President Biden said Thursday that the three unidentified aerial objects shot down by U.S. forces over North American airspace were likely not linked to China and that he gave the order to take them down “out of an abundance of caution.”
“I gave the order to take down these objects to hazards to civilian commercial air traffic and because we could not rule out the surveillance risk of sensitive facilities,” said Mr. Biden, breaking his silence on the bizarre incidents with his most extensive remarks so far.
The three objects were shot down last weekend after the U.S. brought down a suspected Chinese spy balloon on Feb. 4. The balloon had crossed most of the U.S. at a high altitude.
The president said it doesn’t appear that the other three objects were connected with China.
“Nothing right now suggests they’re related to China’s spy balloon program,” Mr. Biden said.
Fighter jets shot down the three slow-moving objects flying above North America: one over Alaska’s coast, one over Canada’s Yukon territory and one over Lake Huron.
Mr. Biden said he has no regrets about taking out the objects and pledged to shoot down any other flying objects that threaten American safety.
“Make no mistake: If any object presents a threat to the safety and security of the American people, I will take it down,” he said.
The president said he will not apologize for taking down the alleged Chinese balloon.
Although the U.S. is still working to recover and assess the three unidentified objects, Mr. Biden said there is no evidence that they were used by China or any other countries to spy on the U.S.
Mr. Biden said the intelligence community still doesn’t know what the three unidentified objects over North America were, but it is not believed there was anything nefarious about them.
“The intelligence community’s current assessment is that these three objects were most likely balloons tied to private companies, recreation or research institutions studying weather or conducting scientific research,” he said.
No entity has come forward to claim ownership of the objects.
Mr. Biden said one explanation is that the U.S. has increased its radar capabilities so it is picking up objects that previously went unnoticed. He said there is no evidence of a “sudden increase” in the number of objects in the sky.
An interagency review is underway to study the broader policy implications and improve the detection, analysis and disposition of unidentified aerial objects.
Turning back to the alleged Chinese balloon, which traversed the country from Jan. 28 to Feb. 4, Mr. Biden said the incident inflamed already fraught relations between Washington and Beijing. He said he expects to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping about the incident.
He did not say when the potential conversation would happen, but added that the incidents underscore the importance of “open lines of communications between our diplomats and military professionals.”
Mr. Biden outlined several steps the government will take to deal with future incidents involving unidentified flying objects.
The first is to create a better inventory of “unmanned airborne objects” so the government has a better sense of what is out there and make sure the inventory is accessible and kept up to date.
Mr. Biden also announced new protocols to better detect these objects, but he did not offer more details. A third step will include unspecified changes to the rules governing the launch and maintenance of unmanned objects in the skies over the country.
As part of tightening the rules, Mr. Biden tasked Secretary of State Antony Blinken with developing “common global norms” so the U.S. is better prepared if an unidentified object enters its airspace.
“These steps will lead to safer and more secure skies for our air travelers, our military, our scientists, and for people on the ground as well,” Mr. Biden said.
Lawmakers, including Democrats, had called on Mr. Biden to publicly address the situation. Congress was briefed this week by top officials from the Department of Defense and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
Mr. Biden last publicly spoke about the situation on Feb. 10, when he simply called the military’s takedown of an object over Alaska “a success.”
As of Thursday morning, lawmakers were still calling on the president to address the American people.
“I think he should. I think the American people need to hear more about the nature of these objects or whatever they were,” said Sen. Richard J. Durbin, Illinois Democrat.
Sen. Josh Hawley, Missouri Republican, concurred.
“We need to get the truth, and we haven’t gotten it yet,” he said.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat who was among those lawmakers calling for more transparency, commended Mr. Biden for addressing the public.
“I appreciate @POTUS telling the American people what we’ve been hearing behind closed doors,” Mr. Blumenthal said in a post on Twitter. “Greater transparency establishes greater trust in government & provides the American people with the information they deserve.”
Other lawmakers were unswayed by the president’s remarks.
“President Biden acknowledges that he shot down three runaway weather balloons, yet he had a ‘Chinese spy balloon’ in his sights over the Aleutians, failed to take the shot, and let it float across America,” Sen. Tom Cotton, Arkansas Republican, said in Twitter post. “The CCP is laughing at him, which is dangerous for America.”
• Joseph Clark contributed to this report.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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