Appearing at the White House podium, National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communication John Kirby announced, “The Department of Defense was tracking a high-altitude object over Alaska airspace in the last 24 hours.” “We’re calling this an object because that’s the best description we have right now. We don’t know who owns it – whether it’s state-owned or corporate owned or privately owned, we just don’t know,” Kirby said.

The object first came to the attention of the US government “last evening.” Kirby told reporters that the US assessed the “object” to be unmanned before it was eventually shot down. Biden was first briefed Thursday night “as soon as the Pentagon had enough information.” The high-altitude object, Kirby said during a White House press briefing, was flying at an altitude of 40,000 feet and posed a reasonable threat to the safety of civilian flight.

There were two efforts to get closer to the object and evaluate it as it flew. The first engagement by fighter aircraft took place late Thursday night and the second Friday morning. Both engagements yielded “limited” information, Kirby told reporters. “We were able to get some fighter aircrafts up and around it before the order to shoot it down, and the pilots assessment was this was not manned,” Kirby added. WATCH:

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