Former Defense Secretary Suggests US Should Respond to China’s ‘Brazen Act’ and Bring Down Balloon

The news that a suspected Chinese spy balloon is hovering over the continental U.S. has sparked a conversation about how to respond.

Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper appeared on CNN’s “This Morning” Friday and discussed the stunning development amid heightened tensions between the two countries.

When asked if he agreed with the decision not to shoot the balloon down, Esper said, “First of all, I’m surprised by all this. I think it’s a brazen act by the Chinese to do this.”

“We were just talking about whether or not it has more or less intelligence value than what they currently have. I don’t think we know,” he continued. “And so my interest would be not necessarily shooting it down but bringing it down so we can capture the equipment and understand exactly what they’re doing. Are they taking pictures? Are they intercepting signals? What are they doing, and what is the level of technical capability?”

He added, “Now, failing that, I would definitely shoot it down, provided that there’s no risk to people on the ground.”

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Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder revealed on Thursday, “The United States government has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now.”

“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. Instances of this kind of balloon activity have been observed previously over the past several years,” he added. “Once the balloon was detected, the U.S. government acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information.”

The balloon was hovering over Montana this week and Pentagon officials considered