The US is tracking a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been spotted over American airspace for a couple of days.
The Pentagon decided not to shoot it down due to risks of harm for people on the ground, officials have said. A senior defence official told reporters that the US has “very high confidence” it is a Chinese high-altitude balloon and it was flying over sensitive sites to collect information.
One of the places the balloon was spotted was Montana, which is home to one of the nation’s three nuclear missile silo fields at Malmstrom Air Force Base. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information.
