The American military’s search for objects shot down over Alaska and Lake Huron ended without them being recovered or identified.
(Bloomberg) — The American military’s search for objects shot down over Alaska and Lake Huron ended without them being recovered or identified.
Weather was a factor in the Alaska operation decision, with a US Northern Command statement citing “Arctic conditions and sea ice instability.” A third object was shot down over the Yukon in Canada.
“US Northern Command recommended that search operations conclude today near Deadhorse, Alaska, and on Lake Huron, as search activities have discovered no debris from airborne objects shot down on Feb. 10 and Feb. 12, 2023,” according to the statement Friday night.
On Lake Huron, US and Canadian units conducted “multiple days of surface searches and subsurface scans,” according to the statement.
The National Security Council late Friday night referred inquiries to the Northern Command and the Defense Department.
Separately, the Navy wrapped up its search for debris from the Chinese balloon shot down off South Carolina on Feb. 4, bringing a quiet conclusion to an incident that provoked a political uproar in the US and escalated tensions with China.
Recovery work ended Thursday and remaining pieces of the balloon’s payload are being transfered to the Federal Bureau of Investigation “for counterintelligence exploitation,” the Pentagon said in a brief statement that offered no detail about the nature or condition of the debris.
“US Navy and US Coast Guard vessels have departed the area. Air and maritime safety perimeters have been lifted,” the Northern Command added.
US officials haven’t said publicly if the debris backs the Biden administration’s argument that China used the balloon to spy on the US.
President Joe Biden said Thursday that the other objects weren’t related to the Chinese balloon episode, and were likely connected to commercial or research ventures.
In an address from the White House, Biden said he expected to speak with President Xi Jinping of China to discuss the balloon, indicating a desire to put an end to a dispute that has highlighted the fragility of relations between the world’s biggest economies.
The White House has faced demands from Republicans and Democrats in Congress to provide more information to lawmakers and the public. The administration has provided closed-door briefings to members on Capitol Hill, but lawmakers have said the information should be public and that officials should provide more of it.
–With assistance from Akayla Gardner and Nick Wadhams.
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