Headline Roundup • February 10th, 2023
Unidentified Object Shot Down Off Alaska Coast, White House Says
Summary from the AllSides News Team
An unidentified object flying near the Alaska coast was shot down by the United States military on Friday, a White House spokesman revealed.
The Details: White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby informed reporters of the incident Friday afternoon, but provided few details. The object was roughly the size of a small car and did not appear to be manned. The decision to shoot down the object was reportedly spurred out of caution for civilian aircraft flying in the region.
Key Quote: Pentagon press secretary Brig Gen. Pat Ryder stated, “at the direction of the President of the United States, fighter aircraft assigned to U.S. Northern Command successfully took down a high-altitude airborne object off the northern coast of Alaska at 1:45 Eastern Standard Time today within U.S. sovereign airspace over U.S. territorial water.”
Another Spy Balloon? While information remains limited, the object was reportedly far smaller than the Chinese spy balloon that floated over the continental U.S. last week before being shot down off the coast of South Carolina. Regarding the object shot down Friday, Kirby said, “we don’t understand the full purpose. We don’t have any information that would confirm a stated purpose for this object.” The debris is reportedly being collected by U.S. personnel and will be examined.
How The Media Covered It: The report quickly became the top story in many outlets across the spectrum. Outlets are comparing the response to this incident to last week’s balloon saga.
Featured Coverage of this Story
The U.S. military on Friday took down an object flying over Alaskan airspace days after shooting down a Chinese spy balloon along the South Carolina coast, the White House confirmed.
John Kirby, a national security spokesperson for the White House, said the Defense Department was tracking a “high-altitude object” over Alaska at 40,000 feet that posed “a reasonable threat to the safety of civilian flight.”
The object was shot down within the last hour at President Biden’s direction, Kirby said, and landed in U.S. waters.
“At the direction of the president of the United States, fighter aircraft assigned to U.S. Northern Command...
Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The U.S. military shot down an "object" that was flying in territorial waters over Alaska, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Friday afternoon during a White House press briefing.
"I can confirm that the Department of Defense was tracking a high altitude object over Alaska airspace in the last 24 hours. The object was flying at an altitude of 40,000 feet and posed a reasonable threat to the safety of civilian flight. Out of an abundance of caution and the recommendation of the Pentagon, President Biden ordered the military...
AP Photo/Susan Walsh
A U.S. military fighter jet shot down an unknown object flying off the coast of Alaska on Friday on orders from President Joe Biden, White House officials said.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the object was downed because it was flying at about 40,000 feet and posed a “reasonable threat” to the safety of civilian flights, not because of any knowledge that it was engaged in surveillance.
He described the object as roughly the size of a small car, much smaller than the massive suspected Chinese...
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