Montana Senator Steve Daines is concerned about the Chinese spy balloon hovering above the United States and hypothesizes that the Chinese government is targeting the nation’s nuclear missile bases.
Thursday, Daines issued a letter to the Secretary of the Department of Defense, Lloyd Austin, as defense authorities acknowledged the giant balloon has been flying over the northern United States for the past few days.
While the Pentagon resisted President Joe Biden’s proposal to shoot it down, Daines requested an urgent security briefing out of concern for the safety of the state’s air force base and intercontinental ballistic missile silos.
Daines stated, ‘It is essential to determine the flight path of this balloon, any compromised U.S. national security assets, and all telecom or IT equipment on the ground in the United States that this spy-balloon was utilizing.’
Senator Steve Daines requests a safety briefing regarding the Chinese spy balloon floating over Montana.
The balloon is visible in the sky over Montana. Defense officials revealed that the enormous balloon has been flying above the United States for several days.
Daines requested that the Department of Defense take the surveillance balloon seriously, particularly because it hovers over Montana.
“By housing nuclear missile silos at Malmstrom AFB, Montana plays a vital role in national security,” said Daines.
Given the rising global antagonism and instability directed towards the United States and its friends, I am disturbed that this surveillance balloon was able to penetrate the airspace of our country and Montana.
In addition, he urged Austin to take initiative for the’safety and security’ of Americans.
Daines continued, “There is no higher priority for your administration than the safety and security of the American people, and it is imperative that your administration reassures the American people of this fact at this time.”
Daines requested that the Defense Department take the surveillance balloon seriously.
U.S. sources told The Wall Street Journal that Biden supported shooting down the high-altitude balloon on Wednesday, after it was noticed and reported by civilians in a commercial airplane.
The Pentagon disagreed with the president and feared human casualties should the three-bus-sized balloon explode in the air.
Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told NBC News that the U.S. government has spotted and is following a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is now over the continental United States.
We continue to actively observe and monitor the situation.
F-22 Raptors were dispatched from Nellis Air Force Base in southern Nevada, although it is believed that they did not interact with the balloon; rather, their activities prompted a ground stop at the airport in Billings, with air traffic controllers citing a’special military mission’
According to sources cited by NBC News, there were concerns regarding the possibility of balloon-launch debris. According to ABC News, it was as large as three buses and included a “technology bay.”
NBC claimed that it was flying above Billings, Montana on Wednesday. Montana is home to fields of intercontinental ballistic missile silos housing Minuteman III.
Joe Biden (left) wanted to fire down what is believed to be a Chinese spy balloon floating over the United States. President Xi Jinping is shown at right.
According to a senior defense official, the U.S. has been monitoring the situation for some time.
They said, “And we’ve had custody of it the entire time it was over U.S. airspace, since it entered continental U.S. airspace a few days ago.”
It is not the first time that surveillance balloons have been observed over the United States, but this particular one has remained longer than usual.
Previously, Chinese spy balloons have been spotted over Hawaii and Guam, officials reported Thursday night.
The balloon’s current flight path passes over “a number of sensitive sites,” according to a CNN source; however, a government official stated that this does not pose a serious intelligence gathering threat.
The six Minuteman Missile wings in the central and northern Great Plains are depicted on this map. The dark portions represent deactivated missile wings, whereas the red areas represent active missile wings.
The Pentagon stated that once the intrusion was discovered, measures were taken to prevent the theft of sensitive material.
“Once the balloon was detected, the U.S. government took immediate action to prevent the collection of sensitive information,” they added, without elaborating on the specific measures taken.
A defense insider stated, “We are aware of precisely where this balloon is and what it is flying over.”
And we are taking measures to increase our vigilance in order to mitigate any foreign intelligence risk.
On Wednesday, the high-altitude balloon was observed over Billings, Montana, having flown in from above the Aleutian Islands, through Canada, and into Montana.
The Pentagon stated that the balloon is still over the United States, but did not specify where.
In an indication of how seriously the incursion was being taken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin convened an emergency conference with his military leaders to discuss the balloon on Wednesday. At the time, he was traveling in the Philippines.
It was just proven that the Chinese government has a surveillance balloon over the United States, which yesterday shut down the airspace over Billings. This is footage of the balloon captured by our reporter Travia outside the @KULR NBC studios. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/uhjVeLk69C
— Bradley Warren (2 February 2023 @bradmwarren)
Wednesday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin assembled his senior advisors and military officials to discuss the spy balloon.
PENTAGON CONFIRMS SPY BALLOON
Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, press spokesman for the Pentagon:
‘The United States Government has spotted and is now following a high altitude surveillance balloon that is currently over the United States’ continental territory.
The United States government, including NORAD, continues to closely observe and monitor it.
The balloon is traveling at a height considerably above commercial air traffic and poses no military or physical threat to persons on the ground.
‘Instances of this type of balloon activity have been documented in the preceding years.
After detecting the balloon, the U.S. authorities took urgent action to prevent the capture of critical information.
NBC claimed that Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Mark Milley, NORTHCOM/NORAD chief General Van Herck, and other combatant commanders were there.
They considered launching it into space, but determined it was too dangerous to recommend.
They opted not to take aggressive action due to the likely debris field’s threat to the safety and security of individuals on the ground.
A defense source added, ‘We must weigh the risks and benefits here.
Therefore, the first concern is whether or whether it poses a physical or kinetic threat to U.S. citizens or the U.S. homeland. Our view is it does not.
Is it a danger to civil aviation? Our view is it does not.
“Does it pose a significantly increased intelligence threat?” Our current best estimate is that it does not.
The recommendation of our military commanders was that the risk of shooting it down was not worth it, notwithstanding the tiny possibility of injury or property damage in a sparsely populated area from falling debris.
NBC said that Biden was presented with the choices by Pentagon chiefs on Wednesday.
The senior defense official stated, “At this time, we assess that this balloon has limited intelligence-gathering value over and above what the PRC can do through other means.”
Nevertheless, we are taking every precaution against the capture of sensitive information by foreign spy agencies.
The authority stated that the balloon’s altitude renders it harmless to conventional aircraft.
The United States is convinced that China launched the balloon, a source told NBC News, and has raised the matter with Beijing.
Complaints were sent to the Chinese government “through multiple channels in both Washington, D.C. and Beijing.”
Uncertain whether China admitted ownership of the balloon.
CNN was told by a source that the United States will have options to deal with the balloon if the risk associated with it changes.
The insider stated, “We have conveyed to [Chinese officials] how seriously we take this issue.”
However, we have made it clear that we will do whatever it takes to safeguard our people and our country.
The audacious action occurs days before Secretary of State Antony Blinken is scheduled to fly to the Chinese capital for high-level negotiations.
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