On Friday, the Defense Department tracked and destroyed a small, unidentified object flying in U.S. airspace over Alaska. The object was flying at an altitude of 40,000 feet and posed a serious threat to civilian flight. Concerns over national security remain as the origin, capabilities, purpose and even the exact nature of the object are unknown.

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) spoke out on the incident, noting that it highlights the insecurity of the nation's airspace. The mysterious object is much smaller than the Chinese spy balloon shot down the previous Monday, but experts warn that the current situation could lead to a further deterioration of foreign relations with China.

Despite the ambiguity of the situation, the University of Denver's Director of the Center for China-U.S. Cooperation, Suisheng Zhao, noted that this type of encounter is common between powerful nations. Moving forward,