[JockoManning]

By then, virtually everything that could be done with such cases had been done many dozens if not 100's of times over for at least 3-6 decades worth.

There likely was nothing new that any additional personnel could tease out of such a common situation.

There were standing orders for how to handle yourself in such situations. The orders to try and shoot them down had been rescinded quickly after the craft started blowing airliners out of the air in response to the military shooting at them every time they saw them. Wiser heads in D.C. quickly decided that was not a good standing order to leave in force.

Such situations had become routine enough to not likely be able to obtain much new intel in such situations. But they were exciting to the military personnel involved, nevertheless.

[fso301]

100 miles off the coast of San Diego

That is well within reach of traffic control radar at San Diego International Airport. Why weren't civilian controllers reporting similar observations?