information. thanks. phil? >> reporter: just a couple of clarification questions. first off, when you first identified it, was it traveling at the same altitude, around 40,000 feet? did you at that point know its velocity, and secondly, doesn't northcom have the authority on its own to shoot down unidentified objects entering u.s. airspace if they pose a threat to civilian air traffic. if so, why was the president's authorization required in this case? >> yeah, thanks. so my understanding is it was at 40,000 feet when it was detected, and ultimately taken down. the norad, northcom commander does not have the authority necessarily to take down an object if it's not posing a potential hostile intent or actions. however, given the fact that this aircraft, or this object was operating at an altitude