Pentagon: Chinese Surveillance Balloon Spotted Over Western US Skies

The Pentagon decided against shooting down a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been observed over US airspace for a few days due to the potential for harm to people on the ground, according to officials. However, the US is tracking the balloon.

According to a senior defense official, the US has “extremely high confidence” that the object was a Chinese high-altitude balloon that was flying over vital locations to gather intelligence.

One of the states where the was noticed was Montana, which is home to Malmstrom Air Force Base, one of the country’s three nuclear missile silo fields.

To discuss sensitive information, the official spoke on the condition of anonymity. The government is still monitoring the balloon, according to a brief statement from Brig Gen Patrick Ryder, the Pentagon’s press secretary.

It does not pose a military or physical threat to persons on the ground, according to him, as it is “currently traveling at an altitude much above commercial air traffic.”

According to the defense official, the US has “engaged” Chinese authorities through a number of channels and conveyed the gravity of the situation.

Days before Secretary of State Antony Blinken is anticipated to visit China, the Pentagon made its announcement.

His trip plans, which the State Department has not formally disclosed, may be impacted by this, but it is unclear how.

According to the senior defense official, the US has fighter jets, including F-22s, ready to shoot down the balloon on the White House’s command.

In the end, the Pentagon advised against it, saying that even though the balloon was over a sparsely populated region of Montana, its size would have produced a significant enough debris field to pose a risk to people.

The source declined to say how big the balloon was but claimed that, despite being at a great height, commercial pilots could still see it.

All air traffic at the Billings, Montana, Logan International Airport was placed on a temporary ground stop on Wednesday as the military provided options to the White House.

A photograph of a large white balloon lingering over the area was captured by the Billings Gazette, but the Pentagon would not confirm if that was the surveillance balloon. The official said what concerned them about this launch was the altitude the balloon was flying at and the length of time it lingered over a location, without providing specifics.

Tensions with China are particularly high on numerous issues, ranging from Taiwan and the South China Sea to human rights in China’s western Xinjiang region and the clampdown on democracy activists in Hong Kong.

Not least on that list of irritants are China’s tacit support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, its refusal to rein in North Korea’s expanding ballistic missile program and ongoing disputes over trade and technology.

NBC News was first to report on the spy balloon.