Defense & National Security — Presented by Oshkosh Defense — Another aerial object downed over American territory

View Online    Defense & National Security Defense & National Security   PRESENTED BY Another aerial object downed over American territory © AP The U.S. military has shot down an object flying over Alaska less than a week after shooting down a massive Chinese spy balloon off the Carolina coast, with questions still remaining as to what the aerial object was and where it came from.   We'll share what we know so far about the object and the operation to bring it down, plus details on a renewed Russian missile barrage on Ukrainian cities and an upcoming trip for President Biden to mark the one-year anniversary of the Kremlin attack on Ukraine.     This is Defense & National Security, your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. For The Hill, I'm Ellen Mitchell. A friend forward this newsletter to you? Subscribe here. US shoots down another 'high-altitude object' © iStock The U.S. military on Friday took down an object flying over Alaskan airspace days after shooting down a Chinese spy balloon along the South Carolina coast, the White House confirmed.    John Kirby, a national security spokesperson for the White House, said the Defense Department was tracking a "high-altitude object" over Alaska at 40,000 feet that posed "a reasonable threat to the safety of civilian flight."    Take the shot: The object was shot down Friday afternoon at President Biden's direction, Kirby said, and landed in U.S. waters.    "At the direction of the president of the United States fighter aircraft assigned to U.S. Northern Command successfully took down a high-altitude airborne object off the northern coast of Alaska at 1:45 p.m. Eastern Standard Time today within U.S. sovereign airspace over U.S. territorial water," Pentagon press secretary Brig Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters in a separate briefing on Friday.    Collecting info: The government is still collecting information about the object, Kirby said. It is not yet known whether it was operated by another country or if it was privately or commercially owned. Kirby also would not say if the object was a balloon or another device.  "We're calling this an object because that's the best description we have right now," he told reporters.  "We don't understand the full purpose. We don't have any information that would confirm a stated purpose for this object," he continued, adding that officials expect to be able to recover the debris.  How it was detected: Ryder said North American Aerospace Defense Command detected the object on ground radar on Thursday and sent up aircraft for further investigation, after which the decision to shoot it down was made.  The aircraft, an F-22 flying out of Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage, Alaska, fired an AIM-9X Sidewinder missile to take down the object, which was traveling in a northeasterly direction.  Given that the balloon was operating at an altitude that posed "a reasonable threat to civilian air traffic," the president gave the order to take it down, Ryder said.     Other details: The U.S. does not yet know where the latest object originated from and was hesitant to refer to it as another balloon as it was "about the size of a small car," nowhere near the size of the high-altitude surveillance balloon taken down off the coast of South Carolina.      Earlier: The decision to take down the object over Alaska comes six days after Biden directed the military to shoot down a Chinese spy balloon days after it was first discovered floating over the continental United States.    In that case, officials said they wanted to wait until the Chinese spy balloon was over water so that it did not pose a threat to people or property when it crashed down.    Read the full story here  A MESSAGE FROM OSHKOSH DEFENSE Oshkosh Defense is the design authority on the Oshkosh Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) and the premier manufacturer of armored vehicles for the U.S. military for over 40 years. The JLTV is designed for never before-achieved speed, power and protected mobility required to improve survivability in missions today and tomorrow. There are a lot of uncertainties in this world, but Oshkosh Defense isn't one of them. Learn more.  SPY BALLOON REVELATIONS RAISES STAKES FOR US RESPONSE The discovery that a Chinese spy balloon shot down off the U.S. coast had the equipment to collect communications, and not just images, as it traveled across the country last week has upped the stakes around the incident.    U.S. lawmakers are demanding new action from the Biden administration after the Thursday revelations that the balloon possessed antennas to collect communications signals and solar panels to power its sensors.    Washington was also rattled by news earlier this week that the airship was part of a much larger operation run by the Chinese military to spy on more than 40 countries across five continents.     The incursion, which until last week was largely unknown to much of the American public, seems to mark a new era of espionage and counter-espionage activities between the U.S. and China, according experts.    