In recent days, a Chinese surveillance balloon has been detected hovering over key installations, prompting the United States to monitor it.
Officials from the Department of Defense were certain that the “high-altitude surveillance balloon” belonged to China. Most recently, it was spotted above the western state of Montana.
The military chose not to shoot it down due to the possibility of falling debris.
China warned against speculation and “hype” before the verification of the facts.
US officials said the object went through the Aleutian Islands in Alaska and Canada before appearing over Billings, Montana, on Wednesday.
The government has prepared fighter jets, including F-22s, in case the White House orders the object to be shot down, according to a senior defense official.
Canada stated on Friday that it was monitoring a “possible second incident” involving a surveillance balloon, but did not specify which nation may be responsible. It stated in the statement that it is collaborating closely with the United States to “protect sensitive Canadian information from foreign intelligence threats.”
On Wednesday, senior military authorities, including Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and General Mark Milley, chairman of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff, convened to assess the danger. At the time, Mr. Austin was traveling in the Philippines.
US tracks Chinese spy balloon
Montana’s thinly populated Malmstrom Air Force Base has one of the nation’s three nuclear missile silo fields. According to the official, the suspected spy aircraft was flying over critical installations to collect information.
However, military commanders cautioned against taking “kinetic action” against the balloon since debris falling to the ground could endanger the lives of those on the ground.
Officials hesitated from disclosing the actual dimensions of the balloon. But described it as “sizeable,” with pilots reportedly able to see it from a distance. According to media reports, another US source compared its size to that of three buses.
US officials “know exactly where this balloon is and where it’s passing over,” according to the defense department. Thus there is no “substantially increased threat” of US intelligence being exposed.
In addition, the balloon posed no threat to civil aviation because it was “much” above the altitude used by commercial airlines.
The statement stated the balloon is unlikely to give more data than China can currently get from satellites.
Officials said the US and Chinese embassy officials had discussed the problem in Washington, D.C., and Beijing.
China’s foreign ministry
The spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry, Mao Ning, stated that Beijing is now seeking to confirm the claims of the surveillance balloon, adding that “until the facts are clear, speculation and exaggeration will not assist to properly address the situation.”
“China is a responsible nation that adheres fully to international law at all times. We do not want to violate the territory or airspace of any nation-state “She stated,
During Thursday’s Pentagon briefing, officials refused to divulge the aircraft’s present location and did not disclose where it was launched.
They said that similar surveillance balloons had been observed in the past. But this one “appears to be lingering for a longer amount of time this time.”
Some Montana social media users posted photographs of a circular, whitish object in the sky, which perplexed them. Others have reported seeing US military aircraft in the region, presumably tracking the item.
Chase Doak, a Billings office worker, told the Associated Press that he observed the “huge white circle in the sky” and went home to get a better camera.
“I believed it might have been a genuine UFO,” he claimed. “Therefore, I wanted to ensure that I shot as many photographs as possible to document the event.”
The Global Times, a Chinese state media website, accused the United States of worsening tensions between China and the United States by constantly fostering a Cold War environment.
The topic is also frequently debated on Chinese social media, with many amused by the reported usage of surveillance balloons.
“With so many satellites, why would we need a balloon?” asked one Weibo user.
The ranking Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, Senator Marco Rubio, criticized the suspected Chinese balloon.
“The intensity and brazenness of Beijing’s espionage against our country have increased considerably over the past five years,” he tweeted.
The Republican governor of Montana, Greg Gianforte, stated after being briefed on the “very worrisome” situation.
During a Thursday speech at an unrelated occasion in Washington, DC, CIA Director William Burns made no mention of the balloon, but labeled China the United States “greatest geopolitical challenge”
The surveillance plane may raise tensions before US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to China next week. It will be the first trip to the country by a cabinet secretary under the Biden administration.
The senior American ambassador will travel to Beijing to discuss a variety of problems, including security, Taiwan, and Covid-19.
In addition, he will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to the Financial Times on Thursday.
One of the earliest forms of surveillance equipment is balloons. Compared to conventional air surveillance systems, they may be operated inexpensively and without staff for extended periods while remaining aloft.
