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| Pentagon on Chinese Spy Balloon |
Pentagon Detects 2 Chinese Spy Balloon Over Montana
The Pentagon reported that 2 Chinese-origin surveillance balloon was detected hovering over Montana and recently over Latin America . The balloons had travelled from China to the Aleutian Islands in Alaska, through northwest Canada, before finally arriving in Montana. Canada's Department of National Defense confirmed that the balloon's movements were being tracked and that the country's intelligence agencies were working with the US to protect sensitive information. However, they did not provide further details on the balloon's location, destination or potential second incident. The reason for China's interest in Montana is unclear, but it is home to one of the three US Air Force bases that operates intercontinental ballistic missiles. The Pentagon sent F-22 fighter jets to track the balloon, causing temporary grounding of flights at the Billings airport. The balloon was not shot down, and Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III called a meeting with senior military and defense officials to discuss the situation.
Where as Chinese claimed that both balloons were used for whether study.