On Friday, the US military shot down an unidentified object over the skies of Alaska at the order of President Biden. White House spokesman John Kirby confirmed the incident and stated that the President had acted "out of an abundance of caution."

The Pentagon has not been able to confirm whether or not the object, roughly the size of a small car, was a balloon but were certain it was a potential threat to civilian aircraft while traveling at an altitude of 40,000 feet. U.S. officials assert that there were "no affirmative indications of a military threat" to the ground nearby and they were unsure if it held any surveillance equipment.

The untimely incident occurs only a week after a U.S. fighter jet had shot down a Chinese spy balloon that had crossed the United States. Despite the lack of confirmation that the two were connected, the White House has made it known that the President is willing to take whatever action