The Pentagon has spotted what it believes to be a surveillance balloon in the northern US and is monitoring it closely, though the White House has advised not to take military action to shoot it down. The balloon, which senior officials say belongs to China, was first spotted on Wednesday.
Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder announced on Thursday that the US government “has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now,” and is watching it closely. The balloon was last confirmed sighted in the skies above Billings, Montana, but its current location has not been disclosed.
In a Wednesday meeting commanded by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, top military officials discussed how to respond to the balloon and briefed the White House on its location, assuring that it posed no threat to aircraft due to its high elevation. The military is still considering the option of shooting it down.