The head of the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD) Glenn Van Herk did not rule out the possibility that objects downed in the U.S. airspace in recent days could have extraterrestrial origins, although he stressed that the final conclusion on this issue must be made by intelligence agencies.
Recently, U.S. fighter jets have intercepted three high-altitude targets of unknown origin and destination over Alaska, Canada and Lake Guron. During a special briefing for journalists, van Herck was asked whether the military was prepared to completely rule out the version of extraterrestrial origin of the aircraft shot down in the skies over the United States. According to one journalist, this question is of great interest to the American public.
“Thank you for your question. I will let the intelligence and counterintelligence agencies make an opinion on this matter. Personally, I am not ruling out any versions at this point,” the senior military official said.
Later, he added: “We continue to assess every threat or potential threat that approaches North America and make attempts to identify them.” According to the commander, the U.S. military has not yet determined what drove the downed aircraft in the north and is unsure if they were balloons.
“I am not in a position to explain how they were kept in the air. Perhaps there was a gas-filled balloon or propulsion system of one type or another inside the structure. However, it’s obvious that they were kept in the air,” Van Herk stressed.
CNN previously quoted pilots who flew up to intercept the devices as saying they could not determine by visual examination where the engines were located.