The U.S. military on Friday shot down an unidentified object over Alaska, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby announced in a White House press briefing. The news comes less than a week after the U.S. military shot down a Chinese spy balloon over the Atlantic Ocean.
The Pentagon has not confirmed whether the object was a balloon, but officials said it was at an altitude that threatens aircraft. Kirby said President Joe Biden ordered the object shot down "out of an abundance of caution."
The quick response stands in contrast to Biden's response last week to the Chinese spy balloon, which floated over much of the continental United States after the president waited to take it down. Biden said on Thursday he did not regret waiting several days to take it down, claiming defense officials urged caution until the vessel reached open waters.
"Experts in the intelligence community, defense community have forgotten more about it than you or I know," Biden said in a Telemundo interview.
The balloon was shot down over the Atlantic Ocean on Feb. 4 after it was first reported in U.S. airspace on Jan. 31. The balloon crossed over military and nuclear bases in Montana.
Republicans criticized Biden's slow response to the spy balloon. Former secretary of state Mike Pompeo wrote in the Washington Free Beacon that Biden's "weakness with China is once again on display."
"Biden must reassert American resolve, not continue to peddle American weakness," Pompeo wrote.