Aliens Weren’t Behind Most Recent Flying Objects, White House Says—But Still Unclear Who Was

Topline

The Biden Administration shot down speculation that the four aerial vessels the U.S. military destroyed over North America in recent days were the product of alien or extraterrestrial activity—a day after a top military commander left open that possibility.

Key Facts

“There is no indication of alien or extraterrestrial activity with these recent takedowns,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said during a press briefing on Monday, quipping, “I loved ET the movie, but I’m just going to leave it there.”

The statements come after Gen. Glen VanHerck, commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command, refused to rule out that option in a press call on Sunday, saying he’d “let the intel community and the counterintelligence community figure that out.”

White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby reiterated Jean-Pierre’s declaration on Monday, telling reporters: “I don’t think the American people need to worry about aliens with respect to these [aircrafts]. Period.”

The balloon hysteria began when the U.S. military shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina on February 4, after it was first spotted over Alaska on January 28.

U.S. fighter jets took down aerial objects over Alaska on Friday, Canada on Saturday and Lake Huron on Sunday, and while it’s unclear what the three most recent objects were used for, Kirby said Monday the military did not detect any “communication signals” from the devices, though Sen. Chuck Schumer said intelligence officials believe at least two were also balloons.

The three most recent vessels were flying at a much lower altitude than the Chinese surveillance balloon and “did pose a threat to civilian commercial air traffic,” Kirby said—noting it’s still unclear who is responsible for these objects, and the “octagonal” vessel above Lake Huron was flying at about 20,000 feet and the objects above Alaska and Canada were shot down at about 40,000 feet (the Chinese spy balloon was flying at 60,000 feet, “well outside commercial air traffic concerns”).

Key Background

The White House attributed the number of unauthorized aerial objects appearing in North American skies in recent weeks to enhanced awareness. Kirby said the balloons “have provided limited additive capabilities” to the Chinese government, but warned “if the [People’s Republic of China] continues to advance this technology, it certainly could become more valuable.” In addition to the Chinese government, other countries, companies, and research and academic organizations also use balloons “for purposes that are not nefarious at all,” Kirby said. The military acted “out of an abundance of caution” in regards to the most recent three objects, though it’s unclear what, exactly, they were, Kirby said, noting that they did not pose “any kinetic threat to people on the ground” and had no maneuvering or propulsion capabilities. The White House has not ruled out the possibility that the three most recent objects were used for surveillance purposes, but has gathered no evidence thus far to suggest they were, Kirby said, adding that no additional aerial objects had been detected as of Monday.

What To Watch For

The president on Monday directed White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan to develop an “interagency team” to study the policy implications and risks of unidentified aerial objects. The Senate will also receive a second classified briefing on Tuesday on the balloons, after both chambers of Congress were briefed last week on the Chinese spy balloons.

Tangent

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is considering meeting with Wang Yi, Director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission of the Chinese Government, at the Munich Security Conference this weekend, Reuters reported, citing unnamed sources. Blinken cancelled a trip to Beijing that was initially planned for February 3 after the U.S. announced a day earlier that it had detected the Chinese spy balloon as it flew over Billings, Montana, not far from one of the U.S.’s three nuclear silo fields. The Chinese government criticized the balloon’s take down as an “indiscriminate use of force” and has maintained its narrative that the object was a civilian-operated device used for weather research.

Further Reading

U.S. Military Shoots Down Another Flying Object—This Time Over Lake Huron (Forbes)

Schumer: Two Latest Objects Flying Over North America Were Also Balloons, Intelligence Officials Believe (Forbes)

Everything We Know About The Flying Object Shot Down Over Canada—A Day After Similar Incident Over Alaska (Forbes)