🇺🇸 🇨🇳 🎥 🎈🛸 President Biden Delivers Remarks on the United States’ Response to Recent Aerial Objects

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The President: Good afternoon.
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Last week, in the immediate aftermath of the incursion
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by China’s high-altitude balloon,
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our military, through the North American Aerospace
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Defense Command — so-called NOR- —
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NORAD — closely scrutinized the —
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our airspace, including enhancing our radar
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to pick up more slow-moving objects
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above our country and around the world.
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In doing so, they tracked three unidentified objects:
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one in Alaska, Canada, and over Lake Huron in the Midwest.
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They acted in accordance with established parameters
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for determining how to deal with unidentified aerial objects
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in U.S. airspace.
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At their recommendation,
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I gave the order to take down these three objects
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due to hazards to civilian commercial air traffic
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and because we could not rule out the surveillance
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risk of sensitive facilities.
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We acted in consultation with the Canadian government.
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I spoke personally with Prime Minister Trudeau
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and Ca- — from Canada on Saturday.
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And just as critically, we acted out of an abundance of caution
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and at an opportunity that allowed us to take down these —
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these objects safely.
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Our military and the Canadian military
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are seeking to recover the debris
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so we can learn more about these three objects.
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Our intelligence community is still assessing
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all three incidences. They’re reporting to me daily
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and will continue their urgent efforts to do so,
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and I will communicate that to the Congress.
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We don’t yet know exactly what these three objects were.
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But nothing — nothing right now suggests
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they were related to China’s spy balloon program
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or that they were surveillance vehicles from other —
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any other country.
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The intelligence community’s current assessment
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is that these three objects were most likely balloons
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tied to private companies, recreation,
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or research institutions studying weather
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or conducting other scientific research.
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When I came into office,
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I instructed our intelligence community
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to take a broad look at the phenomenon
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of unidentified aerial objects.
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We know that a range of entities,
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including countries, companies, and research organizations
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operate objects at altitudes for purposes
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that are not nefarious,
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including legitimate scientific research.
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I want to be clear: We don’t have any evidence
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that there has been a sudden increase
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in the number of objects in the sky.
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We’re now just seeing more of them,
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partially because the steps we’ve taken
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to increase our radars — to narrow our radars.
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And we have to keep adapting our approach to delaying —
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to dealing with these challenges.
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That’s why I’ve directed my team to come back to me
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with sharper rules for how we will deal
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with these unidentified objects moving forward,
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distinguishing — distinguishing between those that are likely
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to pose safety and security risks
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that necessitate action and those that do not.
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But make no mistake, if any object presents a threat
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to the safety and security of the American people,
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I will take it down. I’ll be sharing with Congress
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these classified policy parameters
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when they’re completed, and they’ll remain classified
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so we don’t give our roadmap
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to our enemies to try to evade our defenses.
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Going forward, these parameters will guide
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what actions we will take while responding to unmanned
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and unidentified aerial objects.
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We’re going to keep adapting them
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as the challenges evolve, if it evolves.
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In addition, we’ve derived —
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I’ve directly my National Security Advisor
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to lead a government-wide effort to make sure
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we are positioned to deal safely
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and effectively with the objects in our airspace.
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First, we will establish a better inventory
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of unmanned airborne objects in space —
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above the United States’ airspace
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and make sure that inventory is accessible and up to date.
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Second, we’ll implement further measures
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to improve our capacity to detect unmanned objecti- —
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objects in our airspace.
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Third, we’ll update the rules and regulations
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for launching and maintaining unmanned objects
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in the skies above the United States of America.
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And fourth, my Secretary of State will lead an effort
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to help establish a global — a globa- —
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a common global norms in this largely unregulated space.
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These steps will lead to safer and more secure skies
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for our air travelers, our military, our scientists,
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and for people on the ground as well.
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That’s my job as your President and Commander-in-Chief.
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As the events of the previous days have shown,
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we’ll always act to protect the interest of the American people
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and the security of the American people.
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Since I came into office,
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we’ve developed the ability to identify, track,
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and study high-altitude surveillance balloons
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connected with the Chinese military.
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When one of these high-altitude surveillance balloons
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entered our airspace over the continental United States
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earlier in the month,
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I gave the order to shoot it down
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as soon as it would be safe to do so.
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The military advised against shooting it down over land
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because of the sheer size of it.
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It was the size of multiple school busses,
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and it posed a risk to people on the ground
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if it was shot down where people lived.
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Instead, we tracked it closely, we analyzed its capabilities,
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and we learned more about how it operates.
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And because we knew its path, we were able to protect
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sensitive sites against collection.
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We waited until it was safely over water,
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which would not only protect civilians
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but also enable us to recover substantial components
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for further analys- — for further analytics.
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And then we shot it down, sending a clear message —
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clear message:
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The violation of our sovereignty is unacceptable.
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We will act to protect our country, and we did.
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Now, this past Friday, we put restrictions on six firms
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that directly support
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the People’s Republic Liberation Army —
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the People’s Lib- —
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the People’s Liberation Army aerospace program
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that includes airships and balloons,
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denying them access to U.S. technology.
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We briefed our diplomatic partners
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and our allies around the world,
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and we know about China’s program
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and where their balloons have flown.
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Some of them have also raised
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their concerns directly with China.
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Our exports [experts]
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have lifted components of the Chinese balloon’s
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payload off the ocean floor. We’re analyzing them as I speak,
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and what we learn will strengthen our capabilities.
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Now, we’ll also continue to engage with China,
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as we have throughout the past two weeks.
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As I’ve said since the beginning of my administration,
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we seek competition, not conflict, with China.
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We’re not looking for a new Cold War.
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But I make no apologize — I make no apologies,
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and we will compete. And we’ll be res- —
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we’ll responsibly manage that competition
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so that it doesn’t veer into conflict.
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This episode underscores the importance
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of maintaining open lines of communication
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between our diplomats and our military professionals.
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Our diplomats will be engaging further,
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and I will remain in communication with President Xi.
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I’m grateful for the work over the last several weeks
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of our intelligence, diplomatic, and military professionals
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who have proved once again to be the most capable in the world.
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And I want to thank you all.
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Now, look, the other thing I want to point
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is that we are going to keep our allies
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and the Congress contemporaneously informed
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of all we know and all we learn.
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And I expect to be speaking with President Xi,
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and I hope we have a —
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we are going to get to the bottom of this.
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But I make no apologies for taking down that balloon.
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Thank you very much.
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(Cross-talk by reporters.)
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>> The President: Give me a break, man.
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(Cross-talk by reporters.)
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>> The President: You can come to my office
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and ask the question when you have more polite people.
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(inaudible).