1st US missile fired at unidentified object over Lake Huron missed target, general says
- A 2nd missile had to be launched to take down the aerial object, raising questions about the risk created by such strikes
- The initial shot ‘landed harmlessly’ in the water; US General Mark Milley says the military went to great lengths to make sure civilians were not in danger
The first US missile fired at an unidentified aerial object over Lake Huron missed the target and “landed harmlessly” in the water before a second one successfully hit, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Tuesday.
The acknowledgement by General Mark Milley of the errant strike comes amid questions about whether the shooting down of aerial objects that military officials say did not pose a threat is creating unnecessary risk.
Milley said the military went to “great lengths” to make sure the strikes did not put civilians at risk, including identifying what the debris field size was likely to be and the maximum effective range of the missiles used.
He also said in each case the Pentagon works to make sure that the air space is clear, and to evaluate the potential debris field, before embarking on such a strike.
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China says it has ‘no understanding’ of the flying objects US shot down
“We’re very very careful to make sure that those shots are in fact safe,” Milley said.
“And that’s the guidance from the president. Shoot it down, but make sure we minimise collateral damage and we preserve the safety of the American people.”
The object taken down Sunday was the third in as many days to be shot from the skies.
The White House has said the objects differed in size and manoeuvrability from a Chinese surveillance balloon that US fighter planes shot down earlier this month, but that their altitude was low enough to pose a risk to civilian air space.
Weather challenges and the remote locations of where the three objects were shot down over Alaska, Canada and Lake Huron have impeded recovery efforts so far, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters on Monday.
Milley was in Brussels with Austin to meet with members of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group on additional weapons and defence needs for Kyiv in advance of Russia’s anticipated spring offensive.
Fox News was the first to report the missed missile strike.
