13 February 2023
(NewsNation) — White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby will be giving an update on the multiple flying objects that have been shot down over the weekend.
The influx of objects comes after the U.S. shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon on Feb. 4. The Navy has been retrieving debris from that balloon for examination, which the Chinese government continues to insist was a civilian meteorological balloon.
China has denied any involvement with the latest three objects and many questions remain about the nature of the objects.
On Friday, the U.S. government downed a flying object over the remote northern coast of Alaska, which was described as cylindrical and a type of airship.
On Saturday, another object was shot down in Canadian airspace, by a U.S. jet, approximately 100 miles from the Canada-U.S. border in the central Yukon. U.S. officials described it as a balloon significantly smaller than the balloon shot down earlier in the month.
Then on Sunday, another object was downed over Lake Huron. It was first detected on Saturday evening over Montana, but it was initially thought to be an anomaly. Radar picked it up again Sunday hovering over the Upper Peninsula of Michigan before bringing it down.
U.S. authorities have made clear that they constantly monitor for unknown radar blips, and it is not unusual to shut down airspace as a precaution to evaluate them. But the unusually assertive response was raising questions about whether such use of force was warranted, particularly as administration officials said the objects were not of great national security concern and the downings were just out of caution.
VanHerck said the U.S. adjusted its radar so it could track slower objects. “With some adjustments, we’ve been able to get a better categorization of radar tracks now,” he said, “and that’s why I think you’re seeing these, plus there’s a heightened alert to look for this information.”
He added: “I believe this is the first time within United States or American airspace that NORAD or United States Northern Command has taken kinetic action against an airborne object.”
Asked if officials have ruled out extraterrestrials, VanHerck said, “I haven’t ruled out anything at this point.”
You can watch the briefing in the video player above.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.