The US has been tracking a Chinese spy balloon that has been floating over the northern a part of the country for days, Pentagon officials announced Thursday.
A top Pentagon official said the US is confident that the craft is a Chinese high-altitude balloon that has been flying over sensitive sites to gather information for the past two days.
The official, speaking anonymously, said that considered one of the locations the balloon has been spotted was over Montana — home to considered one of the US’ three nuclear missile silo fields at Malmstrom Air Force Base.
Fighter jets — including F-22s – were prepared to shoot the balloon down on the White House’s orders, however the Pentagon beneficial against it out of safety concerns for civilians on the bottom, despite the balloon being over a distant area of Montana, the official said.
Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters in a temporary statement that the balloon is“currently traveling at an altitude well above business air traffic and doesn’t present a military or physical threat to people on the bottom.”
The defense official said that the US has been “engaged” with Chinese officials to speak the gravity of the situation — which comes just days before Secretary of State Antony Blinken is scheduled to go to China.
It’s not clear if the incident will affect Blinken’s travel plans.
The official added that similar balloon activity has been observed over the past several years. The US has taken steps to make sure no sensitive information is compromised.
The official couldn’t comment on how large the balloon is but said it’s visible to business pilots even at its high altitude.
Essentially the most concerning aspect regarding the balloon is its high altitude and the duration of its flight, he said.
It continues to be flying over the US.
Earlier this month, a newly declassified government report revealed that a majority of “UFO” sightings reported during the last 12 months were actually balloon-like objects.
The sightings “proceed to occur in restricted or sensitive airspace, highlighting possible concerns for safety of flight or adversary collection activity,” the Office of the Director of National Intelligence wrote.
With Post wires
