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U.S. Military Monitoring Suspected Chinese Spy Balloon
Breitbart ^ | 2 Feb 2023 | PAUL BOIS

Posted on 02/03/2023 5:05:40 AM PST by Red Badger

The U.S. military is currently monitoring a suspected Chinese spy balloon that has been hovering for several days over the northern United States.

Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement on Thursday that the “high-altitude surveillance balloon” poses no immediate threat to the United States and will be monitored for the time-being.

“The United States Government has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now,” said Ryder, adding:

The U.S. government, including 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 U.S. government acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information.

According to NBC News, the balloon was initially spotted over Billings, Montana, after it had flown over the Aleutian Islands and through Canada. The exact whereabouts of the balloon remains unknown to the public at this time.

“Currently we assess that this balloon has limited additive value from an intelligence collection perspective over and above what the PRC can do through other means,” “Nevertheless we are taking all necessary steps to protect against foreign intelligence collection of sensitive information.”

(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; Government
KEYWORDS: covid23dispenser
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To: Tudorfly
Send up an F15 and when the balloon is over farm or ranch land shoot it down. We have not done this. The reason we have not done this is China owns Joe Biden.
101 posted on 02/03/2023 7:18:08 AM PST by cpdiii (CANE CUTTER-DECKHAND-ROUGHNECK-OILFIELD CONSULTANT-GEOLOGIST-PILOT-PHARMACIST)
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To: Red Badger

Monitoring? Or IS someone being paid under the table to let this balloon continue its merry way? Sorry but I’m at the point where everything reported by the FBI, DOJ, the Pentagon and the majority of swamp demons at the Hill who are so corrupt and sinister that everything that bad happens in this nation races an eyebrow! Color me skeptical but someone is being paid mega, mega, millions to let this spy balloon fly over our nation. Specially over our military bases. Who would benefit from such a thing? Think about it. Just a real quick note, that balloon was released from inside our nation that means our open border invitation by the socialist and the veggie has invited thousands, wrap your mind over, thousands of communist spies from all over the world. Surely this nation is under God’s judgment. There’s no turning back …there’s no turning back.


102 posted on 02/03/2023 7:21:49 AM PST by RoseofTexas
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To: Red Badger

This is a subtle challenge to Biden.
China knows what is on the laptop so don’t you dare
shoot it down.


103 posted on 02/03/2023 7:23:33 AM PST by Doulos1 (Bitter Clinger Forever!)
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To: bert
How can it be shot down at say 100,000 feet altitude?

Operational altitude of an F15 is 65,000 feet. Strip it all external weapons except an air to air missile and it is considerably higher. Take off will full fuel load and get to max altitude and as the fuel is burned off the aircraft can get even higher. Fire your air to air missile, that balloon has a huge radar signature. Return to base and have a beer.

104 posted on 02/03/2023 7:26:52 AM PST by cpdiii (CANE CUTTER-DECKHAND-ROUGHNECK-OILFIELD CONSULTANT-GEOLOGIST-PILOT-PHARMACIST)
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To: RoseofTexas

Oh, just one observation. Who would benefit from this? You’re right China has satellites. Everybody’s got satellites, except one group who continues to call us Satan and that is the middle eastern nations. Especially Iran, Iraq you name it who would benefit from eyes in the air. They don’t have the capability or the pleasure of satellites so this is the best they can do. They’re looking for the right spot to cause chaos and even probably the perfect place to detonate homemade explosive in heavily populated areas or military bases. Don’t doubt this for a minute. Everything is on the table as of today.


105 posted on 02/03/2023 7:27:25 AM PST by RoseofTexas
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To: Red Badger

Haven’t heard all I can yet, but why aren’t we doing something to bring it down?

Maybe it cannot be “shot down” as everyone glibly states, but surely there is a way to take control of this thing? Like fly a chopper to it, or a plane into it, or drones? What about a UAV (a true drone)?


106 posted on 02/03/2023 7:28:37 AM PST by the OlLine Rebel (Common sense is an uncommon virtue./Federal-run medical care is as good as state-run DM)
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To: Red Badger
We should just voluntarily retrieve it.

Once the contents are determined to be non-threatening, we can return it.

To allow this to continue to float across the US unimpeded, without any attempt to find out what it actually in it is plain stupid. Unless, of course, the powers that be are actually complicit in it.

107 posted on 02/03/2023 7:31:12 AM PST by Repealthe17thAmendment
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To: the OlLine Rebel

How about a bullet?........................


