Pentagon expects suspected Chinese spy balloon will remain over U.S. ‘for a few days’
By Amy B Wang, John Wagner, Mariana Alfaro and Alex Horton
Updated 8 min ago
A suspected Chinese spy balloon flying over the contiguous United States is expected to remain over U.S. airspace “for a few days,” Air Force Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, said Friday. The surveillance balloon was drifting at an altitude of 60,000 feet “somewhere over the center” of the country Friday, and is being tracked but is not considered a threat to anyone on the ground. The balloon had been seen over Montana, home to some of the United States’ nuclear missile silos.
The balloon is about the size of two or three buses, with sensors and other equipment carried underneath, according to a U.S. defense official who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue. It is unclear whether the balloon is following a predetermined path to loiter in certain places or is being controlled directly by Chinese operators.
Here’s what to know
China’s Foreign Ministry released a statement Friday confirming that the balloon originated in China, but said it is a weather balloon that drifted off course.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken postponed a planned trip to China in response to the Pentagon’s discovery of the surveillance aircraft, which he called “an irresponsible act” and a violation of international law by Beijing.
U.S. officials briefly considered shooting the balloon down but decided against it due to the threat of falling debris.
11 min ago
Montana Sen. Jon Tester says defense subcommittee will hold hearing on balloon
By Amy B Wang
Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, said Friday that his panel would hold a hearing about the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that had been spotted above his home state but had since moved eastward across the United States.
“Montanans value their freedom and privacy and I’ll always fight to defend both,” Tester said in a statement. “China’s actions are a clear threat to those values and to America’s national security, and I’m demanding answers from the Biden Administration.”
KEY UPDATE
40 min ago
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By Liz Goodwin
Congress reporter
The Biden administration will brief the so-called Gang of Eight next week about the suspected Chinese spy balloon, according to an aide to Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.). The Gang of Eight is a panel of lawmakers that includes the top Republican and Democratic leadership in the House and Senate plus the heads of each chamber’s intelligence committee.
1 hour ago
By Meaghan Tobin
China correspondent focused on tech and business
Throughout the day on Friday, the phrase “wandering balloon” trended in Chinese on Twitter and Weibo as social media users posted that the Chinese surveillance balloon was the third installment of the hit Chinese science fiction movie ‘The Wandering Earth,' the second of which was just released over the Lunar New Year holiday in January.
1 hour ago
By Amy B Wang
National politics reporter
“The first step is getting the surveillance asset out of our airspace, and that’s what we’re focused on,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday, when asked whether postponing his trip to China was enough of a punishment for the balloon’s intrusion into U.S. airspace.
Blinken said he still planned to go to China “when conditions permit.”
1 hour ago
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By Amy B Wang
National politics reporter
“We’re confident this is a Chinese surveillance balloon,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters Friday.
Blinken said he spoke with a Chinese Communist Party official Friday to make clear that the presence of the balloon in U.S. airspace “is a clear violation of U.S. sovereignty and international law” and an “irresponsible act.”
KEY UPDATE
2 hours ago
Suspected Chinese spy balloon not a threat unless conditions change, official says
By Alex Horton
A U.S. defense official echoed previous Pentagon assessments that the balloon does not pose an imminent threat, but the official laid out conditions where that calculus could change.
The balloon has drifted about 60,000 feet in the air, roughly double the altitude of where commercial aircraft typically fly, reducing chances it could collide with passenger jets. But if it were to linger at altitudes that risked the safety of aircraft and passengers, that may shift the conversation toward a military response, the official said.
2:37 p.m. EST
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By John Hudson
National security reporter focusing on the State Department and diplomacy.
Blinken acknowledged Beijing’s statement of regret regarding the balloon’s movement through U.S. airspace and said he intends to travel to China after the controversy subsides. “He underscored that the United States is committed to diplomatic engagement and maintaining open lines of communication, and that he would be prepared to visit Beijing as soon as conditions allow,” spokesman Ned Price said.
KEY UPDATE
2:32 p.m. EST
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By John Hudson
National security reporter focusing on the State Department and diplomacy.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken told China’s foreign affairs chief that the presence of a “surveillance balloon” in U.S. airspace amounted to an “irresponsible act” and a “clear violation of U.S. sovereignty,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said on Friday.
KEY UPDATE
2:05 p.m. EST
Biden agreed with military’s ‘strong recommendation’ not to shoot down balloon, White House says
By Amy B Wang
President Biden was briefed about the suspected Chinese spy balloon over U.S. airspace Tuesday and asked the military to present options, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Friday.
It was the “strong recommendation” of military officials not to take “kinetic action” — that is, to shoot the balloon down — because of possible risk to civilians on the ground from the resulting debris, she said. Biden agreed.
“President Biden took the … recommendation from the military seriously,” Jean-Pierre said. “Clearly, the president will always put the safety and the security of the American people first. We are tracking [the balloon] closely and keeping all options on the table.”
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