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White House – Like a scene out of the movies, airborne objects have been spotted over North American airspace.
For three days (throughout the weekend), President Joe Biden ordered the military to shoot three airborne objects.
On Monday, the White House held a new briefing, clarifying that they still didn’t know what the objects were.
The figures present couldn’t confirm if the objects were surveillance drones.
With how fast the fighter jets monitoring such objects had been traveling, it was unclear what the flying objects were.
As a result, many people have offered suggestions, most of which pointed to extraterrestrial activities.
The briefing
On Monday, the White House held a midday briefing, clarifying that despite not knowing what they were, the flying objects were not from outer space.
“I just wanted to make sure we address this from the White House,” started Karine Jean-Pierre, the press secretary.
“I know there have been questions and concerns about this, but there is no – again, no – indication of aliens or extraterrestrial activity with these recent take-downs.”
“Wanted to make sure that the American people knew that, all of you knew that,” she added.
“And it was important for us to say that from here because we’ve been hearing a lot about it.”
The comments regarding extraterrestrial activity brought some laughter from the White House press corps.
Mysterious objects
The US Air Force shot down a Chinese spy balloon earlier this month.
However, three unidentified objects were found over Alaska, the Yukon Territory in Canada, and Lake Huron near Michigan in the past few days.
In total, four objects were taken down in February.
Timeline of the object sightings
The first flying object was shot down by an F-22 fighter jet on February 4, 2023.
It was sighted off the coast of South Carolina.
On February 10, another object was shot over Alaska.
According to the White House, it was roughly the size of a small car.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon said the object broke into pieces, dismissing ideas of a balloon.
A day later, Canadian President Justin Trudeau announced another flying object getting shot over the Yukon Territory.
On Sunday, the most recent flying object was shot over Lake Huron near Michigan, having flown over Montana a day before its reappearance.
Officials overwhelmed
White House officials have been bombarded with questions surrounding the flying objects and why Biden ordered the military to shoot them down.
Officials were especially sensitive to the mystery surrounding the unidentified flying objects.
The ripeness of the recent events has also given birth to conspiracy theories that have dominated the questions.
One official conceded that there was a risk of more conspiracies emerging due to the lack of information, saying:
“Everyone wants answers that no one has at the moment.”
According to sources, officials determined that while there isn’t enough concrete information to share with the public about the objects, it would be wise to rule out the possibilities of extraterrestrial activities publicly (and quickly).
There was also urgency in the decision as the recovery and analysis of the fallen debris would be a process that officials admit would take time.
Sharing information
According to administration officials, their goal is to share as much information as they have on the objects.
However, they also said the current situation isn’t ideal for effective communication.
President Joe Biden acknowledged his desire to be transparent about the devices with the American public and Congress.
According to officials, Biden admitted that without a clear picture of the nature of the objects, his ability to address the situation is limited.
Meanwhile, the administration is looking to correct the scattered information from over the weekend.
They decided to have John Kirby brief the White House on Monday to unify officials over the matter in light of conflicting accounts from the Pentagon and Congress members.
John Kirby is the National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, making him the perfect candidate for such an action.
On Monday, a House Foreign Affairs Committee lawmaker said it would be prudent for the US President to address the public amid rising conspiracy theories.
“Ambiguity is fuel for conspiracy theorists,” said the lawmaker. “I hope information is shared expeditiously.”
