By Toby Martinez
Roswell Daily Record
The U.S. government’s recent actions regarding unidentified flying objects has sparked much public interest and speculation. During a press briefing Sunday, Melissa Dalton, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Hemispheric Affairs, shed some light on the matter.
Dalton stated, “We have acted out of an abundance of caution to protect our security and interests.” She emphasized that while several entities operate objects at high altitudes for legitimate purposes, it is difficult to assess the nature and capabilities of recent objects.
The increased scrutiny of airspace, including enhanced radar, has led to an increase in the number of objects detected in recent days. Dalton added, “I think it is important to highlight that the enhanced radar systems we have up that are able to detect the low-signature objects are able to do so because of investments we have made in those capabilities.”
Gen. Glen VanHerck, Commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and United States Northern Command, also addressed reporters during the briefing. He stated, “We are watching everything that enters the North American Aerospace Defense Command’s area of responsibility, and that includes anything that’s flying in the airspace.”
VanHerck emphasized the importance of continuous assessment of potential threats and stated that the recent objects did not pose a kinetic military threat. However, the altitude at which they were flying and their path in proximity to sensitive Department of Defense sites raised concerns.
Dalton further stated that the authorities were working hard to recover debris from the recent takedowns to better understand their nature and capabilities. She emphasized the need for continued investment in capabilities to detect and identify potential threats.
When asked if they had ruled out aliens or extraterrestrials, Gen. VanHerck responded, “I’ll let the intel community and the counterintelligence community figure that out. I haven’t ruled out anything. At this point, we continue to assess every threat or potential threats unknown that approaches North America with an attempt to identify it.”
The refusal to rule out the possibility of an extraterrestrial origin of the objects led to more comments on the matter, Monday, at a White House press briefing. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, “I know there have been questions and concerns about this, but there is no, again no indication of aliens or extraterrestrial activity with these recent takedowns.”
“Again, there is no indication of aliens or [extra]terrestrial activity with these recent takedowns. Wanted to make sure that the American people knew that, all of you knew that. And it was important for us to say that from here because we’ve been hearing a lot about it,” she stated.
White House spokesperson John Kirby added. “These missions were completed successfully and safely. Efforts are actively underway right now at all sites to find what is left of those objects so that we can better understand and communicate with the American people what they are.”
“I think it’s important to remind: the objects in Alaska and Canada are in pretty remote terrain — ice, wilderness, all of that — making it difficult to find them in winter weather. And the object over Lake Huron now lies in what is probably very deep water,” he continued. “I don’t think the American people need to worry about aliens with respect to these craft, period. I don’t there’s anything more that needs to be said there.”
The White House released a statement on Monday, announcing that President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had authorized the takedown of the object in Canadian territory. The statement noted that there was no indication of aliens or extraterrestrial activity with these recent takedowns, and the White House press secretary and spokesperson assured the American people that there was no need to worry about aliens with respect to these crafts.
As of Monday evening, there were no updates on the retrieval efforts.
