Pentagon Confirms U.S. Shot Down ‘High-Altitude Object’ Over Waters Near Alaska

The Pentagon announced Friday the U.S. military shot down a high-altitude object over Alaskan airspace only days after taking down a suspected Chinese spy balloon over the Atlantic Ocean after it transited across the continental U.S.

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby confirmed a “high-altitude object” was shot down on Friday at a White House press briefing. Kirby said the object posed a reasonable threat.

At the briefing, Kirby said the latest object, which was spotted over Alaska, was taken down within an hour of him briefing the press.

“It was much, much smaller than the spy balloon that we took down last Saturday. The way it was described to me was roughly the size of a small car as opposed to a payload that was two or three buses size,” Kirby said.

Kirby confirmed President Joe Biden ordered the object shot down and noted the object was unmanned and did not have the level of maneuverability of the Chinese balloon.

The latest object was shot down over frozen water and the debris will be examined, as is being done with the spy balloon. Kirby said officials do not know yet who owns the object shot down near Alaska.

The balloon shot down Saturday has drawn harsh criticism from many on the right, accusing the Biden administration of needlessly allowing it to fly over the U.S. The Chinese government claimed the balloon was a meteorological device that veered off course, a claim Kirby said again on Friday the Department of Defense does not believe.

Watch above via MSNBC.