The US military recently took an unprecedented action against a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that had been spotted in the skies over Montana earlier this week. On Saturday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed that President Joe Biden had approved the downing of the balloon, which was shot down by US fighter jets over the Atlantic Ocean off the Eastern Seaboard of the United States.
The balloon was shot down after the Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop for airports in Wilmington, North Carolina, and Charleston and Myrtle Beach in South Carolina. The FAA also restricted airspace near Myrtle Beach “to support the Defense Department in a national security effort.”
The discovery of the balloon prompted US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to postpone his diplomatic visit to China this week, saying the incident had “created the conditions that undermine the purpose of the trip.” Top military officials had advised against shooting down the balloon while over the continental US because of the risk the debris could pose to civilians and property on the ground, but officials had maintained that all options remained on the table.
Austin said Biden gave his authorization “as soon as the mission could be accomplished without undue risk to American lives under the balloon’s path.” Recovery efforts began shortly after the balloon was downed, the same official added.
Prior to the balloon being shot down, Biden had told reporters in Syracuse, New York, that his administration was “gonna take care” of the suspected Chinese spy balloon when asked by CNN if the US would shoot it down. He had been discussing options with top military officials since first being briefed on the balloon on Tuesday.
China’s Foreign Ministry has said the balloon entered US airspace by accident. But the State Department has said the presence of the balloon in US airspace was “a clear violation of our sovereignty as well as international law, and it is unacceptable that this has occurred.”
This week, the US took an unprecedented step in response to the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon spotted in the skies over Montana. President Joe Biden authorized the US military to shoot down the balloon over the Atlantic Ocean off the Eastern Seaboard of the United States. The balloon was shot down after the Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop for airports in Wilmington, North Carolina, and Charleston and Myrtle Beach in South Carolina. The FAA also restricted airspace near Myrtle Beach “to support the Defense Department in a national security effort.”
The balloon was shot down after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken postponed his diplomatic visit to China, saying the incident had “created the conditions that undermine the purpose of the trip.” Top military officials had advised against shooting down the balloon while over the continental US because of the risk the debris could pose to civilians and property on the ground, but officials had maintained that all options remained on the table.
The balloon was shot down after President Biden discussed options with top military officials since first being briefed on the balloon on Tuesday. China’s Foreign Ministry has said the balloon entered US airspace by accident. But the State Department has said the presence of the balloon in US airspace was “a clear violation of our sovereignty as well as international law, and it is unacceptable that this has occurred.”
The US military successfully shot down the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon over the Atlantic Ocean off the Eastern Seaboard of the United States, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed Saturday. Recovery efforts began shortly after the balloon was downed, the same official added. This was an unprecedented action taken by the US military and one that is sure to have far-reaching implications for US-China relations.
Source: www.cnn.com