China Sends Spy Balloon Over U.S., Biden Admin Doesn’t Shoot It Down

I do have one question that hasn’t been addressed in any of the stories: just when did the U.S. military notice the balloon?

U.S. Military Monitoring Suspected Chinese Spy Balloon

The U.S. military is currently monitoring a suspected Chinese spy balloon that has been hovering for several days over the northern United States.

Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement on Thursday that the “high-altitude surveillance balloon” poses no immediate threat to the United States and will be monitored for the time-being.

“The United States Government has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now,” said Ryder, adding:

The U.S. government, including NORAD, continues to track and monitor it closely. The balloon is currently traveling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground. Instances of this kind of balloon activity have been observed previously over the past several years. Once the balloon was detected, the U.S. government acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information.

According to NBC News, the balloon was initially spotted over Billings, Montana, after it had flown over the Aleutian Islands and through Canada. The exact whereabouts of the balloon remains unknown to the public at this time.

Billings, Montana was the first time? It apparently, they think, floated down over Alaska then Canada, and none of our military assets, all our radars and such, noticed it? That does not provide confidence in the military’s ability to detect anything else, like, say, ICMBs, coming towards the U.S.

The leaders reviewed the threat profile of the Chinese stratospheric balloon and possible response options, and ultimately decided not to recommend taking it out kinetically, because of the risk to safety and security of people on the ground from the possible debris field. Pentagon leaders presented the options to President Joe Biden on Wednesday.

President Biden was reportedly briefed on the matter and advised not to order the balloon be shot down.

There are no dumb questions, right? What is the balloon made of that if it were shot down it could pose such a risk? Wondering when we could consider that collateral damage “worth it”?

What’s the point of China using it if it can’t bring much “additive value”?

— Waiting4theTrumpet (@Waiting4Trumpet) February 2, 2023

It’s not like there’s much out there in Montana. The population density is 7 people per square mile, and most are in towns. Not shooting it down shows weakness.

(Fox News) China has announced its government is looking into reports that a suspected Chinese spy balloon was discovered flying in U.S. airspace over Montana.

“China is a responsible country and has always strictly abided by international laws, and China has no intention to violate the territory and airspace of any sovereign countries,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning during a daily briefing on Friday.

She also urged U.S. officials and Chinese authorities to proceed “calmly and carefully” amid the investigation.

Yes, stay calm, just let the spy balloon fly over the U.S., capture its data, and fly away. Just like when the Soviets were able to get a lock on the U-2 flown by Gary Powers. Oh, right. That’s the game. If it gets noticed, it gets shot down. Biden’s weakness will further embolden China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, etc.

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