Questions about destroying a Chinese balloon flying over the Northwest United States was directly addressed Saturday by President Joe Biden.
President Biden said the U.S. is “going to take care of” the Chinese balloon suspected of spying on the U.S., according to a report from NBC News.
Biden’s remark was his response to a question about whether the U.S. would shoot down the high-altitude balloon for days. The balloon’s flight over the country is “a clear violation of our sovereignty as well as international law, and it is unacceptable,” said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre Friday.
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The balloon launched from the People’s Republic of China is flying 60,000 feet above Earth. It was first spotted Thursday over Montana, flying above the cruising altitude at which most U.S. airlines or military aircraft travel.
The Chinese balloon was reported above Charlotte, North Carolina, around 10:30 a.m. ET Saturday, according to a Fox News report.
Military leaders reportedly proposed shooting down the high-altitude surveillance balloon because of concerns about national security. The president reportedly rejected that option because of the risk of falling debris, officials said. The balloon reportedly measures the length of several buses. Objects with that much mass falling almost 12 miles from the sky would impart a tremendous amount of kinetic energy upon impact.
The updated location was revealed by Defense Department spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder Friday, according to the Fox report. Ryder noted the balloon “changed its course” and headed to the central part of the U.S.
During a Friday press briefing aboard Air Force One, a reporter asked if the military would try to capture the balloon while it was still in U.S. airspace.
Jean-Pierre replied the military was continuously monitoring the balloon’s flight and actions.
“We’re not going to give any more specifics than that,” the president’s spokeswoman added. “But it is something that the Pentagon is — is keeping a close eye on. And I’m just not going to get ahead of — of the flight path or the pattern or anything like that. I’ll just leave it to the Department of Defense.”
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