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Chinese spy balloons stalk highly sensitive United States nuclear weapons sites. The Pentagon sent fighter jets to track them down. Photo/Chase Doak via NDTV
WASHINGTON – The Pentagon said spy balloon China which flies high above the land United States of America (USA) seen lurking on highly sensitive nuclear weapons sites. The US military has sent fighter jets to track the balloon.
A senior US military defense official considered shooting the balloon down at the request of President Joe Biden, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and top military officials. However, this measure was not carried out because it would endanger too many people on land.
The official said the spy balloon flew over the northwestern US where there are sensitive airbases and strategic missile silos in the underground.
Also read: Splashy, Chinese spy balloons are currently flying over the US
“Clearly, the intent of this balloon is surveillance, and its current flight path takes it to a number of sensitive sites,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
But the Pentagon doesn’t believe it constitutes a particularly dangerous intelligence threat.
“We assess this balloon as having limited additive value from an intelligence gathering point of view,” the official said.
“The balloon entered US airspace a few days ago,” he said, adding that US intelligence had tracked it long before that.
After Biden asked what the options for dealing with him were, on Wednesday Austin who was in the Philippines held discussions with top Pentagon officials.
The US military then sent fighter jets to inspect the balloon.
