National Security Council’s John Kirby said today that the three most recent unidentified flying objects shot down over the weekend by the U.S. military were flying at a much lower altitude than the China spy balloon, and posed an actual risk to aircraft. The reason the military detected them is that the Pentagon and North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) has changed the parameters of what they are looking for since the shooting down of the large spy balloon on Feb. 4.
“One of the reasons we think we’re seeing them is because we’re looking for them. If you set the parameters to look for a certain something it’s more likely you’re going to find a certain something,” said Kirby, who is the strategic communications coordinator for the NSC.
The three objects — shot down over Alaska, The Yukon, and Lake Huron, Michigan — could simply be academic or research vessels, Kirby speculated. They were not propelled or remotely maneuvered, but were being carried along on the wind, which makes them different from the China balloon that was knocked from the sky over the coast of South Carolina nine days ago.
“A range of entities including countries, companies research and academic organizations operate objects at these altitudes for purposes that are not nefarious at all,” Kirby said. “That said, because we have not yet been able to definitively assess what these most recent objects are, we acted out of an abundance of caution.”
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said these items do not carry extra-terrestrial life.
“Again, there is no indication of aliens or [extra]terrestrial activity with these recent takedowns. Wanted to make sure that the American people knew that, all of you knew that. And it was important for us to say that from here because we’ve been hearing a lot about it,” Jean-Pierre said.
Kirby said recovery is underway for the items that were shot down above the Arctic Ocean, over The Yukon, and Lake Huron. The one shot down over Lake Huron is probably at the bottom of the lake by now, he said. Lake Huron averages about 200 feet in depth but is as deep at 750 feet. The item shot down was aloft near the U.S.-Canada border at about 20,000 feet, while the other two — over Yukon and Alaska — were at about 40,000 feet. For comparison, Mount Everest is about 29,000 feet high.
The China balloon was at about 60,000 feet. Kirby said the security agencies “were able to determine that China has a high-altitude balloon program for intelligence collection that’s connected to the People’s Liberation Army. It was operating during the previous administration, but they did not detect it. We detected it. We tracked it. And we have been carefully studying it to learn as much as we can.”
Kirby said the slow-moving objects at high altitude with a small radar cross section are difficult to detect on radar.
“Even objects the size of the Chinese spy balloon — which had a payload the size of, roughly, three school busses — were not picked up by previous administrations or other countries,” he said.
“In Saturday’s case, we acted in consultation with the Canadian government, the President speaking personally with the — with Prime Minister Trudeau. The spy balloon was, of course, different, because we knew precisely where that was,” he said.
The security agencies are intensively searching for debris from the three other objects, which he said had posed no known threat to people on the ground. The objects were not sending communication signals and were not manned. But NORAD could not confirm the objects were not conducting surveillance, and so the president ordered them shot down, Kirby said.
Kirby said there were no similar objects detected today.
“The president has directed the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, and the Director of National Intelligence to engage with their relevant counterparts to share information and to try to gain their perspectives as well. Again, this is an issue that affects everybody around the world,” Kirby said, adding, “we will continue to brief members of Congress and relevant state leadership on what we are doing and what we learn. The president has made this a very top priority. We have, over the course of just the last few days — and certainly over the course of last week — reached out to inform and brief members of Congress and relevant state governors of the operations that we were conducting and of the recovery operations that are underway.
“We’ve also kept Congress briefed generally on this issue of Chinese surveillance balloons, including classified briefings last August. And last week, administration officials provided classified briefings for all senators and all members of the House of Representatives on the PRC surveillance balloon. We fully expect and anticipate and support the ability to continue these briefings in the days ahead,” he said.
Biden, through his National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, today directed an interagency team to study the broader policy implications for detection, analysis, and disposition of unidentified aerial objects that pose either safety or security risks, Kirby said.
Read the entire transcript of Kirby’s remarks here.
For anyone familiar with the US air defense system and the ability of the US air force monitoring in Alaska, you would know that the whole ^ we didn’t see it” is pure BS.
When the Russians lost control of Soyuz 1 shortly after launch our Military men in Shemya monitored the skyrocketing heart rate of Vladimir Komarov as the seconds ticked away prior to his ultimate demise.
All of this nonsense about being the first administration to notice something big enough to carry three busses is stupid person’s joke. Worse yet the Art Bell era voodoo BS about aliens.
