Justin Trudeau has confirmed that an unidentified object was shot down over Canadian airspace on his orders on Saturday. The object was detected by NORAD and was shot down by a U.S. military F-22 over the Yukon. Trudeau and U.S. President Joe Biden have discussed the incident, and Canadian and U.S. forces will lead the recovery operation, highlighting the close cooperation between the two countries in defending their shared airspace.
Posts tagged as “Defense Lloyd Austin”
On Thursday, the U.S. Air Force shot down a Chinese surveillance balloon, prompting a response from Beijing and a call from U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to his Chinese counterpart. The House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution condemning China for the incident, and China's Defense Ministry refused Austin's call for a general-to-general talk. Republicans have criticized the Biden administration for not acting quickly enough, and the incident has further complicated the already tense relationship between the U.S. and China.
Tensions between the U.S. and China have been raised after the U.S. Air Force shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon on Friday. China has accused U.S. lawmakers of “political manipulation and hype” and refused a call from the U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. U.S. lawmakers have accused China of using the balloon for espionage, while China has accused the U.S. of violating international norms and setting a dangerous precedent. The two countries are yet to reach a resolution, and will likely continue to discuss the incident in the coming days and weeks.
US intelligence officials have uncovered evidence of a Chinese military surveillance program, which includes a fleet of balloons and has conducted at least two dozen missions over five continents. Half a dozen of these flights have been within US airspace, and the US has requested a secure call between Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Chinese counterpart to manage tensions and open dialogue. The US has expressed concern about the Chinese surveillance program and called for greater transparency from the Chinese government.
The U.S. and the Philippines have signed an Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement to strengthen their defense cooperation and provide the U.S. with access to more Philippine military camps. The agreement is seen as a way to ensure peace and stability in the region, and to deter any aggressive actions by China. The two countries have a long history of cooperation, having signed a Mutual Defense Treaty in 1951.
On Wednesday night, a U.S. military operation in northern Somalia killed a senior leader of the Islamic State terrorist group, Bilal al-Sudani, and 10 other ISIS fighters. The operation was part of a larger effort to target and eliminate ISIS leaders and operatives in the region, and was successful with no civilian casualties. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said al-Sudani was responsible for fostering the growing presence of ISIS in Africa and funding the group's operations worldwide.