The Department of Defense announced on Thursday they have been monitoring a suspected Chinese spy balloon floating over the state of Montana for over two days.
Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told NBC News, “The United States government has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now.”
Ryder went on to say once the US Government was notified about the floating balloon they immediately started to notify officials in Montana to protect sensitive information.
Flights were temporarily grounded on Wednesday after many noticed the UFO.
The balloon is the size of three school buses!
NBC News reported Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Miley, and other commanders reviewed the threat of the “Chinese stratospheric balloon” and presented several options to Joe Biden.
After evaluating the threat, the U.S. Military along with the White House opted not to shoot down the balloon. Debris from the floating device could possibly injure a civilian.
A video from a local resident captured of the suspected device.
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As of now the U.S. military will continue to track the surveillance balloon and conduct all the necessary steps to prevent any sensitive data from being intercepted by the spy device.