Watch closely. You’re going to see a news item soon that the current administration hopes will be overshadowed by this alien school bus balloon nonsense.
Has Hunter been rogering children again? Will it be noticed that our Commander in Cheif only talks when one of his handlers has a hand up our dear puppet’s heinder? Watch for it. 100% of the heightened awareness BS you’ve heard so far is a distraction.
BTW… that was 1967. Think any recent admin couldn’t find a flying pile up of 3 school busses?
Short answer is that these shoot downs kept the Biden Crime family off the TV news and out of the papers all weekend..!!
Good to know that Joey Brandon has assigned the “A” team to look at this stuff. Hopefully FBI Director Wray will head the cover-up group and Robert Mueller can identify, investigate and smear the conservatives that will be held responsible.
The lunacy of this administration never fails to amaze me. We’re finding more balloons because we’re looking for them? Lots of balloons are floating around made by researchers? How many of these balloons are drifting into flight paths? I feel fortunate to have lived my life feeling moderately safe from threats. Those days are gone by either incompetence or malice.
If his a democrat then whatever his saying is NOT it, is the exact opposite. ?
Kirby is the epitome of someone talking out of both sides of his mouth at once
Is not NORAD also who monitors Santa Claus sleigh every year as Santa’s sleigh brings gifts to children around the world in one special day for ALL the children of the world?
Begs me to ask the official question, is Santa not real?
I do know the answer to the obvious question, the children all around the world ARE real!
And I believe they are likely rejoicing in bringing to light how screwed up all the adults of this collective world has become.
That is my hope for the children of the world.
Because adults have not been doing it – at all.
Let’s focus on the illegal aliens flooding our southern border instead of worrying about ET.
The historic Press Secretary is easily the dumbest thing in the most inept administration in history.
Russia did threaten to go nuclear against any nation assisting ukraine by military. Did’nt
Biden’s admin send 2000 tanks, yet. Obviously our airforce don’t want whatever reach
land. I guess its some type of long range missile.
Of course not, all the “aliens” are coming across the southern border… on the ground… in case you haven’t noticed… bloody one-man clown show.
They shot down three objects over US and Canadian airspace for the first time since Pearl Harbor and expect the public to believe they haven’t recovered anything yet. The administration told the public it was -20F and it wasn’t possible to go out in that weather. Alaskans know that is a total and complete lie. They’re trying to buy time.
Look up “Battle for Los Angeles”– a major Hollywood screenwriter has just penned the screenplay for it, it actually happened during WWll.
What a load of hooey!!
Wasn’t there someone, who recently complained about buffoonery?
Well this is truly the height of it. Biden & Co. assuring us that it wasn’t ET using a balloon? While I know KJP has no shame, I hope John Kirby was embarrassed when he had to do that briefing
MRAK balloonatics are coming out of the woodwork.
Frank, if true you should be in good company!
So, I’ve forgotten; haven’t you? Because ET, who had 160 unrighteous cronies? What do unrighteous cronies always believe about others? Think it o’re.
Take smaller sips, Granny.
Answer: Epstein.
No mention of where these objects are being launched from. If from China, then our airspace is not the only one that has been violated. What is concerning is the level of cooperation between China and Russia of late.
“Wag the Dog, Part II: Balloonapalooza!”
Nothing but horses*t has come from our government and/or military by way of explanation but there’s some coming from the private sector to indicate that private individuals have been sending up their own version of weather balloons in recent years and then tracking where they go. That might help explain why none of the objects pinged returned any comm of any kind.
What this really means is that one stupid neighbor we all have could send up a twelve dollar balloon that could wind up sucked into the intake of a passenger jet.
I’m sure the ‘made in China’ three-bus unit was a little more nefarious but there appear to be a few folks that may be a hair too daft to understand the potential for harm their little balloon launch could present. A couple articles you may find interesting:
On the “Bottlecap Balloon Brigade”:
‘https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/aircraft-propulsion/hobby-clubs-missing-balloon-feared-shot-down-usaf
Perspective on $400k missiles taking out $12 hobbyist balloons:
‘https://globalnews.ca/news/9495077/pico-balloon-shot-down-missile-yukon/
Next will be an array of folks saying they have the right to pollute and endanger the airways w/ hobbyist trash. They’ll be hollering that preemptively to avoid being held accountable for their own poor choices.
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