China Tests U.S. President Biden as Spy Balloon Flies over the Continental U.S.
Posted on 02/03/2023
The Pentagon disclosed on February 3, 2022, that a massive Chinese spy balloon is currently over the center of the continental United States and is expected to continue floating over the U.S. for a “few days.” The balloon was assessed to be at about 60,000 feet and “well above the range of civilian air traffic or where civilian air traffic would normally fly” and was not a “physical” or “military” threat at the moment. The surveillance balloon was first seen by people in Montana on February 1, 2023. The balloon flew over Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, through Canada, and into Montana.
“Right now we assess that it’ll probably be over the United States for a few days. But we’ll continue to monitor, review our options, and keep you updated as we can,” Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. General Pat Ryder said at a briefing.
Ryder refused to disclose exactly where it was. Ryder said the balloon had a “payload” under it, but reiterated that the balloon was for “surveillance” and not a threat.
“What we’re not going to do is get into a hour by hour location of the balloon. Again, we’re monitoring it closely. As I mentioned, right now, it’s over the center of the continental United States. That’s about as specific as I’m going to get,” he said.
He added, however, “The public certainly has the ability to look up in the sky and and see where the balloon is.”
“Once the balloon was detected, the U.S. government acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information,” Ryder said.
China’s Response
The Chinese government claims it is a weather balloon that had veered off course.