White House announces interagency team to study "unidentified aerial phenomena"
The Biden administration announced on Monday that it is forming an interagency group to address the recent uptick of "unidentified aerial phenomena" over North America in the past nine days.
"The president, through his national security adviser, has today directed an interagency team to study the broader policy implications for detection, analysis, and disposition of unidentified aerial objects that pose either safety or security risks," said National Security Council spokesman John Kirby at Monday's White House press briefing.
"Every element of the government will redouble their efforts to understand and mitigate these events," added Kirby.
The U.S. shot down what it said was a Chinese spy balloon on Feb. 4, after tracking its progress across the country and waiting until it reached water to ensure civilian safety. The government said that the balloon was carrying high-tech equipment capable of collecting communications signals and other sensitive information.
Since then, three more objects have been shot down —two more in U.S. airspace, and one in Canadian airspace, which was shot down by the U.S. at the request of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Kirby reiterated that the U.S. is still determining the nature and origin of the three most recent objects.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at Monday's press briefing that there is "no indication" of extraterrestrial activity related to the aerial objects.
📍ATLANTIC OCEAN - @USNavy Sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 recover a high-altitude surveillance balloon off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Feb. 5, 2023. pic.twitter.com/QwjSFQEw1b
— U.S. Fleet Forces (@USFleetForces) February 7, 2023
"Wanted to make sure that the American people knew that, all of you knew that, and it is important for us to say that from here," she added.
"I don't think the American people need to worry about aliens with respect to these crafts," added Kirby.
Their remarks come a day after Air Force Gen. Glen VanHerck, head of the U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command, told reporters, "I haven't ruled anything out at this point," when asked if authorities have have ruled out extraterrestrials.
"We continue to assess," he said.
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- Biden Administration
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- Karine Jean-Pierre
C Mandler is a social media producer and trending topics writer for CBS News, focusing on American politics and LGBTQ+ issues.
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