Biden Administration defends decision to shoot down latest aerial objects

WASHINGTON D.C. — The Biden Administration says it’s working to recover debris of these latest unidentified objects in our airspace.

This comes after the US military shot down four airborne objects flying over u-s and Canadian airspace over the last week and half.

So far officials say only one object has been confirmed as a Chinese spy balloon.

White House officials said the Pentagon is now actively looking for more of these high-altitude objects.

“In light of the Chinese balloon program and this recent incursion into our airspace, the United States and Canada, through NORAD, have been more closely scrutinizing that airspace, including enhancing our radar capabilities, which, as the commander of North Common NORAD, General Van Herk said just last night, may at least partially explain the increase in the objects that have been detected,” said John Kirby, National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications.

Monday, Kirby said the Chinese spy balloon should be categorized as its own incident.

“There is no question in our minds that that system was designed to surveil that that was an intelligence asset,” he said.

Kirby affirmed several times that the US is not flying any kind of surveillance object over China.

Turning to the latest mystery, he said these newer objects were flying much lower in our airspace and posed a threat to air traffic. That’s why Kirby said the administration moved to shoot them down.

“We don’t know for sure whether they had a surveillance aspect to them but we can’t rule it out so there was enough uncertainty,” said Kirby.

But some national security experts like Jamil Jaffer still have questions about these objects. Jaffer, who runs the National Security Institute at George Mason University, is concerned about what these objects may be capable of.

“Some aviation analysts are suggesting that the reason these objects might be here might not just be to do surveillance of the landmass the United States but also to provoke our sensors to see what our sensors are doing when they identify them and to figure out what our aircraft are doing and how our missiles operate in close combat conditions,” said Jaffer.

The White House says it’s forming an interagency group to study these objects more.

But Jaffer believes the administration needs to explain how their response to these object = could impact our own defense capabilities

“Are we going to take action against them, and make our adversaries pay a price for these activities? And then what’s the cost us in terms of intelligence collection on our side, as well,” said Jaffer.

The White House also said these objects did not originate from outer space.

“There is no, again no indication of aliens or extraterrestrial activity with these recent takedowns. Again, there is no indication of aliens or terrestrial activity with these recent takedowns. Wanted to make sure that the American people knew that, all of you knew that, and it was important for us to say that from here, because we’ve been hearing a lot about it,” said Karine Jean-Pierre, White House Press Secretary.

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