President Joe Biden gave the order for a US military fighter jet to shoot down an unidentified object flying off the isolated northern coast of Alaska, according to a report by AP on Friday, Feb. 9.
John Kirby, a spokesman for the White House National Security Council, told AP that the object was shot down because it was flying at a height of roughly 40,000 feet (13,000 meters) and constituted a "reasonable threat" to the security of commercial flights.
President Biden said on Friday that the takedown operation was a success.
GUNSAN, SOUTH KOREA - OCTOBER 31: In this handout image released by the South Korean Defense Ministry, South Korean Air Force KF-16 fighter jet (L, bottom) and US Air Force F-16 fighter jets are seen during the "Vigilant Storm" U.S.-South Korea joint aerial drill at Gunsan Air Base on October 31, 2022 in Gunsan, South Korea.
Small Car-Sized Object
The object, according to Kirby, was about the size of a small car and significantly smaller than the alleged Chinese surveillance balloon that was shot down by Air Force fighter planes on Saturday off the coast of South Carolina.
However, officials are still unable to unveil more details about the object, especially if it contained any surveillance tech and where it came from.
The Pentagon did not provide a more detailed account of the object, instead, it simply stated that US pilots who flew up to observe it came to the conclusion that the object was unmanned.
But officials say that the mysterious object appeared immobile, it was moving at a much lower height, and was far smaller than the balloon taken down last week.
According to Kirby, Biden was advised by the Pentagon and in turn, decided to blast it out of the sky because it presented a risk to civilian aircraft.
The president was immediately notified of the mysterious object on Thursday evening after two fighter jets spotted it off Alaska's coast, as per AP's report.
Alaska's North Slope
The object passed across one of the country's most remote regions. It is worth noting that there are only a small number of towns on Alaska's North Slope.
The combined population of the two nearest ones, Deadhorse and Kaktovik, is only approximately 300. Meanwhile, the largest oil field in the United States, Prudhoe Bay, is also located on the North Slope.
Before the shoot-down, the Federal Aviation Administration restricted air travel over a roughly 10-square-mile (26-square-kilometer) region of US airspace off Alaska's Bullen Point, the location of a decommissioned US Air Force radar station on the Beaufort Sea, which is about 130 miles from the Canadian border.
After receiving a briefing, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted on Friday that he agreed with the takedown operation.
"This afternoon, an object that violated American airspace was brought down. I was briefed on the matter and supported the decision to take action. Our military and intelligence services will always work together, including through @NORADCommand, to keep people safe," Trudeau said in a tweet.
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