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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Air Force is expanding its study of whether service members who worked with nuclear missiles have had unusually high rates of cancer after a preliminary review determined that a deeper examination is needed. In response, medical teams went out to each nuclear missile base to conduct thousands of tests of the air, water, soil and surface areas inside and around each of its three nuclear missile bases; Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana, Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota and F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming. For years the missileers were told in multiple Air Force reviews that there was not cause for concern. While the Air Force review is looking at a broader set of cancers, the number of self-reported NHL cases is striking because the community of missile launch officers is very small.

Persons: We’ve, Keith Beam, missileers, ”, Tory Woodard, ” Woodard, “, Barry Little, We’re Organizations: WASHINGTON, Air Force, Malmstrom Air Force Base, Minot Air Force Base, Warren Air Force Base, Environmental Protection Agency, U.S . Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine, DOD, Veterans Affairs, The Air Force, Torchlight, NHL, National Cancer Institute, Torchlight Initiative, Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, 341st Missile Locations: Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming, Iraq, Afghanistan

“When you think about a wind turbine, and even fields of wind turbines, they’ll stretch for miles,” said Staff Sgt. Chase Rose, a UH-1 Huey flight engineer at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana. The legislation has the support of wind energy advocates, but they caution against a one-size-fits-all approach. The Air Force continues to “support renewable energy efforts to include wind turbines, and we continue to work with energy industry partners to ensure the country’s green energy needs are met,” said Air Force Maj. Victoria Hight, a spokeswoman for F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming.

Persons: ”, Chase Rose, Jason Ryan, ” Jo Dee Black, ” Black, John Lutton, Victoria Hight Organizations: WASHINGTON, UH, Malmstrom Air Force Base, Air Force, American Clean Power Association, Department of Defense, Energy, Air Force Base, U.S . Air Force, of, ” Air Force, Colorado Rockies, F.E, Warren Air Force Base Locations: Montana, U.S, Nebraska , Colorado , North Dakota , Montana and Wyoming, Wyoming

☆ US Air Force finds unsafe levels of possible cancer-causing chemicals in nuclear missile launch control centers
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The US Air Force said it found unsafe levels of possible cancer-causing chemicals at a Montana base. It found the chemicals in nuclear missile launch control centers at Malmstrom Air Force Base. A team of experts that carried out testing at Malmstrom Air Force Base in June discovered levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) that were above federally recommended thresholds in two facilities at the site, Air Force Global Strike Command said in a statement on Monday. "Of the swipes, 279 returned non-detectable results," the Air Force said. None of the air samples of the launch control centers and launch control support building revealed any detectable levels for PCBs.

Persons: Thomas Bussiere, Jackson Ligon, Jonathan Marinaccio, Daniel Brosam, F.E, — Organizations: US Air Force, Malmstrom Air Force Base, Service, Air Force Global Strike Command, Environmental Protection Agency, Air Force, Twentieth Air Force, Guardians, U.S . Air Force, 341st Missile, Air Force Base, AP, The Air Force, III Locations: Montana, Wall, Silicon, Great Falls, Mont, Wyoming, North Dakota, Warren, Minot, Malmstrom

☆ Chinese spy balloon gathered intelligence from sensitive U.S. military sites, despite U.S. efforts to block it
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Courtney Kube | Carol E. Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The Chinese spy balloon that flew across the U.S. was able to gather intelligence from several sensitive American military sites, despite the Biden administration's efforts to block it from doing so, according to two current senior U.S. officials and one former senior administration official. The intelligence China collected was mostly from electronic signals, which can be picked up from weapons systems or include communications from base personnel, rather than images, the officials said. Officials have not said which company, department or organization the balloon belonged to, despite several requests for comment by NBC News. After the balloon was shot down in February, Biden administration officials said it was capable of collecting signals intelligence. The balloon first entered U.S. airspace over Alaska on Jan. 28, according to the Biden administration, which said it was tracking it as it moved.

The United States operates a military base and nuclear missile silos in Montana, a state bordering Idaho. Military officials developed a plan to shoot down the balloon on Wednesday as it flew over Montana. BALLOON MANEUVERSThe U.S. government has declined to say which sites the Chinese balloon surveyed. On Friday, the Pentagon said it expected the balloon to keep flying over the United States for several more days. "That will make it fairly easy, actually," a military official said of the recovery operation in the Atlantic.

☆ Republicans are blaming Biden for letting a suspected Chinese spy balloon cross into the US. It happened 3 times during the Trump administration, officials say.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Republicans are criticizing the Biden administration's response to the Chinese spy balloon. "Would Trump have let China fly a spy balloon over our country?" Chinese spy balloons were sighted three times during the Trump administration, US officials said. The CCP [Chinese Communist Party] can send spy balloons over our nuclear silos and we will do nothing." It's unclear what information the suspected Chinese spy balloon could have gleaned from its various positions.

☆ A second 'Chinese surveillance balloon' has been spotted over Latin America, according to Pentagon officials
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Pentagon officials on Thursday identified the balloon as a "Chinese surveillance" device. On Friday, a second surveillance balloon was identified flying above Latin America. "We now assess it is another Chinese surveillance balloon," AP reported Brigadier General Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said. Ryder declined to give additional details, such as where the second balloon was spotted. US Pentagon officials have declared the balloons surveillance devices.

