FAA Targets Airspace Over Michigan Amid Flying Object Sightings
The past several days have sparked concerns about everything from Chinese aggression to alien invasions as North American forces have responded to multiple high-altitude flying objects.
In the wake of a suspected Chinese spy balloon that the Biden administration allowed to drift across the entire continental United States earlier this month, at least three additional vessels have been shot down in the U.S. and Canada.
Responding to a perceived threat over Lake Michigan on Sunday, the Federal Aviation Administration temporarily closed the affected airspace, sending a firm message to anyone operating aircraft in the area.
“Pilots who do not adhere to the following [procedure] may be intercepted, detained, and interviewed by law enforcement or security personnel,” the agency advised.
The FAA reopened the affected airspace, but President Joe Biden authorized a mission on Sunday afternoon that resulted in military jets shooting down an object over an adjacent lake.
Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder confirmed that the vessel was spotted flying at an altitude of about 20,000 feet over Lake Huron and the Pentagon determined that it would be safest to bring the object down over the water.
“We did not assess it to be a kinetic military threat to anything on the ground, but assess it was a safety flight hazard and a threat due to its potential surveillance capabilities,” he added.
Although the Biden administration released few details about the latest object shot down from U.S. airspace, Ryder did confirm the possibility that it was another spy balloon.
That move came on the heels of a decision to shut down airspace over a portion of Montana on Saturday for what the federal government called “national defense purposes.”
In a statement following that decision, U.S. Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-MT) indicated that he had been “in constant communication” with the appropriate authorities who advised that an object was spotted in the sky.
“I am waiting now to receive visual confirmation,” he added. “Our nation’s security is my priority. Those aircraft did not identify any object to correlate to the radar hits. NORAD will continue to monitor the situation.”
As U.S. Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) explained in a statement on Sunday, the narrative only further fosters distrust of the federal government.
“The lack of communication from the Biden administration regarding the closing of Montana airspace last night and the recent shoot-downs that took place over Alaska and Canada is unacceptable,” he said.
