On Thursday, Feb. 2, the U.S. government reported that it is monitoring a suspected Chinese spy balloon that was spotted flying over northern states for several days.
“The United States government has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now,” Pentagon Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said in a briefing on Thursday. “The U.S. government to include NORAD [North American Aerospace Defense Command], continues to track and monitor it closely. 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. Instances of this kind of balloon activity have been observed previously over the past several years. Once the balloon was detected, the U.S. government acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information.”
As the balloon hovered over Montana on Wednesday, military leaders contemplated shooting it down but decided against it due to the threat of falling debris. However, F-22 fighter jets were stationed at the Billings Logan International Airport in Montana.
The Pentagon reported that the balloon traveled from China to the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, then through Canada into Montana.
A defense official said that the balloon’s flight path was over a number of “sensitive sites.” Many are speculating that it could have targeted Malmstrom Air Force Base—which houses 150 intercontinental ballistic missile silos.
“The fact that this balloon was occupying Montana airspace creates significant concern that Malmstrom Air Force Base and the United States’ intercontinental ballistic missile fields are the target of this intelligence gathering mission,” Republican Montana Senator Steve Daines wrote in a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. “Given the serious nature of the event, I am requesting a full security briefing from the administration on this situation. It is vital to establish the flight path of this balloon, any compromised U.S. national security assets, and all telecom or IT infrastructure on the ground within the U.S. that this spy balloon was utilizing.”
The uproar over this incident from many within the Republican Party was immediate. However, this was not a partisan feeling. In a joint statement with Republican Congressman Mike Gallagher, Democratic Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi also expressed his frustrations. “The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) should not have on-demand access to American airspace,” they said. “Not only is this a violation of American sovereignty… but it also makes clear that the CCP’s recent diplomatic overtures do not represent a substantive change in policy. Indeed, this incident demonstrates that the CCP threat is not confined to distant shores—it is here at home and we must act to counter this threat.”
This discovery comes about a week before Secretary of State Antony Blinken was expected to travel to Beijing in an attempt to ease U.S.-China tensions. However, his meeting has been postponed, and it is unknown when or if it will be rescheduled.
