After three days of searching for the airborne object shot down over Lake Huron on Feb. 12, the Department of Defense (DOD) suspended the recovery mission.
According to the DOD, the FBI was embedded with the Coast Guard and various other Canadian agencies during the search.
Last week during a White House press conference, John Kirby of the National Defense Council said the object likely landed in deep water 15 nautical miles off the coast of the upper peninsula on the Canadian side of Lake Huron.
The average depth of Lake Huron is 195 feet, with a maximum depth of 750 feet. Stretches of Lake Huron along the Alpena-Amberley Ridge are 40 feet deep.
In a statement, U.S. Northern Command said the search team "conducted systematic searches of each area using a variety of of capabilities, including airborne imagery and sensors, surface sensors and inspections, and subsurface scans, and did not locate debris."
The suspension of the effort has left the public with more questions than answers, as military officials and members of Michigan's congressional delegation have not been able to explain what was flying in Michigan's airspace, where it came from and what the object was capable of doing.
The message from the White House and DOD is the object didn’t pose any “kinetic military threat.”
After a classified briefing with military officials on Feb 14., Michigan Senator Gary Peters said he didn't receive any additional information regarding the airborne object. During an interview on CNN, Peters said he was frustrated after the meeting.
"I was certainly frustrated not to get more information as to exactly what did the pilots see, what was their description? Videos taken? Why don't we have an opportunity to see some of those to judge for ourselves," said Peters.
DOD didn't make it clear to reporters if the airborne object was completely destroyed by the F-16 fighter jet's second missile, the first one missed the object, according to Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, or if the object exploded into small pieces of debris.
DOD and the Coast Guard didn't respond to WCMU's multiple requests for comment regarding the suspension of the search and denied our earlier request to be embedded with the Coast Guard during the rescue effort.
Military officials also didn't provide information regarding the type of subsurface technology being used during the recovery effort.
John O’Shea is a professor of archeology at the University of Michigan and studies the bottom of Lake Huron. He said underwater autonomous vehicles he uses to conduct research in Lake Huron can provide a detailed map of a square kilometer in a few hours, and said the military should have some of the best equipment around.
"Their assets are way, way, way beyond anything we have," said O'Shea on a call with WCMU. "If you've got a focus targeted area, you can do it pretty detailed map pretty quickly. If you want to do larger areas, it takes ship time...my guess is it's rather they've decided it's not worth spending the time and effort to find it."
Although the object’s origin hasn’t been confirmed, Michigan Congressman John Moolenaar, R-Caledonia, told WCMU he plans to call House committee hearings following the U.S. military's take down of three objects in three days (Feb. 10-12) in U.S. and Canadian airspace.
As a member of the newly formed House select committee on China, Moolennar says it's learn more about China’s military capabilities.
"It's important that we learn more about what their intentions are, what their capabilities are. But it's concerning, it is very concerning because our national security is our top priority for the federal government. And so, we need to be vigilant," said Moolenaar.
