Warren Community College leading the way in drone technology

One of the best-kept secrets in New Jersey is right in the heart of Warren County. WarrenUAS, a part of Warren Community College, is one of if not THE top unmanned drone programs in the entire country.

We had a great opportunity to tour the facility in Phillipsburg this week. What an eye-opener.

Bill Spadea at WarrenUAS

As you know, I'm a huge believer in bringing manufacturing back to America and in particular, New Jersey and it's all possible within the next few years. Drone technology can and will be deployed in, let's say January 2026, in order to address several main issues impacting New Jerseyans and on the top of the priority list for the next governor.

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Bill Spadea at WarrenUAS

Flood mitigation is a priority, specifically, dredging, de-snagging, and rebuilding the banks. All need to be mapped by drones to cut down on the time from idea to implementation. Plus with drones, we can get the mapping done in hours instead of weeks, all at a minimal cost.

Secondly, precision farming is a way of bringing in drones to help farmers target crops and conserve water and nutrients to maximize efficacy and production. Then we can deploy drones to get an accurate count of the deer and bear population in the Garden State. Right now we know the state is wildly underestimating the numbers and farmers are seeing double-digit percentages of their crops destroyed by desperate, hungry animals suffering from overpopulation.

As you know, for years I've been talking about the critical need to invest billions into the transportation and energy infrastructure across New Jersey. We know that there are 2500 bridges in need of some repair with 442 considered structurally deficient.

We learned from our friends at WarrenUAS that drones can provide inspections both above and below the water in order to assess the specific repair and replacement needs without closing lanes and without risking the lives and safety of inspectors.

Bill Spadea at WarrenUAS

We are exploring the real need to invest money in order to create an incubator for entrepreneurs to start manufacturing and deploying drones across New Jersey FROM New Jersey. Time to stop the flow of Chinese Communist products into America and New Jersey can lead the way with training, implementation, and manufacturing products.

Think of the thousands of jobs we will create and the millions in new tax revenue.

Thank you to Will Austin, Samir Elbassiouny, Joe LaBarbera, WarrenUAS staff, students, and board members for inviting us in to see this impressive program first hand.

Looking forward to another visit.