108 posted on 02/03/2023 7:31:42 AM PST by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegal aliens are put up in hotels.....................)
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To: nuconvert

The Aleutians are sparse U.S. Territory with a lot of ocean in between. There must be some kind of right of innocent passage (as in the Taiwan Strait). It does not appear to be much of a threat. It may just be a probe to see how we react, or as the Chinese say, an innocent scientific/meteorological balloon gone astray. I would keep my powder dry and watch developments. I worked with a guy who in a prior life as an Air Force officer used to chase U.S. balloons that landed in the U.S. He and a team with a truck would pull up to a farm, get the farmer to sign a release, and cart the balloon off. IIR, the farmer “owned” the balloon, and could make a claim for damages. Generally, he would be happy to have it taken away.

The balloon could be used by the Chinese to chart the jet stream over North America. You never know.


109 posted on 02/03/2023 7:36:08 AM PST by Lonesome in Massachussets (Forsan et haec olim meminisse iuvabit.)
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To: Red Badger

This is a direct provacation that should have been dealt with the minute it hit the Aleutian islands. the fact that this balloon is still in the air is beyond belief much less letting it hover over a missile field in Montana.


110 posted on 02/03/2023 7:42:55 AM PST by Georgia Girl 2 (The only purpose of a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you should never have dropped)
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To: The Free Engineer

“I think Trump would have brought it down”

Trump is calling for it to be shot down. Of course it should be shot down. The whole thing is outrageous!


111 posted on 02/03/2023 7:46:31 AM PST by Georgia Girl 2 (The only purpose of a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you should never have dropped)
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To: A Formerly Proud Canadian

Catch the balloon tie frequency jammer to it confusion ensues.


112 posted on 02/03/2023 8:05:23 AM PST by Vaduz (LAWYERS )
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To: Red Badger

Well… Gee, I’m really glad they’re “monitoring” it.

I hope they’re waving and smiling too… don’t want the commie Dinks to get the idea that we’re unfriendly or anything.

They’re ChiCom Buttboy in the WH is having his pudding cup right now, after all.


113 posted on 02/03/2023 9:02:54 AM PST by NFHale (The Second Amendment - By Any Means Necessary.)
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To: Vaduz

Sounds like a plan.

From what I’ve seem on the internet, GPS co-ordinates in PRC (People’s Republic of China, not Politically Repressive Canaduh), are skewed because of fear of attack. Good to return the favor!


114 posted on 02/03/2023 9:13:59 AM PST by A Formerly Proud Canadian ( Ceterum autem censeo Justinius True-dope-us esse delendam)
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To: A Formerly Proud Canadian

Indeed


115 posted on 02/03/2023 9:16:08 AM PST by Vaduz (LAWYERS )
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To: MikeSteelBe

50K feet max but usually lower than that.

From my book on Linebacker II, the USAF over North Vietnam, 1972 (that I possess but didn’t write); published by Air University Press.


116 posted on 02/03/2023 9:25:35 AM PST by Alas Babylon! (Gov't declaring misinformation is tyranny: “Who determines what false information is?” )
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To: Red Badger

Except again, it may be some heavy item that might do damage. A single bullet - how do you get it in there? Fly by with chopper, sniping out of that?

Surely there must be a reasonable way to retrieve it without much damage in a l sparsely populated area.

I’d think we’d want to get this plummy prize to verify what it is and what it is doing.


117 posted on 02/03/2023 9:42:35 AM PST by the OlLine Rebel (Common sense is an uncommon virtue./Federal-run medical care is as good as state-run DMV.)
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To: EEGator

I’m suggesting they were studying the patterns How the wind flow goes because if they are going to use Certain types of weapons they need To know the exact flow of it see they could put something in Deadwood And if the currents are right would carry it right to Washington DC this is more specific knowledge and just knowing the wind blows from west to east


118 posted on 02/03/2023 9:44:28 AM PST by rottweiller_inc (inter canem et lupum)
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To: EEGator

Imagine AI taking in data of the flow of the winds in north America And making up war Scenarios for dispersion of weapons.


119 posted on 02/03/2023 9:46:38 AM PST by rottweiller_inc (inter canem et lupum)
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To: RoseofTexas

How do you know it’s a “spy balloon” and not a weapon?


120 posted on 02/03/2023 9:50:04 AM PST by Jim Noble (You have sat too long for any good you have been doing)
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