US military tracking mysterious balloon over Hawaii

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The US military is tracking another anonymous balloon over the United States, but the origin or its exact nature is not entirely known, NBC News has reported.

Three US officials told the news network that the object flew across portions of Hawaii but not over any sensitive areas. The US military began tracking the balloon last week and determined it posed no threat to aerial traffic or national security.

The object is reportedly moving toward Mexico, according to the officials. It’s not clear whether the object is a weather balloon or something else, but the officials added the United States could shoot down the balloon if it comes near land.

The officials told NBC News it does not appear to belong to China, but the United States is still working to identify the owner.

The news comes months after a series of flying objects, including a Chinese spy balloon, appeared over the United States. The US shot down the spy balloon off the coast of the Carolinas. US officials have said that China has long operated an aerial balloon programme since 2017 as a means of surveillance, to test US government response or both.

Officials have said that the device was able to gather intelligence from sensitive military sites.

In response to the proliferation of flying objects, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer tasked Montana Senator Jon Tester with leading Democrats’ efforts to learn more about the presence of flying objects.

Republicans have criticised the Biden administration for allowing China to fly a surveillance balloon in US airspace. But US officials have said that Chinese spy balloons entered US skies three times during former president Donald Trump’s tenure in the White House.

President Biden for his part said that the spy balloon was “not a major breach” in security.

-Alex Woodward and Io Dodds contributed reporting.