Chinese Spy Balloon Causes Panic
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US Air Force unable to shoot down suspected Chinese high altitude spy balloon over Minuteman III missile silos in Montana fearing civilian casualties on the ground
The Pentagon has spotted what it believes to be a surveillance balloon in the northern US and is monitoring it closely, though the White House has advised not to take military action to shoot it down. The balloon, which senior officials say belongs to China, was first spotted on Wednesday.
F-22 Raptor fighter jets were scrambled but military leaders advised President Joe Biden against shooting the balloon out of the sky for fear debris could pose a safety threat, advice Biden accepted, U.S. officials said.
Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder announced on Thursday that the US government “has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now,” and is watching it closely. The balloon was last confirmed sighted in the skies above Billings, Montana, but its current location has not been disclosed.
In a Wednesday meeting commanded by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, top military officials discussed how to respond to the balloon and briefed the White House on its location, assuring that it posed no threat to aircraft due to its high elevation. The military is still considering the option of shooting it down.
The official said the current flight path would carry the balloon over a number of sensitive sites, but did not give details. Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana is home to 150 intercontinental ballistic missile silos.
A separate U.S. official said the spy balloon had been tracked near the Aleutian Islands and Canada before entering the United States.
Such balloons typically operate at 80,000-120,000 feet (24,000-37,000m), well above where commercial air traffic flies. The highest-performing fighter aircraft typically do not operate above 65,000 feet, although spy planes such as the U-2 have a service ceiling of 80,000 feet or more.
“Currently we assess that this balloon has limited additive value from an intelligence collection perspective over and above what the PRC can do through other means,” a senior defense official said at a press briefing.
“Nevertheless we are taking all necessary steps to protect against foreign intelligence collection of sensitive information,” he assured.
The Defense department has stated it is confident the balloon belongs to China, and US officials have been in communication with Beijing as all options remain on the table as to next steps.
Relations between China and the United States have soured in recent years, particularly following then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in August, which prompted dramatic Chinese military drills near the self-ruled island.
Beijing, as of Friday, has not taken responsibility for the balloon. The incident comes days ahead of a planned trip to Beijing by US Secretary Antony Blinken, the first such high level visit to China since 2020.
Source Pentagon/Reuters/RT
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