On Dec. 2, a shipment of radioactive material was lost, according to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Guess where it is believed to have gone missing? If you guessed New Jersey – where an “invasion” of mysterious drones has been observed – bingo. The US government frowns on rogue nuclear material moving about unsupervised.
Government Distracts Americans With Drones Story
On Dec. 16, Gateway Pundit’s Jim Hoft broke the story “US Nuclear Regulatory Commission Releases Report Confirming Radioactive Material Lost in Transit — Shipping Container Arrives Damaged and Empty in New Jersey.” While the Defense Department and the Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas were busy distracting the American public with their “All is well. Nothing to worry about” drones story, something else may be afoot. As Hoft explained:
“The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has confirmed that radioactive material was lost in transit earlier this month, heightening fears about public safety and sparking theories about mysterious drone activity in New Jersey … The missing material, identified as a Ge-68 pin source manufactured by Eckert & Ziegler, was reported lost by its licensee on Dec. 3, 2024. Shipped for disposal, the container arrived at its destination severely damaged and empty.”
Ge-68 pin (Germanium-68) is a small radioactive pin used for calibrating medical imaging equipment. The NRC report of the lost radioactive substance – called an “Event Notification Report for Dec. 13, 2024” – reads as pretty benign, ho-hum stuff. In the report narrative, the description reads “Non Emergency.” However, the fact that the shipping container was damaged and empty is cause for concern. Despite what has been portrayed as a “small amount of radioactive material that would not cause permanent injury,” that it is missing is disturbing. “The pin was used to calibrate PET/CT scanners and was used at the Nazha Cancer Center in New Jersey,” the New American reported. The radioactive pin emits low-energy gamma rays at a constant and measurable rate, which makes such material useful for calibrating medical diagnostic equipment.
So, it’s called a small amount, but what constitutes an amount large enough to detect? One way to determine that would be to fly airborne radioactive emission sensors over an area where nuclear material might be. That’s precisely what some observers believe is happening. The application of drones to carry radiological sensors is what the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) researchers are exploring. “In the study to assess drones for radiological detection, researchers conducted an experiment at an open field on the PNNL campus in Richland, Washington,” a May 2023 PNNL news release stated.
In fact, one federal agency’s purpose is exactly that. The Nuclear Emergency Support Team (NEST) responds to radiological or nuclear emergencies. According to NEST's webpage, the organization belongs to the Department of Energy with a mission that includes “all field-deployed and remote technical support to the Nation’s countering weapons of mass destruction (WMD) operations, including Preventive Nuclear and Radiological Detection (PNRD) and threat-based nuclear search.” It is pure speculation, but the PNRD carrying out its detection mission might be what observers on the ground are witnessing.
The FBI has issued an announcement urging people living in New Jersey not to engage the drones. The Daily Caller reported federal and local law enforcement are concerned about people shooting at the drones, explaining, “The Federal Bureau of Investigation warned residents of New Jersey … against shooting down drones they cannot identify and point out potential legal repercussions and safety hazards. The FBI and New Jersey State Police warned the public about the dangers of using lasers against unmanned aircraft.”
Government Continues to Downplay Sightings
If a few of the unmanned aircraft spotted by hundreds of people throughout New Jersey and the rest of the country were from a US government agency, it’s understandable the FBI would not want them shot at. Furthermore, after nearly three weeks of drone stories with growing skepticism about the government’s involvement, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) – which has been deluged with calls about 5,000 drone sightings – finally put out a statement.
However, the department is sticking to its story. “We have not identified anything anomalous and do not assess the activity to date to present a national security or public safety risk over the civilian airspace in New Jersey or other states in the northeast.” The statement also revealed that unmanned aircraft systems have been reported over military installations in New Jersey and other US locations, including restricted airspace. “Such sightings near or over DOD (Department of Defense) installations are not new,” DHS observed. This and similar comments do not instill confidence.
It doesn’t take much to connect the dots. Nuclear material goes missing. Drones appear in the skies over the state where the radioactive matter was lost. A national research lab has been working on using drones to detect radiation emissions for at least a year. Such a capability would be very valuable for NEST in detecting even the smallest illicit stockpile of nuclear material. Testing that capability with a real-world sampling of atomic material would advance US technology research. It makes sense. Conspiracy theory? Maybe, maybe not.
The views expressed are those of the author and not of any other affiliate.
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