The Pentagon reported Thursday it was tracking a surveillance balloon flying high over the northern United States.

Pentagon Press Secretary Brigadier General Pat Ryder said this at a briefing.

According to the US military, this aircraft belongs to China.

The military declined to say how long they had been tracking the balloon’s flight, but noted that its flight path passed over a number of important sites.

“The United States government has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now. The U.S. government, to include 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,” Pat Ryder said at a February 2 briefing.

Not gonna lie. First, I thought this was a #ufo. Then, I thought it was @elonmusk in a Wizard of Oz cosplay scenario. But it was just a run-of-the mill Chinese spy balloon! pic.twitter.com/cBV7goF6Sv

— Chase Doak (@ckdoak) February 2, 2023

He also added that instances of this kind of balloon activity have been observed previously over the past several years.

It is noted that after the discovery of the balloon over the United States, the U.S. government acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information.

President Joe Biden was briefed about this situation.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and senior military officials were considering shooting down this balloon over sparsely populated areas in Montana.

However, they decided against it due to the risk to safety and security of people on the ground from the possible debris field.

The United States has contacted the Chinese side about the situation through diplomatic channels. The American diplomats have interacted both with the Chinese Embassy in Washington and the American one in Beijing.