The US Department of Defense is monitoring the movements of a Chinese spy balloon flying high over US soil, a Pentagon source said on Thursday.
At the request of US President Joe Biden, the Pentagon considered shooting down this balloon, but decided against it due to the potential risks the wreckage poses to those on the ground, a senior US defense official said. , who spoke under the condition. of anonymity
“We are taking measures to protect ourselves from the collection of sensitive information,” he stressed, insisting on the “limited added value in terms of information collection” of the device described as a very large soccer ball.
“We consider that it was large enough for the debris to cause damage” if it is shot down in a populated area, said the same source, quoted by Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said the US-Canadian Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) was monitoring the balloon’s movements, but that it “posed no military or physical risk to people in land”.
“Clearly, this balloon is intended for surveillance and its current trajectory takes it to sensitive locations,” including nuclear silos, added the Pentagon spokesman, referring to the western US state of Montana.
The balloon entered US airspace “several days ago” but US intelligence has been tracking it since long before, Pat Ryder stressed, adding that it is not the first time the US military has noticed such an intrusion.
The incident comes ahead of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to China on Sunday, the first trip by a US foreign minister to the Asian rival since 2018.
A Pentagon source noted that following the detection of the balloon, they have been in contact with Chinese officials through various channels, such as the respective Chinese and US embassies in Washington and Beijing.
“We convey to you the seriousness with which we take this matter,” he stressed, adding that the US “will do whatever it takes to protect its people and its territory.”
Source: TSF
