Friday afternoon, the White House said warplanes shot down an object in US airspace near Alaska, which is considered a danger to civilian air traffic. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby did not say what the object was. This announcement comes just days after a Chinese “spy shadow” was shot down in the Atlantic Ocean.
“The Department of Defense has been tracking a high-altitude object in Alaskan airspace for the past 24 hours,” Kirby said at the White House briefing. He added that the object was flying at an altitude of 40,000 feet – about 12 km – and “poses a reasonable threat to the safety of civilian flight.”
As recommended by the Pentagon and outside “abundant prudence,” Kirby said US President Joe Biden ordered the object to be shot down, adding that Northern Command carried out the order. “within the last hour.”
Fragments fall “inside our territorial waters,” Kirby added.
The announcement comes as Biden faces criticism over his response to China “spy shadow” last weekend. After the air conditioning device was spotted by civilians over Montana, the Pentagon declared it a Chinese surveillance property – but refused to shoot it down until it had passed most of mainland China. States, citing the potential risk to people on the ground. An F-22 eventually fired a missile at a hot air balloon off the coast of South Carolina, and the navy was dispatched to recover the rest.
Beijing interprets the object as a civilian balloon during a research mission that was blown up due to force majeure. After it was shot down, China condemned “information war” of Washington and demanded that the United States return the debris that is the property of China.
Biden’s critics counter that it takes days for the balloon to be destroyed, during which time it can spy on anything from Americans’ phone calls to nuclear missile silos. .
State Department officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the media on Thursday that the balloon was equipped with advanced surveillance equipment. “ability” collect sensitive contact information.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken postponed a planned trip to Beijing because of the hot air balloon incident and the White House vowed to retaliate “China’s surveillance program.”
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