The Chinese government has deployed a spy balloon floating over the northern part of the country for days, Pentagon officials announced Thursday.

A top Pentagon official said they have “very high confidence” that the balloon belongs to the People’s Republic of China and has been flying over sensitive missile sites in Montana collecting information since Monday.

The official said they area under surveillance is home to one of the US’ three nuclear missile silo fields at Malmstrom Air Force Base.

U.S. fighter jets — including F-22s — were deployed to shoot the balloon down at President Biden’s direction and he was presented with options after which he proposed that the balloon be shot down, but the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Mark A. Milley and Air Force Gen. Glen D. VanHerck, commander of U.S. Northern Command and the North American Aerospace Defense Command, both recommended against it out of safety concerns for civilians on the ground.