FIRST ON FOX: Montana’s Republican Senator Steve Daines despatched a letter to the Department of Defense (DOD) not easy solutions at the suspected Chinese secret agent balloon noticed above his state.
Daines despatched a overdue letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Thursday amid stories of the suspected surveillance balloon over U.S. airspace.
The Montana Republican referred to as the high-altitude Chinese balloon a “concerning event” and advised Austin that the “fact that this balloon was occupying Montana airspace creates significant concern that Malmstrom Air Force Base (AFB) and the United State’s intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) fields are the targets of this intelligence gathering mission.”
US GOVERNMENT MONITORING SUSPECTED CHINESE SPY BALLOON OVER NORTHERN STATES
Daines wrote that given “the serious nature of the event,” he’s “requesting a full security briefing from the administration on this situation.”
“It is vital to establish the flight path of this balloon, any compromised U.S. national security assets, and all telecom or IT infrastructure on the ground within the U.S. that this spy balloon was utilizing,” the letter reads.
“As you know, Montana plays a vital national security role by housing nuclear missile silos at Malmstrom AFB,” the senator endured.
“Given the increased hostility and destabilization around the globe aimed at the United States and our allies, I am alarmed by the fact that this spy balloon was able to infiltrate the airspace of our country and Montana,” he added.
Daines advised Austin that there “is no higher priority for your administration than the safety and security of the American people and it is imperative that your administration reassure them of that fact at this time.”
The Pentagon didn’t in an instant reply to Fox News Digital’s after-hours request for remark.
A spokesperson for Democratic Montana Sen. Jon Tester advised Fox News Digital that he “is monitoring this situation closely and will continue to receive updates from DOD.”
“It’s unacceptable to allow communist China to invade our airspace — this is another clear example of Chinese aggression,” GOP Montana Rep. Matt Rosendale advised Fox News Digital. “President Biden must start putting the American people first and recognize that China is a threat to our freedom, values, and way of life.”
Daines’ letter comes because the U.S. executive observe a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been shifting over northern states during the last a number of days.
Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder stated all through a briefing on Thursday afternoon that the U.S. executive has detected a excessive altitude surveillance balloon over the continental United States.
“The United States government has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now. The U.S. government to include Norad, continues to track and monitor it closely. The balloon is currently traveling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground. Instances of this kind of balloon activity have been observed previously over the past several years. Once the balloon was detected, the US government acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information,” Ryder stated.
A senior protection professional stated that the U.S. executive is “confident” that the surveillance balloon belongs to the People’s Republic of China.
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The protection professional stated that the balloon used to be just lately over Montana, and stated that officers have been taking into account bringing the aircraft down with army belongings, however made up our minds in opposition to doing so on account of the dangers related.
“You did see reports yesterday of a ground stop at Billings Airport and the mobilization of a number of assets, including F-22. The context for that was that we put some things on station in the event that a decision was made to bring this down while it was over Montana. So we wanted to make sure we were coordinating with civil authorities to empty out the airspace around that potential area. But even with those protective measures taken, it was the judgment of our military commanders that we didn’t drive the risk down low enough. So we didn’t take the shot,” the professional stated.
Fox News Digital’s Adam Sabes and Liz Friden contributed reporting.