The Chinese balloon spotted over Montana is expected to remain over the United States for “a few more days,” Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said Friday.
“We’ll continue to monitor it. Right now, we assess that it will probably be over the U.S. for a few more days, but we’ll continue to monitor, review our options,” Ryder stated at a press conference.
Ryder also told the concerned American public that it can simply “look up in the sky and see where the balloon is” when pressed about the location of the balloon.
PENTAGON: CCP spy balloon “will probably be over the United States for a few days”
The Biden Administration’s official position on China now is that “minor incursions” on US airspace are ok and will be tolerated.
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) February 3, 2023
The balloon from Beijing posed security concerns as it traveled over Montana, where U.S. Minuteman III nuclear missiles are stored, on Wednesday. Its flight path is expected to hit “a number of sensitive sites,” according to Ryder. He further claimed the reconnaissance balloon was at the center of the continental United States at around noon.
Although the Pentagon press secretary said the Department of Defence (DoD) has witnessed similar balloon-related experiences in the past years, Trump-era Defense Secretary Mark Esper told CNN that there was no point in his time in office where “the Chinese had a surveillance balloon above the United States.” (RELATED:Trump Responds To Pentagon Identifying Suspected Chinese Surveillance Balloon Flying Over US)
Several figures have advocated for more forceful measures against the ballon, with Republican Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke calling to shoot it down.
“We should have shot it down. It’s embarrassing. Because the U.S. faces clear and present danger with the Chinese and we can’t shoot down a balloon over rural Montana?” the former Navy Seal told the Caller.