Small Car-Sized Object Shot Down Over Alaska
On the orders of President Joe Biden, the United States has shot down another object spotted in its airspace, one week after a suspected Chinese spy balloon was shot down, and the fallout continues.
As the debate over the Chinese spy balloon continues, the White House asserts that U.S. forces have shot down an object spotted at a high altitude.
When it was first spotted, the unidentified object, which was reportedly the size of a compact car, was flying at an altitude of approximately 40,000 feet.
John Kirby, the spokesman for the National Security Council of the White House, stated in an update that it posed a “reasonable threat” to the safety of civilian flights.
Kirby added President Joe Biden ordered the military to shoot down the object that had fallen into American waters.
“I can confirm that the Department of Defense has been tracking a high-altitude object over Alaskan airspace for the past twenty-four hours,” he said.
President Biden, out of an abundance of caution and on the advice of the Pentagon, ordered the military to bring the object down, which they did, and it entered our territorial waters.
ALSO READ: Spy Balloon Incident Heightens US-China Tensions
The military action comes less than a week after the United States shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina, where officials are still recovering debris.
At a senate subcommittee hearing, homeland security and military leaders were repeatedly asked why the balloon, which first entered US airspace on January 28 and was shot down off the coast of South Carolina last Saturday, was allowed to cross the country.
The most recent object shot down, reportedly within the last 24 hours, is much smaller than the most recent perceived threat.
The Chinese surveillance balloon shot down off the coast of South Carolina on Saturday was part of a “multi-year” surveillance program, according to the Pentagon.
The Pentagon’s press secretary, Brigadier General Pat Ryder, stated at a news conference on Wednesday that similar balloons flew over American soil four times during the Trump and Biden administrations.
The United States did not immediately recognize them as Chinese spy balloons but was able to determine that they were part of a Chinese surveillance operation and learn “a great deal more” through “subsequent intelligence analysis,” according to Ryder.
ALSO READ: China Addresses US Spy Balloon Mystery
The only additional information provided by Ryder about the earlier balloons was that they flew over “areas that could be of interest to the Chinese.”
China claimed it was a civilian balloon used for meteorological research and harshly criticized the United States for shooting it down in response to last weekend’s incident.
In response to questions regarding China’s explanation, Ryder stated on Wednesday, “I can assure you that this was not for civilian purposes; we are 100 percent certain of that.”
China responded that it reserved the right to “take additional actions” and criticized the United States for an “obvious overreaction and a serious violation of international practice.”
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on Sunday stating, “China will resolutely defend the legitimate rights and interests of the relevant company while reserving the right to take further action in response.”
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