The president has confirmed that the objects weren’t surveillance vehicles for China or any other country
President Joe Biden speaks about recent shootdowns of aerial objects on Thursday at the White House. © Getty Images / Drew Angerer
Although US officials still haven’t determined the origin of three UFOs that military jets shot down over North America in recent days, President Joe Biden confirmed on Thursday that his administration doesn’t suspect the objects were spying devices for China or any other nation.
“We don’t yet know exactly what these three objects were, but nothing right now suggests they were related to China’s spy balloon program or that they were surveillance vehicles from any other country,” Biden said of the UFOs that US forces downed over Alaska, northwestern Canada, and Lake Huron. The objects were tracked by the military after US radar systems were enhanced to detect more slow-moving objects, he added.
US intelligence agencies believe the objects were most likely balloons linked to private companies, recreation or research institutions, Biden said. His administration is developing “sharper rules” for dealing with UFOs and trying to distinguish between those that pose a security risk and those that are harmless.
Happening Now: President Biden delivers remarks on the United States’ response to recent aerial objects. https://t.co/BQqvnbZwwW
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 16, 2023
“But make no mistake: If any object presents a threat to the safety and security of the American people, I will take it down,” Biden said.
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The shootdowns, which occurred between last Friday and Sunday, came one week after a US Air Force fighter jet downed a Chinese balloon off the coast of South Carolina. Biden’s administration claimed that the craft was a spy balloon – an allegation that Beijing denied repeatedly – and came under criticism for allowing it to drift across the US, passing sensitive military installations, after being detected over Montana.
The incident led to US allegations that China runs an extensive high-altitude spying program around the world, worsening the already strained relations between Washington and Beijing. Chinese officials claimed that the balloon was a civilian airship that was blown off course and blasted the US for overreacting to the incident and using force.
Biden said he makes “no apologies” for taking down the balloon, but he wants to keep open lines of communication with China. “I expect to be speaking with President Xi [Jinping], and I hope we’re going to get to the bottom of this.”
