President Joe Biden declared Friday's operation to shoot down a "high-altitude object" flying above Alaska a "success" immediately after national security officials confirmed that the commander-in-chief authorized the US military to execute the action.
The announcement, which marks the second time in less than a week that American fighter jets have shot down an object flying over US airspace, comes after the administration faced a barrage of questions regarding the timing of President Biden's decision to shoot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina last Saturday.
US Shoots Down Unidentified 'High-Altitude Object'
This time, the president took more active steps to bring the object down in Alaska quickly, but crucial concerns about the satellite's origin and purpose remain unresolved. According to a US official, when the item was first identified on Thursday, F-35 fighter jets were dispatched to investigate.
John Kirby, the coordinator for strategic communications for the National Security Council, stated during a White House press conference that the object was flying at 12,000 meters and "presented a reasonable threat to the safety of civilian aircraft."
In addition to the F-35s' efforts on Thursday, fighter planes again on Friday morning targeted the object. According to Kirby, both interactions generated "minimal" information. The president was briefed for the first time Thursday evening "as soon as the Pentagon got sufficient information," Kirby said, adding that on the Pentagon's advice, Biden ordered the military "to drop the item - and they did."
The item was destroyed by fighter planes from the United States Northern Command. In addition, according to US officials, the item was brought down over the icy Arctic Ocean near the Canadian border, around 10 miles off the north shore of Alaska. Kirby stated that the US expects to collect the debris, CNN reported.
China Spy Balloon
The incident occurred less than a week after a US fighter aircraft shot down a Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina after the US military spent days tracking the balloon's passage through US territory.
Per The Independent, an American F-22 fighter jet shot down the Chinese spy balloon on Saturday. The White House stated that it was targeting "critical military locations" as part of a scheme that US authorities had been aware of for some years.
The discovery of the balloon exacerbated the diplomatic stalemate between the United States and China, prompting Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel his first high-level trip to Beijing. China condemned the United States for its "obvious overreaction and grave breach of international norms."
Martha Raddatz, the chief global affairs correspondent for ABC News, was the first to report that when fighters were scrambled, the pilots conducted visuals, obtained photos, and reported no indication that the object had propulsion. A US official characterized it as "cylindrical and silvery-gray" and claimed it seemed floating.
When asked whether it was "balloon-like," the official responded, "All I can say is that it wasn't 'flying' with any propulsion, so if that's 'balloon-like,' then we just don't have enough at this time."
The wind practically determined the high-altitude object. Fighter aircraft concluded that it was unmanned after conducting an inspection, Kirby added. He claimed that it was a little object, and fighter planes first spotted it late Thursday night as they flew at great speed. They conducted a second trip "early this morning" to learn more. Kirby stated that the flight "ended in a shootdown."
At the Pentagon, Brigadier General Patrick Ryder stated that ground radar identified the item. It was shot down at about 1:45 p.m. ET, according to him. According to Ryder, recovery resources, including an HC-130, the search-and-rescue variant of the C-130, and HH-60 and CH-47 aircraft, are en route to the scene.
Republicans and some Democrats have criticized Biden for failing to shoot down a Chinese surveillance balloon that entered US airspace over Alaska on January 28 and was flying at 60,000 feet. It ultimately soared over the lower 48 states before being brought down off the coast of South Carolina. Senator Dan Sullivan, a Republican from Alaska, said in a statement that Pentagon officials briefed him on Friday morning.
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