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The US is monitoring a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been spotted in North American skies this week.
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Pentagon officials told a briefing that they suspected the high-altitude surveillance balloon was from China.
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US military chiefs have decided not to fly the alleged spy plane out of the sky for the time being, citing security concerns.
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The defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the US government has prepared fighter jets, including the F-22, in case the White House orders officials to shoot down the balloon.
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The object was spotted on Wednesday over Montana, a sparsely populated western US state that is home to a nuclear missile base.
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Military commanders advised dynamic action against the balloons because of the danger of falling debris to the ground.
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There was also no danger to civil aviation as the balloon was well above the altitude used by commercial airlines.
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The Chinese embassy in Washington DC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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