PETERSON SPACE FORCE BASE, Colo. –
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 pm Eastern Standard Time Feb. 10 within U.S. sovereign airspace over U.S. territorial water.
Recovery operations continue today near Deadhorse, Alaska. U.S. Northern Command’s Alaska Command and the Alaska National Guard, in close coordination with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and local law enforcement, are conducting search and recovery activities. Arctic weather conditions, including wind chill, snow, and limited daylight, are a factor in this operation, and personnel will adjust recovery operations to maintain safety. Recovery activities are occurring on sea ice. We have no further details at this time about the object, including its capabilities, purpose, or origin.
U.S. Northern Command also continues to conduct recovery operations off the coast of South Carolina following the takedown of the high-altitude surveillance balloon on Feb. 4. U.S. Northern Command’s U.S. Navy component continues to conduct survey and recovery activities, and the U.S. Coast Guard continues to support site security. The Federal Bureau of Investigation continues to assist recovery on site and take custody of debris arriving at on-shore locations. Sea states Feb. 10 permitted dive and underwater unmanned vehicle (UUV) activities and the retrieval of additional debris from the sea floor. The public may see U.S. Navy vessels moving to and from the site as they conduct offload and resupply activities. Operations will continue as weather permits.
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