But the balloon poses no threat to commercial air traffic as it’s positioned way above that height, says Air Force Brigadier Gen. Pat Ryder…reports Asian Lite News
The US has said that it is closely monitoring a Chinese spy balloon that is said to be the size of three passenger buses wafting across the sky and it has considered shooting it down but has hesitated so far fearing falling debris on civilian populations underneath.
This is not the first such sighting. It’s happened before, but the US defense department said this is the longest Chinese spy balloon that has been seen hovering over the country. And it comes as Secretary of State Antony Blinken prepares to visit China and President Joe Biden is slated to deliver his first State of the Union speech in a Republican-led House of Representatives.
“The United States government has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now,” Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brigadier Gen. Pat Ryder said during an impromptu briefing on Thursday evening.
“The US government, to include NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command), continues to track and monitor it closely.”
But the balloon poses no threat to commercial air traffic as it’s positioned way above that height, Ryder said.
President Biden has been briefed, according to news reports.
A senior defence official who briefed reporters on background that the US intelligence community has “very high confidence” the balloon belong to China and the US has engaged China on it “with urgency, through multiple channels”.
The US is weighing options on how to deal with the balloon but for now, the official said, it’s been decided at the highest level in the US military – Chairman of joint chiefs of staff Mark Milley – to let it float overhead, rather than to shoot it down. The key concern being the safety of civilians down below.
“We did assess that it was large enough to cause damage from the debris field if we downed it over an area,” the official said. “I can’t really go into the dimension but there have been reports of pilots seeing this thing, even though it’s pretty high up in the sky. So … it’s sizable.”
But the US is largely leery of the mission of this spy mission. “Currently, we assess that this balloon has limited additive value from an intelligence collective collection perspective,” the official said. “But we are taking steps, nevertheless, to protect against foreign intelligence collection of sensitive information.”
China says it’s looking into report
China said Friday it is looking into reports that a Chinese spy balloon has been flying in U.S. airspace and urged calm, adding that it has “no intention of violating the territory and airspace of any sovereign country.”
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning also said she had no information about whether a trip to China by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken planned for next week will proceed as scheduled.
At a daily briefing, Mao said that politicians and the public should withhold judgment “before we have a clear understanding of the facts” about the spy balloon reports.
Blinken would be the highest-ranking member of President Joe Biden’s administration to visit China, arriving amid efforts to mitigate a sharp downturn in relations between Beijing and Washington over trade, Taiwan, human rights and China’s claims in the South China Sea.
“China is a responsible country and has always strictly abided by international laws, and China has no intention of violating the territory and airspace of any sovereign country. As for the balloon, as I’ve mentioned just now, we are looking into and verifying the situation and hope that both sides can handle this together calmly and carefully,” Mao said.
“As for Blinken’s visit to China, I have no information,” she said.
A senior defense official told Pentagon reporters that the U.S. has “very high confidence” that the object was a Chinese high-altitude balloon and was flying over sensitive sites to collect information.
One of the places the balloon was spotted was over the state of Montana, which is home to one of America’s three nuclear missile silo fields at Malmstrom Air Force Base. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information.
Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said the balloon is “currently traveling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground.”
Ryder said similar balloon activity has been seen in the past several years and the government has taken steps to ensure no sensitive information was stolen.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, advised against taking “kinetic action” because of risks to the safety of people on the ground. Biden accepted that recommendation.
The defense official said the U.S. has “engaged” Chinese officials through multiple channels and communicated the seriousness of the matter.
Blinken’s visit was expected to start this Sunday in an effort to try to find common ground on issues from trade policy to climate change. Although the trip has not been formally announced, both Beijing and Washington have been talking about his imminent arrival.
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