Former CIA officer suggests NJ drone sightings may be part of a classified exercise.

Laura Ballman, a former CIA Operations officer, finds the mysterious drone sightings 'extremely unsettling' while addressing the public's demand for answers on 'Planet Chronicle Live.'

Residents in New Jersey have been uneasy for weeks due to drone sightings, with no official explanations provided. Ballman speculated that the circumstances surrounding the drone sightings could indicate a U.S. operation.

Ballman believes that the drones are not operating illegally, as stated by National Security spokesman John Kirby, and the op-eds published in the last 24 hours about the need to improve detection systems suggest that this may be a classified exercise to test evasion or detection technology in urban areas.

Ballman stated that she would be "shocked" if the drones were linked to the CIA, as it is not their duty to operate in the US. She also expressed her concern about why the US government has not disclosed information about the drones.

National security officials tried to reassure the public about the drones flying over the Northeast in a call with reporters, stating that the nationwide unease was an "exaggeration."

On Saturday, Planet Chronicle Digital received a call from senior Biden administration officials, including representatives from the FBI, FAA, NSC, DHS, and DOD.

Despite the ongoing investigation into the origins of the drones, the senior officials refused to disclose any information about them. The drones were first sighted flying over northern New Jersey in mid-November and have been observed by thousands of residents in the past few weeks.

Since the first mysterious drone was spotted in the Garden State in November, the FBI has received over 5,000 tips. However, only about 100 of these tips required further investigation, according to an FBI official who spoke during a call with reporters.

Despite the recent increase in drone activity, the FBI official stated that investigators have not discovered any evidence of widespread unmanned drone usage.

"The official stated that they are doing their best to find the source of the drone activities in question, but there may have been an overreaction."

A DHS official concurred with the FBI representative's statement that although not all drone-related tips should be disregarded, the actual drone activity may be lower than what is being reported.

Planet Chronicle' Andrea Margolis contributed to this report.