London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 23, 2025

White House defends decision to shoot down flying objects

White House defends decision to shoot down flying objects

The White House has said its decision to shoot down three objects flying over North American airspace this weekend was "out of an abundance of caution".

The objects posed a threat to commercial flights and were downed in the "best interests" of the American people, spokesman John Kirby said.

The US is scrutinising its airspace more closely since the recent incursion of a suspected spy balloon from China.

Beijing has alleged that Washington is flying its own balloons over China.

China's foreign ministry said on Monday that the US had flown balloons into its airspace more than 10 times in the past year.

"It's not uncommon as well for the US to illegally enter the airspace of other countries," spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters.

Speaking from the White House, Mr Kirby denied the allegation: "We are not flying surveillance balloons over China. I'm not aware of any other craft we're flying into Chinese airspace."


On 4 February, a high-altitude balloon was downed off the coast of South Carolina after moving for days over the continental US.

US officials said it had originated in China and was used to monitor sensitive military sites, but China denied the object was used for spying and said it was a weather monitoring device that had blown astray.

Since that first incident, American fighter jets have shot down three more high-altitude objects in as many days - over Alaska, Canada's Yukon territory, and Michigan - and the administration has been under pressure to identify the objects.

A Pentagon spokesman on Sunday appeared to suggest the US had not ruled out that the objects were of an extraterrestrial nature, but White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre denied this at Monday's press briefing.

"There is no indication of aliens or extraterrestrial activity with these recent takedowns," she said. "I wanted to be sure the American people knew that and it is important for us to say that from here."

Mr Kirby, spokesman for the White House's National Security Council, joined Ms Jean-Pierre at the briefing.

There were differences between the alleged Chinese spy balloon and the three objects downed over the weekend, he said. The latter did not pose "any direct threat to people on the ground", but were taken down "to protect our security, our interests and flight safety".

Efforts are currently under way to collect debris from where the objects fell, but Mr Kirby noted the objects in Alaska and Canada were in remote terrain and would be difficult to find in winter weather conditions, while the object in Michigan, he said, lay in the deep waters of Lake Huron.

Officials have not yet been able to "definitively assess" these objects, but have not ruled out the possibility they were conducting surveillance, he said.

He accused Beijing of operating a "balloon programme for intelligence collection" that has ties to the Chinese military and was not detected during the Trump administration.

"We detected it. We tracked it, and we have been carefully studying it to learn as much as we can," he said.

Canada's federal police force said on Monday that the search area in the Yukon Territory was about 3,000 sq km (1,870 sq miles) and that experts were analysing wind models from Sunday to try to narrow the search field.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) spokesman Sean McGillis said the search in the Yukon was "treacherous" as the debris was probably located in "rugged mountain terrain with a very high level of snowpack".

Mr McGillis added that there was a possibility the fragments from the Yukon and Lake Huron incidents might never be recovered because of their remote location.

Canadian Armed Forces Major-General Paul Prévost concurred that the three most recent objects to be shot down differed from the first balloon.

He said all three appeared to be "lighter than air" machines, and described the Lake Huron object as "a suspected balloon".

The military chief added that any members of the public who discover debris should contact the police directly.


No indication of aliens... I loved ET but I'll leave it there - WH spox

Watch: 'What’s going on?' The mind-boggling balloon mystery in 61 seconds


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
×