The Pentagon shot down an unidentified object over Alaska on Friday, on the orders of President Joe Biden.
White House spokesman John Kirby confirmed the incident at a press conference.
According to him, the object was traveling at an altitude of over 12,000 km and presented a possible threat to the safety of civil aviation.
The White House announced that President Joe Biden ordered the military to shoot down what he described as a "high-altitude object" flying over Alaska earlier in the day.
"The Department of Defense has been tracking a high-altitude object over Alaskan airspace for the past 24 hours," National Security Council strategic communications coordinator John Kirby told reporters.
The incident comes less than a week after a US fighter jet shot down a Chinese spy balloon over the Atlantic.