For its part, the Biden administration has said that the balloon was large and heavy, and that shooting it down over land presented a risk to civilians. Additionally, it said that because it was easily tracked, U.S. military authorities were able to take measures to assure that it was not able to gather highly sensitive information.
General Glen VanHerck, commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), said that in response to the Chinese balloon, U.S. air defense radar has been adjusted to identify smaller, slower craft, likely resulting in the identification of the three objects shot down last week.
Officials have said the objects that were shot down were probably civilian or scientific devices that posed little threat, except to aircraft flying at the same altitude.
New point of criticism
In a news briefing Friday afternoon, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby was asked about the possibility that the U.S. had shot down the “missing” balloon belonging to the NIBBB.
“We can’t confirm those reports,” Kirby said, pointing out that all three objects had been shot down over remote and inaccessible areas, and had not been recovered. He also said that it is possible they will never be recovered.
Kirby was asked if the decision to shoot down the three objects was an overreaction by Biden, perhaps in response to criticism that he had acted too slowly to destroy the Chinese balloon.
“Given the situation we were in, the information available, and the recommendation of our military commanders, it was exactly the right thing to do at exactly the right time,” Kirby said.
New protocols
Even as he defended the three shoot-downs, Kirby conceded that the administration and U.S. defense officials are establishing new protocols for dealing with the greater number of flying objects being detected by the military’s newly adjusted radar systems.
Biden alluded Thursday to the creation of new rules for dealing with unidentified aircraft. He said the guidelines for making decisions about whether to shoot down a craft would remain classified, but would be shared with a few members of Congress.
He also made it clear that there may be other instances in which the U.S. military is ordered to destroy an unidentified aircraft. "If any object presents a threat to the safety, security of the American people, I will take it down," he said.
Republicans frustrated
Biden’s Republican critics in Congress have hammered his administration for failing to provide detailed information about the objects that were shot down, and about the rationale behind the administration’s actions.
On Thursday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell blasted the “so-called classified briefings” that administration officials had provided members of Congress.
"We've been in the briefing [but] they don't seem to know anything,” McConnell said in an interview with Fox News. “So we're anxious to hear what analysis, if any, they've been able to achieve on the Chinese balloon. And to just get a sense of what these other three actually were."
Kirby said Friday that the remains of the Chinese balloon, recovered by the Navy, were still being analyzed by the FBI.
‘Pico’ balloons
The device launched by the NIBBB was one of a class of devices known as “pico balloons,” which have been of growing interest among hobbyists for several years. Pico balloons are generally small, inexpensive sheaths of mylar or another lightweight material that are filled with hydrogen. The monitoring and transmission devices are connected to the balloon by a tether, and the entire package weighs less than 1 ounce.
The transmissions sent by the balloons are tracked by amateur radio operators, and reports are shared online.
The NIBBB did not return a request for comment. (KB/VOA)
