Former CIA officer and whistleblower Kevin Shipp has raised concerns that a series of mysterious drone sightings over New Jersey and Virginia could be linked to a covert government program aimed at detecting radiation spikes.

Shipp shared his views during an interview on the John Solomon Reports podcast on Wednesday, suggesting that the drones may be part of a CIA initiative designed to address potential nuclear threats.

“My concern is that these are radiation-detecting drones under a covert CIA plausible deniability program that are searching for radiation spikes,” Shipp stated.

He added that the program may be focused on addressing the possibility of missing suitcase-sized nuclear devices that disappeared following the collapse of the Soviet Union and were reportedly sold on the black market.

Shipp explained that the CIA operates advanced drone programs equipped with Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosive (CBRNE) detectors.

These devices are designed to identify high levels of radiation and other potential threats. “If they’re sniffing for radiation, my big concern… is that this could be one of these suitcase devices,” he said, referring to the nuclear weapons allegedly unaccounted for after the Soviet Union’s fall.

“We have to ask about the cities and states where these drones are over,” Shipp continued. “What is there? What could be the target? Why are they over a lot of these DOD [Department of Defense] military bases?”

he Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has been monitoring the drone activity, issuing two flight restrictions last week in the airspace surrounding President-elect Donald Trump’s Bedminster golf club in New Jersey.

The drone sightings were initially reported on November 18, prompting federal officials to investigate.

Federal agencies, including the Pentagon, have stated that there is no evidence linking the drone activity to any foreign entities and have assured the public that there is no immediate threat.

However, Shipp criticized the Pentagon’s response, alleging that officials are not being truthful about the nature of the drones.

“What that does is that falls under the CIA’s doctrine from 1948 of plausible deniability, where they can do these things and just say they don’t know anything about it as long as it’s not attributable directly to the White House or the administration,” Shipp asserted.