Login
iscover
The Pentagon is tracking a high-altitude intelligence-gathering balloon allegedly launched by the People’s Republic of China, floating above the United States of America.
To continue reading the rest of this article, please log in.
Create free account to get unlimited news articles and more!
The Defense Department detected the balloon over Montana earlier this week on 2 February and confirmed this isn’t the first time such a balloon has been seen over the United States.
Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brigadier General Pat Ryder said the balloon is well above commercial air traffic and doesn’t pose a threat to civil aviation, during an impromptu briefing on 3 February.
“The United States government has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now,” Brig Gen Ryder said.
“The US government, to include NORAD, continues to track and monitor it closely.”
Brig Gen Ryder said the US government has acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information.
A senior defence official has confirmed the US intelligence community believes with “very high confidence” that the balloon belongs to the People’s Republic of China.
“We have communicated to them the seriousness with which we take this issue,” the official said.
“We have made clear we will do whatever is necessary to protect our people and our homeland.
“Currently, we assess that this balloon has limited additive value from an intelligence collective collection perspective.
“We are taking steps, nevertheless, to protect against foreign intelligence collection of sensitive information.
“It is appearing to hang out for a longer period of time, (and is) more persistent than in previous instances. That would be one distinguishing factor.
“We did assess that it was large enough to cause damage from the debris field if we downed it over an area. There have been reports of pilots seeing this thing, even though it’s pretty high up in the sky. So ... it’s sizable.”
Recommendations from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army General Mark A Milley and Air Force General Glen D VanHerck, commander of US Northern Command and the North American Aerospace Defense Command, advise that the balloon be left to continue to float above the United States rather than attempt to shoot it down due to the risk of putting civilian communities at risk.
