Pentagon says a suspected Chinese spy balloon has been spotted over the Western U.S.

According to authorities, the Pentagon has decided against shooting down a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been observed over American airspace for a few days. This decision was made because of the potential danger to civilians on the ground. According to a senior defence official, the United States has "extremely high confidence" that the object was a Chinese high-altitude balloon that was flying over key locations to gather intelligence. One of the states where the balloon was noticed was Montana, which is home to Malmstrom Air Force Base, one of the country's three nuclear missile silo fields. To discuss sensitive information, the official spoke on the condition of anonymity. Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder issued a succinct statement.on the subject, stating that the administration is still keeping an eye on the balloon. It does not pose a military or physical threat to persons on the ground, he added, since it is "currently travelling at an altitude much above commercial aviation traffic." He claimed that recent years had seen comparable balloon activity. He continued by saying that the US takes precautions to prevent the collection of sensitive data. According to the defence source, the U.S. has "engaged" Chinese authorities via a number of channels and conveyed the gravity of the situation. Days before Secretary of State Antony Blinken is anticipated to visit China, the Pentagon made its statement. His trip plans, which the State Department has not publicly disclosed, may be impacted by this, although it is unclear how. In a series of actions designed to challenge Beijing and reassure Indo-Pacific allies that America will stand with them against threats from China and North Korea, the United States has increased its military presence in Asia. According to the senior defence official, the United States has fighter planes, including F-22s, ready to shoot down the balloon if the White House so directs. The balloon was above a sparsely populated region of Montana, but the Pentagon finally advised against it because of the huge debris field it would have created, which may have put people at risk. The official declined to say how big the balloon was but said that, despite its great height, commercial aircraft could see it. What did the official say?They were worried about this launch because of the height the balloon was flying at and how long it stayed above a place without giving any details.