The Pentagon reported that on Sunday, President Joe Biden gave the order for American fighter jets to shoot down an “unidentified object” above Lake Huron.
According to the Pentagon, the object is thought to be the same one that was spotted above Montana on Saturday. It is this month’s fourth object to be shot down.
According to a U.S. official who spoke on the record, the item was described as octagonal in shape with strings hanging off it, but there was no discernible cargo.
In a formal statement, Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder noted that although the item did not constitute a military threat, given its altitude of 6,100 metres, it might be dangerous to commercial aircraft.
According to Reuters, the military has not been able to determine what the three most recent objects are, how they stay in the air, or where they are coming from, according to U.S. Air Force General Glen Van Herck, who is in charge of protecting American airspace.
The commander of NORAD and Northern Command, VanHerck, explained: “We’re calling them objects, not balloons, for a reason.
Additionally, according to Pentagon officials, they are unsure of the time since the previous shootdown of an illegal or unidentified item over American soil.
Airspace over the lake, which is close to the boundary between the two nations, was limited earlier on Sunday as military jets were dispatched to attempt to identify the object.
U.S. Representative Elissa Slotkin tweeted that “the item has been downed by pilots from the U.S. Air Force and National Guard.” Slotkin represents a district in Michigan close to where the incident took place.
Although much smaller than a Chinese spy balloon shot down over the Atlantic Ocean more than a week ago, U.S. national security officials have said they believe two other high-altitude objects shot down over the northern regions of the United States and Canada were balloons, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Sunday.
Schumer said on ABC’s “This Week” that White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan had briefed him on Saturday night about the preliminary information regarding the objects, one of which was shot down over frozen waters close to the state of Alaska on Friday and another on Saturday over the Yukon region of Canada.
Schumer omitted to mention the balloons’ point of origin. However, he claimed that both were shot down by American fighter jets, the second with permission from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, after being detected on radar at an altitude of roughly 12,000 metres (40,000 feet) and being deemed a threat to nearby commercial aircraft.
Schumer assured that if any American interests put individuals in danger, they would act appropriately.
READ ASLO: Unidentified object shot down by US warplane over Canada
U.S. authorities are attempting to determine how they missed at least three balloon sightings during the administrations of former President Donald Trump and Joe Biden, both of whom were thought to be part of a Chinese spy programme run by Beijing’s People’s Liberation Army, until now, after the four shootdowns in an eight-day period.
According to Schumer, “I think our military and intelligence are doing a tremendous job, now and in the future.” “I have a great deal of faith in what they are doing.” But why—why was no one aware of this as far back as the Trump administration?
Schumer remarked, “It’s crazy; we didn’t know.” They are learning a great deal more now. “And the military and intelligence are laser-focused on first acquiring and compiling the material, then producing a thorough analysis of what happened in the past, what is happening now, and what may happen in the future.”
The U.S. has disputed China’s assertion that the first balloon, which was shot down on February 4 off the coast of South Carolina, was a weather balloon that got out of control. China has admitted launching the balloon, which was shot down. The balloon was identified by the US as a surveillance aircraft that could be controlled to float over important military locations as it crossed the US mainland.
China expressed its right to “take future actions” in response to the United States’ “obvious overreaction” and “severe violation of international practise” after the first balloon was shot down.
Despite the fact that both Republican and Democratic lawmakers have questioned why the United States did not shoot the balloon down earlier than it did before the Chinese flew it over military bases, Schumer claimed that “we got enormous intelligence information” from monitoring the balloon as it passed over the country. Biden directed the American military to shoot it down as soon as it was possible to do so without endangering Americans on the ground, which the military only determined after it moved offshore.
This past week, the United States claimed to have taken action to block information being sent from the balloon.
Now, according to Schumer, as Navy divers retrieve pieces of the balloon’s payload from the ocean floor for forensic examination by FBI specialists at a lab outside of Washington, “we’ll most likely be able to piece together this entire… surveillance balloon and understand everything that is happening.” “That is a major victory for the United States.”
Schumer added, “I think the Chinese were embarrassed.” I believe the Chinese were exposed as liars. “And I believe it’s a serious setback for them.”
He foresaw Beijing being “They look extremely horrible, so you’ll definitely need to get rid of [the balloon surveillance programme] or take some other action.” Additionally, they are not only doing it in the US. This group of balloons is similar to one we saw in South America. “They have probably travelled the entire planet.”
Schumer added that, despite the U.S. assessment of China’s balloon espionage, “with them, we cannot simply engage in a Cold War.” We must establish a connection with them. On the other hand, China has repeatedly exploited us.
