The Biden Administration added a new chapter to Balloongate when the White House announced that the Pentagon had shot down an unknown object flying in U.S. airspace off the coast of Alaska on Feb. 10 on orders from President Joe Biden. The object was flying at about 40,000 feet and posted a “reasonable threat” to the safety of civilian flights, said National Security Council spokesman John Kirby. He described the object as roughly the size of a small car.
This evening, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reported that the US military also shot down an unidentified high-altitude object over Canada, in the Yukon Territory.
There doesn’t seem to even be any speculation as to what the Alaskan object may have been but it has nonetheless set off a new round of hysteria. “Unlike other states, Alaska is truly on the front lines,” said Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavey in a statement reported by Newsweek. “Because of our close proximity to our neighbors there is very little margin for error. Russian territory is only a few miles away. We are the one state closest to the Korean Peninsula and China. Alaska is truly on the front lines.”
Also going ballistic was Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski. She told NBC News’ Lester Holt, last night, that she had just returned from a closed-door meeting, where she had a chance to speak with Lt. Gen. David Nahom, commander of the Alaska Command. “I am concerned,” Murkowski said after the briefing. “We saw just this week this high-altitude balloon being shot down off the waters of South Carolina. But today to know that we have yet another unidentified object successfully shot down in Alaska, making sure that the message is clear that any sovereign territory or airspace in this country, if there’s a threat, if there’s an incursion, there’s going to be consequences.”
