Joe Biden has been criticised after an unidentified flying object entering Alaska was immediately shot down. On Friday a US fighter jet on Friday shot down an unidentified object flying over Alaska. Republicans compared the swift response to this incursion to the Chinese spy balloon scandal, where it took six days for the US to act on the situation.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby announced Friday that the Department of Defence shot down a “high altitude object” flying in territorial waters over Alaska.
“I can confirm that the Department of Defense was tracking a high altitude object over Alaska airspace in the last 24 hours out,” Kirby said.
“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 to down the object. And they did. And it came in inside our territorial waters.”
But Rep. Cory Mills, a US Army combat veteran, said this “is exactly what the US should have done last time”.
“Why is it only now, when the administration was caught in a blunder just days before, did we take this strong action,” Mills told Fox News Digital.
“Either Biden doesn’t know how to play offensive or he’s slow to learn.”
Rep. Jim Banks, R-Indiana, told Fox News Digital while “we don’t know the details yet, we do know that Joe Biden’s failed foreign policy has left America much weaker than before he took office”.
“Biden’s refusal to shoot down the Chinese spy balloon sent a message to all of our foreign adversaries that America’s skies are as wide open as our southern border.”
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Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kansas, tweeted that the shooting down of the aircraft shows it’s possible for the US military to bring down flying objects before they make it to the mainland.
“So we can shoot down suspicious objects BEFORE they get over our border… Just as I suggested,” Marshall wrote.
Wyoming Sen. Cynthia Lummis, a Republican, added that the “Chinese Communist Party has not proven itself trustworthy, and now that a second high-altitude object was shot down over our country, these rogue objects in our airspace are clearly not a mistake.
“The US should defend our borders and airspace with whatever force necessary”, Lummis said. “I will continue to monitor this situation.”
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US officials disclosed on February 4, when the Chinese spy balloon was destroyed, that Biden had authorised its takedown three days earlier.
Pentagon officials also stated that there was no earlier opportunity to shoot down over the water, and cited fears shooting the balloon could lead to safety risks from falling debris.
Meanwhile, a Sidewinder missile downed the object over Alaska on Friday, which was about the size of a small car, said US Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder, the Pentagon’s chief spokesperson.
“We don’t know who owns this object,” said White House spokesperson John Kirby, adding that it was unclear where it began its flight.
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