☆ A suspected Chinese spy balloon was seen operating near a US nuclear base housing 150 Minuteman ICBMs
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The US is tracking a suspected Chinese spy balloon, which has been hovering over Montana. Montana Senator Steve Daines said he feared it was targeting the state's nuclear missile base. Montana is home to the sprawling Malmstrom Air Force Base, which stores nuclear weapons. Malmstrom Air Force Base is one of three such bases in the US to contain Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles, a strategic nuclear weapon. Malmstrom maintains 150 intercontinental ballistic missile silos across its 13,800-square-mile complex, according to The Telegraph.

WASHINGTON/BEIJING, Feb 3 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has postponed a visit to China that had been expected to start on Friday after a Chinese spy balloon was tracked flying across the United States, a U.S. official said. China earlier expressed regret that what it called a "civilian" airship had strayed into U.S. territory after being blown off course, an incident that sparked a political furor in the United States. Republican Senator Tom Cotton had called for Blinken to cancel his trip, while Republican former President Donald Trump, a declared presidential candidate for 2024, posted "SHOOT DOWN THE BALLOON!" It said it would continue to communicate with the United States to "properly handle" the unexpected situation. Senator Marco Rubio, the top Republican on the Senate intelligence committee, said the spy balloon was alarming but not surprising.

☆ China admits the 'spy balloon' over the US belongs to it, but insists it wasn't for spying and ended up there by accident
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The US is tracking what it termed a Chinese spy balloon, which has been hovering over Montana. On Friday, China confirmed the balloon belonged to it but said it was not being used for spying. In an official statement, China's foreign ministry said the balloon is a civilian airship used mainly for "meteorological research." "Clearly, the intent of the balloon is first surveillance, and so the current flight path does carry it over a number of sensitive sites," the official said. This has alarmed some officials, including Montana Senator Steve Daines, who said the fact the balloon was occupying Montana airspace "creates significant concern."

☆ Marjorie Taylor Greene calls on Biden to shoot down Chinese spy balloon, says Trump would have done so already
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Marjorie Taylor Greene called on the Biden admin to shoot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon. In a tweet late Thursday, Greene wrote: "Biden should shoot down the Chinese spy balloon immediately. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) February 2, 2023On Thursday evening it was reported that the US military was tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon, first spotted over Montana, which it believes with "very high confidence" to be of Chinese origin. In a Truth Social post, Trump appeared to agree with Greene, sharing a post by rightwing activist and conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec. The CCP [Chinese Communist party] can send spy balloons over our nuclear silos and we will do nothing.

"The United States government has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now," Pentagon spokesperson Brigadier General Patrick Ryder told reporters. It was not clear how the discovery of the spy balloon might affect those plans. Senator Marco Rubio, the top Republican on the Senate intelligence committee, said the spy balloon was alarming but not surprising. A separate U.S. official said the spy balloon had been tracked near the Aleutian Islands and Canada before entering the United States. Spy balloons have flown over the United States several times in recent years, but this balloon appeared to be lingering longer than in previous instances, an official said.

WASHINGTON, Feb 2 (Reuters) - A suspected Chinese spy balloon has been flying over the United States for a few days, and senior U.S. officials have advised President Joe Biden against shooting it down for fear the debris could pose a safety threat. The old-fashioned spy-movie-like intelligence collection method recalls lengths to which Beijing and Washington have been willing to go to spy on each other amid increased tensions. China and the United States, the world's two largest economies, have experienced tensions of late, clashing over Taiwan and China's human rights record and its military activity in the South China Sea. Spy balloons have flown over the United States several times in recent years, but this balloon appeared to be lingering longer than in previous instances, the official said. "Currently, we assess that this balloon has limited additive value from an intelligence collection perspective, but we are taking steps nevertheless to protect against foreign intelligence collection of sensitive information," the official said.

☆ US scrambles F-22s following reports of unidentified flying object over Montana believed to be a Chinese spy balloon
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Charles R. Davis | Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The US is tracking a suspected Chinese spy balloon first spotted over Montana, per NBC News. The balloon has been hovering over the US "for the past few days," NBC reported Thursday. Video published by an NBC affiliate in Billings, Montana, shows a bright, unidentified object in the sky, which prompted flights to be diverted from the local airport on Wednesday. "It is not the first time that you've had a balloon of this nature cross over the continental United States," the official said. After the balloon was spotted, the US military responded by scrambling F-22 Raptors and other aircraft near Billings, prompting the civilian airport to be shuttered for some time.

☆ Unusual blood cancer cases among US troops who manned nuclear missile silos at a base in Montana are raising new questions for the military
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

US military officers who worked at a nuclear missile base have developed cancer in recent years. An Air Force spokesperson told Insider that leadership is "aware of the concerns." "Senior leaders are aware of the concerns raised about the possible association of cancer related to missile combat crew members at Malmstrom AFB," Rose Riley, an Air Force spokesperson, told Insider. "The information in the briefing has been shared with the Department of the Air Force Surgeon General and our medical professionals are working to gather data and understand more." A spokesperson at Malmstrom Air Force Base confirmed to Insider that the base is aware of the situation but had no further information on the matter.

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