We will be staying in close contact with the relevant federal and state agencies to ensure that these concerns are pursued vigorously.

In a virtual press conference on Dec. 18, held several hours before the classified briefing, Warner said he was frustrated by the lack of information flow, stating “I would love to say ‘don’t worry’- but it’s all classified.”

Kaine said he expected clear answers from the briefing, or he would “hold people accountable.”

Virginia State Police (VSP) reported the Virginia Fusion Center (VFC) had received over 150 tips about drone activity in the month of December. 

“We encourage anyone that witnesses a drone flying over critical infrastructure, such as energy installations, or military sites, to contact the VFC,” said VSP Special Agent D. Robinson. “This will enable us to work with our partners to determine exactly what is occurring, and how to move forward.”

Citizens can report suspicious drone activity to VFC by email.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires drones are to remain in sight of either the operator or a visual observer with a maximum allowable altitude of 400 feet unless waived by federal regulators.  Shooting at a drone is illegal.

Virginia state law prohibits flying drones within 50 feet of a residence without federal authority. VFC’s Shield Program has released an All Sectors Bulletin – UAV Assessment with more information on drones.  

On December 11, 2024, the Stafford County Sheriff’s Department received reportings of drone activities and is working with federal authorities to investigate further. No neighboring counties reported sightings that day. 

From July to September 2024, the FAA reported 405 drone sightings, including nine in Virginia. In a telephone press conference, representatives from several government agencies said drone sightings in New Jersey on November 18 prompted a tip line that received over 5,000 reports of which the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said less than 100 were credible. Many of the reports overlapped with flight paths to major airports in New Jersey and New York and may have simply been manned aircraft. There are over 1 million unmanned aircraft devices in the United States.

The Department of Homeland Security confirmed drones have been sighted over bases for “quite some time now.” Officials said there was no evidence or indication of any foreign actors, but added “I just got to simply tell you I don’t know.” The operators and origins of these drones remain unsupervised and have generally not been able to identify the operators or origin of these unmanned drones.