--- title: "US Military Not Ruling Out That Unidentified Shot Down Objects Were Alien" description: "After a series of mysterious objects were spotted and shot down, officials are still unable to rule out the possibility that the objects were alien." date: "2023-02-13" modified: "2023-02-13" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/us-military-shot-down-objects" categories: - "Military" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "aliens" - "Pentagon" - "the digest" - "ufos" --- # US Military Not Ruling Out That Unidentified Shot Down Objects Were Alien ![After a series of mysterious objects were spotted and shot down, officials are still unable to rule out the possibility that the objects were alien.]() *\Image: FBI\* ## UFO Szn After the Pentagon spotted a series of mysterious objects and then shot them out of the sky, an official made a baffling admission: that the military hasn't ruled out that the objects could have been extraterrestrial in nature. A total of three airborne objects were shot down over just three days, [*Reuters* reports](), prompting widespread speculation about their origins. "I'll let the intel community and the counterintelligence community figure that out," Air Force general Glen VanHerck told reporters, referring to the possibility of aliens being behind the sightings. "I haven't ruled out anything." ## Shoot 'Em Down The Pentagon, however, also noted that it has yet to find any compelling evidence supporting the alien theory. So as cool as that would be, there's almost certainly a more mundane explanation. On Sunday, a mysterious octagonal object was shot down over Lake Huron, representing [the fourth flying object]() to have met a similar fate since a Chinese balloon [was destroyed]() on February 4. But the latter three objects don't appear to be balloons, making the encounters even more puzzling. "We're calling them objects, not balloons, for a reason," VanHerck, head of North American Aerospace Defense Command, told reporters, as quoted by *Reuters*. ## Mysterious Skies So far, all we can do is speculate. Officials will attempt to fish out the latest object out of Lake Huron to investigate it, according to the general. While we still have no idea who or what was behind these objects, it's certainly an eyebrow-raising series of events. The US has spent decades investigating "[unidentified aerial phenomena]()," strange sightings made by military pilots over the years, that remain unexplained to this day. Maybe there's finally a chance we could get some answers. **READ MORE:** [Ruling out aliens? Senior U.S. general says not ruling out anything yet]() \[*Reuters*\] **More on the objects:** *[China Wants the Corpse of Its Balloon Back After the US Killed It With a Missile]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()