Read that story here  Russia aims strike at Ukrainian infrastructure © Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP Russia launched a wave of missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities on Thursday and Friday, targeting once again critical infrastructure and energy grids across the country.    The details: Ukraine's Defense Ministry said Moscow launched 71 cruise missiles since Thursday evening, fired by Russian TU-95 bomber planes.    According to the the Defense Ministry, 61 missiles were shot down by air defense systems, along with five of seven of the Iranian-made Shahed-136/131 explosive drones.    A separate wave of 35 anti-aircraft S-300 rockets were fired at Ukraine from the Belgorod and Zaporizhzhia regions, Ukraine's General Staff of the Armed Forces said.    The latest wave: Air raid sirens could be heard throughout Ukraine on Friday, and the latest wave of Russian strikes caused several casualties.  Several cities in Ukraine were struck by the attacks, including the capitol Kyiv and the western city of Lviv.  The bombardment also slammed critical infrastructure in the city of Kharkiv, injuring several people, The Associated Press reported.  Preparing for the worst: With the first anniversary of the war approaching, analysts expect Russia to be preparing for a major new offensive designed to give Moscow the upper hand in the war.    The strikes on Thursday and Friday are part of a strategy employed by Russia since October to weaken Ukrainian's resolve by taking out power and critical infrastructure for residents.    Read more here  Biden to mark anniversary of Russian invasion © The Hill, Greg Nash President Biden will travel to Poland on Feb. 20 to 22 to mark the one-year anniversary since Russia invaded Ukraine, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announced on Friday.    Jean-Pierre said Biden will deliver remarks ahead of the one-year anniversary of the invasion, which will involve "addressing how the United States has rallied the world to support the people of Ukraine as they defend their freedom and democracy, and how we will continue to stand with the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes."    Any extra stops?: National security spokesman John Kirby said he did not have "any additional stops to preview" during the Poland trip when asked about a potential stop in Ukraine.    Biden will meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda on the trip, as well as leaders of the Bucharest Nine, which is a group of eastern flank NATO allies.    More aid coming?: Kirby would not preview any announcements on further aid to Ukraine during the trip, but said that Biden "will certainly make clear that additional security assistance, additional financial assistance, additional help for Ukraine will be coming from the United States."    Read that story here  A MESSAGE FROM OSHKOSH DEFENSE Oshkosh Defense is the design authority on the Oshkosh Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) and the premier manufacturer of armored vehicles for the U.S. military for over 40 years. The JLTV is designed for never before-achieved speed, power and protected mobility required to improve survivability in missions today and tomorrow. There are a lot of uncertainties in this world, but Oshkosh Defense isn't one of them. Learn more.  FOR NEXT WEEK NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg will give a press conference ahead of a two-day meeting of defense ministers in Brussels, Belgium.  The Stimson Center will hold a discussion on "The End of History? Global Implications of the War in Ukraine," at 9:30 a.m.   Brookings Institution will host an event on "The U.S. Air Force and American defense strategy," with Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Brown, at 10 a.m.  Iraq's Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Fuad Hussain will speak at the Wilson Center at 10 a.m.  The Center for a New American Security will discuss "Innovation and Experimentation: A New Approach for the U.S. Air Force in the Middle East," with U.S. Air Forces Central head Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, at 10 a.m.  The Air and Space Forces Association will hold an event on "Air & Space Warfighters in Action: AFCENT Commander Lt. Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich," at 12 p.m.  WHAT WE'RE READING Five outstanding questions about the Chinese spy balloon  Pentagon pressing Congress to restart programs monitoring Russian movements in Ukraine: report  DOJ recovers additional classified document from Pence's home  Former acting Defense chief under Trump calls for military budget to be cut in half  Military.com: Bodycam footage appears to show National Guard general shoving journalist during news conference  Military Times: Official overseeing VA health records overhaul to leave this month  And finally, a note to readers: You will likely notice a change in how this newsletter looks next week. This new format is aimed at providing you clear, concise updates on major defense and national security news and trends, along with other useful material from The Hill. We're excited to showcase it. See you next week! Sign up for Defense & National Security Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe Sign Up for Other Newsletters 1625 K Street NW, 9th Floor, Washington, DC 20006 © 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved.