National security questions arise as more unidentified objects have been detected over North America

John Kirby, spokesman for the White House National Security Council, speaks during a press conference at the White House in Washington on Monday, Feb. 13, 2023, as White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre looks on.

By Michael D. Shear

White House officials said Monday that three unidentified flying objects shot down since Friday posed a “very real” threat to civilian air traffic but were not sending out communications signals.

John Kirby, a spokesperson for the National Security Council, also said the military had not yet identified the source of the objects or what their purpose was. And he said there was no indication that Americans on the ground were in danger.

The shooting down by U.S. fighter pilots of more unidentified flying objects over the weekend has added to the mounting number of questions about the nature of the highflying orbs, the identity of their makers and the implications for national security. The episodes came after the weeklong drama of what the Biden administration said was a Chinese spy balloon that floated over the United States for several days before being brought down.

Kirby said President Joe Biden on Monday ordered 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.” He said the government would redouble efforts to understand the flying objects they have been shooting down.

Here are other key developments:

— Kirby said the objects over the weekend flew lower than the Chinese spy balloon that traversed the United States before being shot down this month so they posed a potential risk to civilian air traffic. Their altitudes ranged from 20,0000 feet to 40,000 feet; transcontinental air traffic flies at about 30,000 feet, he said.

— Kirby said the administration was regularly briefing members of Congress as well as leaders in states — indirectly pushing back against criticism from lawmakers that the administration has not been forthcoming enough about what they knew regarding the detection of airborne craft, particularly the spy balloon.

— Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed that the White House does not believe aliens are involved in the UFOs being shot down by the U.S. military. “There is no indication of aliens or extraterrestrial activity with these recent takedowns,” she said. (She also said she loved the movie “E.T.”)

— China accused the United States of regularly sending balloons into its airspace — more than 10 times since the start of last year, a foreign ministry spokesperson said Monday. But the United States rejected the idea: “Any claim that the U.S. government operates surveillance balloons over the PRC is false,” said Adrienne Watson, a National Security Council spokesperson, referring to the People’s Republic of China.

— After the spy balloon floated over the continental United States for a week before an F-22 shot it down Feb. 4, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, adjusted its radar system to make it more sensitive. As a result, the number of objects it detected increased sharply. In other words, NORAD is picking up more incursions because it is looking for them.