Statement from the Minister of National Defence

February 10, 2023 – Washington – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces

The Minister of National Defence, the Honourable Anita Anand, issued the following statement:

“Today at the Pentagon, United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and I participated in a call with NORAD Commander, General Glen VanHerck regarding a high-altitude object detected over Alaska. The object did not fly into Canadian airspace.

“During this conversation, I conveyed Canada’s support for taking action to take down this object. NORAD deployed aircraft to track and monitor the object and provided important information to decision-makers – and the object was taken down earlier today by United States Northern Command.

“The Canadian Armed Forces, the Department of National Defence and I will continue to work closely with our American allies to ensure the protection of North American airspace.”

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