BREAKING: US @DeptofDefense fighter aircraft shoots down object traveling at 40k feet over #Alaska - might have posed a threat to aircraft, per US National Security Council spox John Kirby, in response to q from @pwidakuswara
Pentagon was tracking the high-altitude object over the past 24 hours & concluded it "posed a reasonable threat to the safety of civilian flight" per Kirby
@POTUS ordered the object shot down "out of an abundance of caution" he said, over frozen US territorial waters
The shootdown of the high altitude object took place in the past hour, per Kirby
"We're calling this an object bcs that's the best description we have right now" per Kirby "We do not know who owns it, whether it's state owned or corporate owned or privately owned"
"We don't have any information that would confirm a stated purpose for this object" per Kirby
"We do expect to be able to recover the debris...on what we believe is frozen water...a recovery effort will be made"
"It was much much smaller than the spy ballon we took down last Saturday" Kirby says of the object that was shot down in the last hour
The spy balloon was said to be the size of 2-3 buses
Object has "no significant payload" per Kirby about the thing US fighter jets shot down in the past hour 40,000 feet over #Alaska, per Kirby
"No indication" that the object that was shot down had self-maneuver capabilities like the #China surveillance balloon, per Kirby
"I have no idea" who was flying or behind the object shot down over #Alaska, per Kirby
Adds there has NOT been any outreach to #China about this new incident
Object shot down was traveling off the northeastern tip of #Alaska, near #Canada border and landed on water that was frozen, per Kirby
@FAANews Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) specified airspace over Deadhorse, Alaska
Whatever the object was, US determined it was NOT manned before shooting it down, per Kirby
Order to shoot down the unidentified high-altitude object was give by @POTUS this morning due to concerns about potential threats to commercial aviation if it was allowed to continue traveling, per Kirby
"We're going to remain vigilant about our airspace" per NSC's Kirby
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NEW: High altitude object shot down at 1:45pm EST Friday over northern #Alaska - @USNorthernCmd recovery operations getting under way now, per @PentagonPresSec BrigGen Patrick Ryder, with update details from @DeptofDefense
It was "about the size of a small car"
On the #China spy ballon shot down this past Saturday off the coast of #SouthCarolina - teams have "located a significant amount of debris" that will allow US to get a better sense of the balloon's capabilities, per @PentagonPresSec
High altitude object was shot down by a F-22 out of Joint Base Elmendorf in #Alaska using an AIM-9X sidewinder missile, per @PentagonPresSec
NEW: US military launching relief mission to #Turkey
US has "positioned military capabilities, personnel & equipment to aid the government of #Türkiye [#Turkey] in its continued search & rescue efforts following the 7.8 earthquake" per @US_EUCOM
Per @US_EUCOM, a team from HQ arrived ay #Incirlik AB on Feb 9 "to determine how the US military can rapidly respond with critically needed capabilities & equipment to support assistance requested by the Turkish government through @USAID"
The George Herbert Walker Bush Carrier Strike Group also now in the eastern #Mediterranean on Feb. 7 "and stands ready to provide logistics, medical, and rotary airlift support" per @US_EUCOM
"Russia's conventional, especially ground capabilities, ground force capabilities, in #Europe have been significantly degraded" per @DeptofDefense Asst Sec. for Int'l Security Affairs Celeste Wallander tells #CNAS2023
NEW: #China's spy balloon "put on full display what we've long recognized - the PRC has become more repressive at home & more aggressive abroad" @DeputySecState Wendy Sherman tells lamwmakers
"It reinforced the need for us to double down on our strategy-invest, align, compete "
.@StateDept "modernizing our work...to mobilize our embassies and resources to take on this challenge" from #China, per @DeputySecState
Sherman says US working w/like-minded countries across the #IndoPacific & beyond, sharing intel showing threat posed by PRC
#Taiwan-"We remain committed to out long-standing One #China policy & oppose any unilateral changes to the cross strait status quo" per @DeputySecState
NEW: #China surveillance balloons have flown over +40 countries & 5 continents - gathering " conducting signals intelligence collection operations" per @StateDept official
The equipment was "inconsistent with the equipment onboard weather balloons"
US gathered intel on #China's spy balloons specs w/ high resolution imagery from U-2 flybys, per @StateDept official
Chinese balloon had "multiple antennas to include an array likely capable of collecting and geo-locating communications"
#China's surveillance balloon "was equipped with solar panels large enough to produce the requisite power to operate multiple active intelligence collection sensors" per @StateDept official
Meeting comes as"
- allies help #Turkey following the devastating & deadly earthquake
- the upcoming 1-year anniversary of #Russia's invasion of #Ukraine
- new concerns about #China
"We've all seen the images of devastation" per Austin "Hearts go out to our NATO allies n #Turkiye during this unimaginably difficult time & to all who are suffering"
"Let me commend the #UnitedStates & also other allies for stepping up very quickly to provide support to help #Turkiye with the rescue work & to mitigate the consequences of the earthquake" per @jensstoltenberg
"This demonstrates how @NATO allies stand together"