On Thursday, a senior defense official stated that the United States is tracking a suspected Chinese high-altitude surveillance balloon over the continental United States.
According to Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said the Pentagon has been watching the balloon above the northern United States for many days.
Although the balloon's current flight route takes it over "a lot of sensitive areas," according to the official, there is no severe danger of information collection. According to CNN, the balloon's value in intelligence collection is estimated to be limited.
Pentagon Considering Shooting Down Chinese Spy Balloon
According to a second defense official, the United States believes that Chinese spy satellites in low Earth orbit can provide comparable or superior intelligence, limiting the value of any information Beijing may obtain from the three-bus-sized high-altitude balloon.
US national security officials have repeatedly warned of Chinese espionage efforts, and the balloon's presence in the United States coincides with Secretary of State Antony Blinken's upcoming trip to Beijing, a significant trip meant to follow up on President Biden's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping last year.
Per USA Today, the official stated that the Chinese spy balloon was above Montana when the United States contemplated destroying it. The official said it would be shot down if it presented a threat to civil aviation. It is afloat at a height at which these aircraft do not fly.
"The United States government has detected and is currently tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon flying over the continental United States," Air Force Brigadier General Pat Ryder, the Pentagon's press secretary, told reporters.
Ryder stated that the North American Aerospace Defense Command continues to track and monitor it closely. The official stated that the balloon is designed for surveillance purposes. However, it is unlikely to be able to gather more information than spy satellites.
Ryder stated that US officials attempted to prevent the Chinese from collecting sensitive information. "Instances of this type of balloon activity have been detected in the past several years," added Ryder.
Chinse Spy Balloon Suspected Observing US Nuclear Base
After detecting the Chinese spy balloon, the US government took immediate action to prevent collecting sensitive information. The official stated that US officials have protested the incursion of the spy balloon to Chinese authorities and continue to track its path.
The official stated that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman General Mark Milley had been briefed on the balloon. The official noted that this is not the first time Chinese spy balloons have flown over the United States.
The air base contains enough intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) to destroy the planet: 150 Minuteman III ICBMs. It is the most extensive nuclear missile silo complex in the western hemisphere, as per The Telegraph via MSN.
Malmstrom is one of only three high-security bases that house all 400 Minuteman IIIs in the United States arsenal. The 341st Missile Wing, part of the US Air Force's Global Strike Command, operates and maintains the area's nuclear missiles and would ultimately launch them in the event of a nuclear war.
Approximately 3,300 military soldiers and 600 civilians make up the unit. Each of the three missile squadrons is in charge of 50 nuclear missile silos for 150 weapons. Covering nine counties in Montana, a vast area of 13,800 square miles contains numerous underground missile silos.
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