I had a work-study job in college at our small local airport working for the FAA. I mostly clipped new FAA communications into 3-ring binders and tore off expired ticker tape weather reports for a couple of hours a day.
My boss was old school government employee, straight and square. One day we were talking and he handed me a FAA business card with a UFO reporting 800 phone number. Odd I thought, and put it in my wallet.
Years later I lost my wallet in a phone booth (am old). I got a call from someone who found my wallet and wanted to return it. He came over with the wallet which had everything still in it, including cash. The only thing missing was the UFO card. I've never seen another one.
I agree about distraction, but still this is the first time in my life that government is talking about and shooting down random stuff in the sky that they claim not to know what those things are.
They probably saw how well the Chinese spy balloon hoax went, and just remixed it.
Biden and his handlers of whatever origin you believe in.
You're assuming that they're actually shooting anything down. It's probably all fake.