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Pentagon tried but failed to shoot down Chinese balloon over Montana's Beartooth Mountains

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Pentagon tried but failed to shoot down Chinese balloon over Montana's Beartooth Mountains

LARRY MAYER and CHRIS JORGENSEN, Billings Gazette
Feb 16, 2023
Feb 16, 2023 Updated Mar 23, 2023
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6 min to read

After Billings Gazette photos published Feb. 1 forced President Joe Biden to acknowledge the Chinese spy balloon drifting over Montana, he said that he had earlier ordered it shot down.

Video shot by Chase Doak of Chinese spy satellite hovering over Billings Wednesday

A huge, high-altitude Chinese balloon is sailing across the U.S. The spectacle is drawing severe Pentagon accusations of spying on Friday — while sending excited or alarmed Americans outside with binoculars. Secretary of State Antony Blinken abruptly canceled a high-stakes Beijing trip aimed at easing U.S.-China tensions, and the Biden administration weighed a broader response to the discovery of the Chinese balloon over sensitive sites in the western United States. Associated Press reporter Matthew Lee says China has apologized for the balloon making its way into U.S. territory, but despite that, the Biden administration responded by postponing Secretary Blinken's visit. "That, however, was not enough to change the administration's mind that this is still a blatant violation of U.S. airspace, of U.S. sovereignty, and of international law, and that it had to be met with some kind of a response. And so, the postponement of this trip is the response that we're seeing, and it's not clear at all when it might be rescheduled," Lee said. The development marked a new blow to already strained U.S.-Chinese relations that have been in a downward spiral for years over numerous issues. Still, U.S. officials maintained that diplomatic channels remain open and that Blinken was willing to travel to China at "an appropriate time."

Gen VanHerck.JPG — Gen. Glenn VanHerck

Airspace closure — What appears to be a high altitude balloon hovers almost stationary over Billings after the airspace was closed last week. It was later confirmed by the U.S. military that the object was a Chinese spy balloon.
LARRY MAYER, BILLINGS GAZETTE

U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday said "we did the right thing" following fresh criticism by China following the shooting down of its balloon. China said Tuesday it will “resolutely safeguard its legitimate rights and interests” over the shooting down of a suspected Chinese spy balloon by the United States, as relations between the two countries deteriorate further. The balloon prompted U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel a highly-anticipated visit to Beijing this week that had offered slight hopes for an improvement in relations. China claims it was a civilian balloon used for meteorological research but has refused to say to which government department or company it belongs. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning on Tuesday reiterated that the “unmanned airship” posed no threat and entered U.S. airspace accidentally. Mao again criticized the U.S. for overreacting rather than adopting a “calm, professional" manner, and for using force in bringing the balloon down Saturday in the Atlantic Ocean just off the U.S. coast. Asked if China wanted the debris returned, she only reasserted that the balloon “belongs to China." President Biden, on Monday said that he wanted to have the balloon shot down "as soon as it was appropriate," and that the U.S. Defense Department" concluded we should not shoot it down over land, it was not a serious threat. And we should wait till it got across the water."

Sen. Mike Lee — Sen. Mike Lee tweet mentioning Gazette photographer Larry Mayer.
Chris Jorgensen