Pentagon confirms suspected spy balloon over the U.S. 'right now'

Feb. 2 (UPI) -- The Pentagon confirmed Thursday that the military has been tracking a high-altitude spy balloon over the United States.

"The United States Government has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now," Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement.

Ryder said that the U.S. government, including North American Aerospace Defense Command, continues to track and monitor the balloon, which is presumed to be from China.

"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," Ryder said in the statement.

"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."

A senior defense official said during a press briefing the Pentagon is "confident" that the surveillance balloon belongs to China and that President Joe Biden was briefed and asked for military options in handling the intrusion.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin convened top Defense Department leadership while in the Philippines to address the situation, the senior defense official said.

Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and other top leaders recommended not to take "kinetic action" to shoot down the balloon "due to the risk to safety and security of the people on the ground," the official said.

The balloon was first spotted over Billings, Montana, on Wednesday, after it passed over the Aleutian Islands and Canada before entering the airspace above Montana.

"Currently we assess that this balloon has limited additive value from an intelligence collection perspective," the defense official said.

"But we are taking steps, nevertheless, to protect against foreign intelligence collection of sensitive information. We are also tracking what abilities it could have in gaining insights, and continue to monitor the balloon as it is over the continental United States."

The official told NBC News that NORAD had sent F-22 Raptors from Nellis Air Force Base in response to the balloon on Wednesday.