The Pentagon has been tracking the balloon since it entered US airspace a few days ago, including observing it with military aircraft.
“The hot air balloon currently travels at a much higher altitude than commercial air traffic and poses no threat to the ground, even militarily. We believe the surveillance balloon is This height belongs to China,” said General Patrick Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman.
The Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia – USA – Photo: REUTERS
Senior military leaders including Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley decided “not to interfere with the balloon out of concern about the risk to the safety and security of the people on the ground.” ground due to debris”, which means they will not shoot down the balloon.
Previously, the issue of shooting down the hot air balloon was raised when it flew to Montana state, according to Reuters.
US officials also said they had raised the issue with the Chinese side; added that spy balloons have been spotted in the US a few times, but this one seems to last longer than the previous ones.
“We currently assess that this balloon has limited additional value from an intelligence-gathering perspective, but we are still taking steps to counter the collection,” said General Ryder. sensitive information of foreign intelligence”.
The news comes ahead of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s scheduled visit to Beijing in the next few days, an important visit to follow up on a meeting between US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping. last year.