We dread the moment when those responsible for the unidentified flying objects shot ask to be taken to our leader. First, someone needs to wake up the president. Then someone needs to check his alertness. Is he having a good day? Next, someone needs to clue him in and bring him up to date.
The first question at yesterday’s White House briefing noted that the most recent objects shot down are deemed benign. Did they come in peace, like in the movie?
Unfortunately that question wasn’t asked. The reporter — I think it was AP White House reporter Josh Boak, whom Karine Jean-Pierre called on by his first name — noted that we can’t find the pieces of the recent objects shot down. This is getting complicated.
Should we have waited before shooting? And what are the protocols that apply to future flyovers?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, I’m going to take your last question first. As you know, the President has asked Jake Sullivan to — to oversee a stand- — a interagency team that — that is — that was stand- — that was created so that we can figure out the be- — protocols on how to move forward when — when and if this occurs again.
And so, I believe my colleague from the National Security Council, the Admiral, spoke to this moments ago, at 10 o’clock, during his gaggle, and talked about how we’ll have — we will have more protocols to share later — later this week.
So, there is, again, a interagency team that’s going to look at this process, look how we track, look how we decide to take action, and see if there’s anything else that needs to be done. So, there will be updated protocols, if you will, by the end of this week.
So, that’s that question.
The first one — look, you know — and, again, I — you’ve heard from Secretary Austin on this, you’ve heard from DOD on this, you’ve heard from my National Security Council colleagues.
Again, as you all know, the — the objects that were shot down were in the civilian airspace, kind of, flying low — at low elevation. And so, it was shot down. They were shot down because of — they were taking an abundance of caution.
We wanted to make sure Americans were safe. We wanted to make sure that the civilian aircraft flying above in the — in our airspace were safe. And that’s why they were taken down — the three objects.
As you all know, they are now being recovered. The weather conditions have prevented for — for the Pentagon to go out there and get those objects, but we’re going to continue to try. We’re going to continue to be vigilant on getting these — getting the debris.
But in the meantime, as you just mentioned, the — the benign statement. The intelligence community did say that they are considering or looking this — at this to be potentially benign.
But, of course, we want to make sure that we get the objects so we can actually — or the debris from the objects, just to be more clear — so we can get a sense of what — what — what the objects were for certain.
It’s painful to think that the old man has to deal with the uncertainty.
