Suspected Chinese spy balloon spotted in American skies

The U.S. military has been monitoring a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been hovering over the northern U.S. for the past few days, and military and defense leaders have discussed shooting it out of the sky, according to two U.S. officials and a senior defense official.“The United States government has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now,” Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told NBC News. “We continue to track and monitor it closely.” The balloon entered US airspace "a couple days ago," the official added. Fighter jets examined the balloon while it was above Montana as discussions took place between top military officials.

The high-altitude balloon was spotted over Billings, Montana, on Wednesday. It flew over the Aleutian Islands, through Canada, and into Montana. A senior defense official said the balloon is still over the U.S. but declined to say where it is now. President Joe Biden did not respond to a question from reporters about the balloon on Thursday afternoon at the White House.Defense Department officials said late Thursday that the decision not to shoot down the balloon was made because of concerns that debris could injure Americans on the ground or destroy property. The balloon is designed for surveillance, the official said. However, it likely is unable to collect more information than is available to spy satellites. It is not the first time Chinese spy balloons have flown over the United States, the official said.