Unopposed by Biden, Chinese Spy Balloon Continues to Fly Near US Nuclear Field

A Chinese spy balloon is drifting over Montana while the Biden administration says it has no plans to shoot down the aircraft.

“The United States government has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now. 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,” Pentagon spokesperson Brigadier General Patrick Ryder said Thursday, according to Reuters.

President Joe Biden agreed with advice from military leaders not to shoot down the balloon. The leaders had cautioned that the debris could be a safety threat.

“We wanted to make sure we were coordinating with civil authorities to empty out the airspace around that potential area,” Reuters quoted an official it did not name as saying.

“But even with those protective measures taken, it was the judgment of our military commanders that we didn’t drive the risk down low enough. So we didn’t take the shot,” Reuters said it was told by the official.

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BREAKING: China says it is looking into a report of a spy balloon spotted over Montana in the U.S. Beijing says it has no intention of violating airspace. https://t.co/tu5nmIJakA

— The Associated Press (@AP) February 3, 2023

Defense expert John Parachini estimated the balloon was as big as three buses.

Montana has a nuclear missile silo field at Malmstrom Air Force Base, according to The Washington Post.

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In a letter sent Thursday to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Sen. Steve Daines, a Republican from Montana, wrote: “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.

“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…

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