Republicans are reacting after the U.S. military shot down a "high-altitude airborne object" on Saturday, saying that the U.S. is facing an "unprecedented" challenge
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a tweet that an "unidentified object" over Canadian airspace was shot down.
"I ordered the take down of an unidentified object that violated Canadian airspace," Trudeau tweeted. "@NoradCommand shot down the object over the Yukon. Canadian and U.S. aircraft were scrambled, and a U.S. F-22 successfully fired at the object."
NORAD said in a statement to Fox News Digital on Saturday that it identified a "high-altitude airborne object" over Northern Canada.
NORAD CONFIRMS 'HIGH-ALTITUDE AIRBORNE OBJECT' FLYING OVER NORTHERN CANADA
"Military aircraft are currently operating from Alaska and Canada in support of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) activities," the statement said. "NORAD confirms that we have positively identified a high-altitude airborne object over Northern Canada."
"While we cannot discuss specifics related to these activities at this time, please note that NORAD conducts sustained, dispersed operations in the defense of North America through one or all three NORAD regions," the statement added.
Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, said in a statement that the U.S. military has been working to eliminate this "unprecedented challenge."
US MILITARY SHOOTS DOWN 'OBJECT' FLYING IN TERRITORIAL WATERS OVER ALASKA
"I once again commend our military, particularly the active duty and guard forces in Alaska, who have literally been working around the clock for weeks tracking and eliminating this unprecedented challenge," Sullivan tweeted.
Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., said the Biden administration needs to explain why two small objects were shot down, while the Chinese spy craft flew over America last week.
"Can the Biden Admin please explain why they shot down two relatively small "objects" over Alaskan and Canadian airspace this week, but allowed a known Chinese Spy balloon to collect and transmit data about our country for a week before it was brought down?" Rosendale asked.
The U.S. military shot down an "object" that was flying in territorial waters over Alaska on Friday, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said during a press briefing.
Fox News' Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.
