Washington had been tracking a balloon since it entered United States airspace a couple of days ago, including by observing it with manned US military aircraft and was ready to shoot it down if orders came through from the White House.
The balloon was detected over Montana, which is home to one of the US's three nuclear missile silo fields at Malmstrom Air Force Base.abc.net.au/news/china-spy-balloon-seen-over-us/101926096The Pentagon has been tracking a suspected Chinese spy balloon that has been flying over the United States but has decided it is too risky to shoot it down.
Senior US military leaders considered shooting down the spy balloon over Montana, which is home to one of the nation's three nuclear missile silo fields at Malmstrom Air Force Base, but eventually recommended against it because of the potential safety risk from debris. The official would not specify the size of the balloon, but said it was large enough that, despite its high altitude, commercial pilots could see it.
The spy-movie-like intelligence-collection method highlighted the lengths to which Beijing and Washington are willing to go to spy on each other amid increased tensions.Brigadier General Patrick Ryder says similar activity has been detected during the past few years.
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