WASHINGTON — The mysterious objects U.S. fighter jets shot down over North America in recent days are likely balloons tied to private scientific research and have no connection to the large Chinese spy balloon the U.S. military shot down off the coast of South Carolina on Feb. 4, President Joe Biden said Thursday at the White House.
“We don’t yet know exactly what these three objects were, but nothing right now suggests they were related to the Chinese spy balloon program, or that there were surveillance vehicles from other any other country,” he said. “But make no mistake, if any object presents a threat to the safety, security of the American people, I will take it down.”
The U.S. military shot down a trio of unidentified aerial objects in the week after downing the Chinese spy balloon: one near Alaska’s northern coastline last Friday, another over Canada’s Yukon region on Saturday and a third over Michigan’s Upper Peninsula off Lake Huron on Sunday.
The number of objects hovering above North America raised alarm about a potential national security threat, but Pentagon and White House officials emphasized the vessels were markedly different in appearance and technological capabilities from the Chinese surveillance vessel. Pentagon officials said the accelerated pace of downed objects was the result of the military recalibrating its radar settings to better detect slower objects.
Republicans and Democrats had urged the White House for days to share more information with the public about what exactly the U.S. shot down and who was behind the mystery devices.
Salvage crews are still working to recover whatever remains of the objects, which National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said has been difficult because of winter weather and the remote, rough terrain where the debris landed. U.S. officials still haven’t seen any indication that the mystery vessels are tied to China, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Thursday.
China has accused the U.S. of flying more than 10 high-altitude balloons through Chinese airspace. White House officials have denied the allegation. Chinese officials have vowed “countermeasures against relevant U.S. entities that undermine China’s sovereignty and security,” and imposed sanctions on American defense manufacturers Lockheed Martin Corp. and Raytheon Missiles & Defense over arms sales to Taiwan.
“They’re coming up with excuses and trying to spin this,” Jean-Pierre said, calling the Chinese government’s behavior “irresponsible.”
“It is up to China to decide how they want to move forward with this relationship,” she added.
Biden said that U.S. officials have developed the ability to identify, track and study high-altitude surveillance balloons tied to Chinese military. Top U.S. military officials advised against immediately shooting down the balloon upon its initial discovery earlier this month because of the risk to people on the ground. During the 96 hours that the balloon crossed through U.S. airspace, officials analyzed its capabilities, tracked its path and were able to protect against collection of information from sensitive sites, Biden said.
“We shot it down, sending a clear message ... the violation of our sovereignty is unacceptable,” Biden said.
The president said he plans to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping and emphasized the importance of keeping lines of communication open between the two countries.
“And I hope we’re going to get to the bottom of this, but I make no apologies for taking down that balloon,” he said.
White House officials briefed senators Tuesday on Capitol Hill after lawmakers called for answers on the unidentified flying objects. The president said he’s asked his national security team to develop clearer rules for dealing with unidentified objects and promised to share the new policy with Congress once it is developed. The new policy will remain classified to avoid letting other countries skirt the new defense practices.
