US President Biden said in a statement on the shooting down of three unidentified flying objects last week that they were not objects of espionage. He can't reveal any details either. But: New rules for kills are being worked on.
According to US President Joe Biden, the three mysterious flying objects recently shot down by the US military were most likely on their way for research purposes. According to the intelligence services, they probably belonged to private companies or research institutions, as Biden said. "We do not yet know exactly what these three objects were, but at the moment there is nothing to indicate that they were connected to China's spy balloon program." There is also nothing to suggest that they were traveling for espionage purposes on behalf of another country.
After the US military shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon on February 4, it has taken three other previously unidentified and smaller flying objects from the sky since the end of last week. One was shot down over Alaska, one over Canada and one over Lake Huron, which is part of the Great Lakes in the northern United States bordering Canada. Since then there has been speculation about the origin and purpose of the flying objects. The US government also ruled out extraterrestrial origin.
The US would now work out stricter rules for how to deal with such unidentified flying objects (UFOs) in the future. A better distinction should be made between obviously harmless and those that also require countermeasures due to potential security risks. Details about this should be kept secret in order not to reveal any information on how such rules could be circumvented in the future.
According to Biden, the reason for the shooting down was that the USA had also adjusted its radar systems to slow flying objects since the incident with the Chinese balloon. There is no evidence that more objects are on the way, only more are seen. "We couldn't rule out the risk that it was surveillance equipment." So he gave the order to shoot it down. The military of both countries are still searching for the remains of the UFOs. "The intelligence services report to me daily and I will inform Congress about it."
Biden announced that the US space agency NASA will set up a constantly updated register of such flying objects that various bodies can access. The rules are also to be redefined as to how unmanned aerial vehicles may be used. In addition, the US State Department will work to establish internationally uniform rules for this flight altitude.
Biden also mentioned that US authorities on Friday sanctioned six companies for their involvement in the Chinese military's airspace program. Your access to US technology is now restricted. The US wanted competition with China, not a conflict and not a new Cold War, stressed the US President. Rather, it is about maintaining communication at the diplomatic and military level. He looks forward to a future meeting with China's President Xi Jinping.
