US Air Force General doesn't rule out aliens as third unidentified object gets shot down

Officials from the Pentagon and intelligence agencies are trying to understand three recent incidents involving unidentified flying objects (UFOs) that were shot down by US fighter jets in Alaska, Canada, and Michigan. Over the weekend, there was a series of sightings and encounters with these objects in the sky over North America, leading some to believe that an "invasion", so to say, of these objects was underway. According to a report from the New York Times, a radar blip was detected over Montana on Saturday, but it quickly disappeared, causing confusion over its existence. However, on Sunday, another blip appeared, leading to its destruction by an F-16 in Lake Huron. The main questions surrounding these events can be divided into two - what are these objects and why is the US seeing more of them suddenly?

The identity and origin of the objects observed in American airspace are unknown at this time. American officials have not determined what they are or who may have sent them. The increased attention and scrutiny towards objects in the sky follows a recent incident involving a Chinese spy balloon. Despite this, the commander of the US Air Force's Northern Command has not ruled out any possibilities, including extraterrestrial origins. Gen. Glen D. VanHerck, when asked if aliens could be involved, replied by saying that “I haven’t ruled out anything at this point."

“I’ll let the intel community and the counterintelligence community figure that out,” General Glen VanHerck added. “At this point, we continue to assess every threat or potential threat unknown that approaches North America with an attempt to identify it.”

However, national security officials have reportedly stated that they do not believe the objects to be anything other than earthly devices. In other words, they don't think the recent sightings in the air are the result of extraterrestrial visitors.

The DNI released a report on unidentified aerial phenomena last month 

“What’s happening now is you have low-end technology being used to harass America. It is a high-impact, low-cost way for China to do this, and the more you look up in the sky, the more you will see," said Luis Elizondo, the military intelligence officer who ran the Pentagon’s U.F.O. program until 2017, as per the NYTimes report. According to a recently released public report by the DNI's (Director of National Intelligence) office titled "2022 ANNUAL REPORT ON UNIDENTIFIED AERIAL PHENOMENA", out of 366 mysterious occurrences, 163 were determined to be balloons. 

Why more sightings?

NORAD has reportedly improved its radar system and is now detecting more incursions. The heightened sensitivity was prompted by the recent incident with the spy balloon floating over the US for a week before being shot down. Assistant Secretary of Defense, Melissa Dalton, stated at a press conference that the increased scrutiny of airspace and improved radar is a possible explanation for the increase in objects detected. However, American officials haven't completely ruled out the possibility of more objects appearing in the airspace.