Chinese spy balloon

Before a Chinese spy balloon was discovered in the United States, American officials said a rival power may have used advanced technology to surveil U.S. ...

Some American officials remain skeptical that China would risk exposing some of its most advanced technology in any surveillance activity that could be detected by the United States. “There is a documented history of unidentified — and now identified — objects near sensitive military facilities, and we need to move with a sense of urgency to get to the bottom of this.” Hypersonics has been a key technological focus of Beijing and is one area where China has demonstrated capabilities equal or exceeding the U.S. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned that it was something close to a Sputnik moment, referencing the Soviet Union’s successful Cold War satellite launch. Of the 171 reports that have not been attributed to balloons, drones or airborne trash, some “appear to have demonstrated unusual flight characteristics or performance capabilities, and require further analysis.” The sites where unusual surveillance has occurred include a military base in the United States and a base overseas, officials said. official, but none of them were conducting persistent reconnaissance of the U.S. However, American officials said they have assessed it to be a collection device, though not one that could gather the kind of sensitive information that advanced Chinese reconnaissance satellites already collect. A handful of those incidents involved advanced surveillance balloons, according to a U.S. While the report did not attribute the incidents to any country, two American officials familiar with the research said the surveillance probably was conducted by China. The report on what the intelligence agencies call unidentified aerial phenomenon focused on several incidents believed to be surveillance. The classified report to Congress last month discussed at least two incidents of a rival power conducting aerial surveillance with what appeared to be unknown cutting-edge technology, according to U.S.

The downing came shortly after the Federal Aviation Administration said it had "paused departures from and arrivals to" three East Coast airports "to support ...

"The China balloon flying over the U.S. The U.S. "This was a dereliction of Biden's duty, and let's hope the American people don't pay a price." Austin praised Biden's decision to shoot down the balloon. "Your rifle rounds WILL NOT reach it. "Biden's refusal to stop it is a dereliction of duty. — "to support the Department of Defense in a national security effort." From flying balloons to open borders, Biden has no regard for our national security and sovereignty." The Pentagon shared reports on Friday of a second balloon, belonging to China, that officials earlier this week decided against shooting down the balloon after the Biden administration said it did not pose a national security threat. officials "said to me, 'Let's wait 'til the safest place to do it,' " he said. Speaking on Saturday, President Biden told reporters he gave the order on Wednesday.

A U.S. fighter jet downed a Chinese surveillance balloon off the coast of the Carolinas on Saturday, according to the Pentagon. President Joe Biden had told ...

“The objective of trip was to seek a ‘floor’ in relationship and explore potential areas of cooperation in mutual interest,” a U.S. It was better to postpone for a better time, and the interagency all agreed with that.” “It’s hard to do that constructively with a Chinese balloon over the U.S. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), who chairs the panel that oversees the Pentagon’s budget, calling the balloon a “clear threat” to national security. military commanders determined downing the balloon while over land posed an undue risk to people across a wide area due to the size and altitude of the balloon and its surveillance payload.” “I’m demanding answers from the Biden Administration,” Tester said in a statement. Ultimately, the decision was made to postpone, not cancel, though it’s not clear when Blinken will now go. Still, it will help Biden on the domestic political front, where he’s facing calls, especially from Republicans, to be even tougher on Beijing. was going to shoot down the balloon. But the Pentagon has so far cautioned against shooting the balloon down out of fears falling debris could hurt people on the ground. “On Wednesday, President Biden gave his authorization to take down the surveillance balloon as soon as the mission could be accomplished without undue risk to American lives under the balloon’s path,” Austin said. A U.S.

A suspected Chinese spy balloon drifted over Charlotte, North Carolina, on Saturday, , Feb. 4, 2023.

Our nonprofit, independent journalism is essential to improving our communities. [pic.twitter.com/7SKSf4XFhy] [February 4, 2023] President Biden’s decision not to destroy it even as it passed through sparsely populated areas is puzzling, and we deserve answers.— Senator Thom Tillis (@SenThomTillis) [pic.twitter.com/HVzyBNvnGO] [February 4, 2023] Slightly below the airplane, to the right. What goes up will come down, including your bullets— York County Sheriff (@YCSO_SC) [#ChineseSpyBalloon] [pic.twitter.com/MjbAjsNxKs] [February 4, 2023] Your rifle rounds WILL NOT reach it. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has canceled his weekend trip to China, calling the balloon a “violation of U.S. Two military bases appeared to be the balloon’s path, Tillis said, Camp Lejeune and Fort Bragg. U.S. It was spotted sailing over Charlotte by mid-morning, igniting a social media frenzy as residents uploaded pictures of the pale, white orb and local police urged them not to call 911 or shoot at it.

How the balloon went from a local sky oddity to an international diplomatic disrupter to “a shriveled Kleenex.”

“I understand arguments to the idea that a balloon could have some sort of spying technology and could be threatening to us,” Mr. military — studied images of the balloon and said that the one seen over Montana was outfitted with solar panels, a control panel — and, it appeared, a parachute system. “The public has the ability to look up in the sky and see where the balloon is.” “You could collect a lot of information from a balloon, and it has a very long reach,” Mr. “Also, I just kind of think it’s weird to be afraid of a balloon.” Beijing said on Friday that the craft was indeed from China, but described it as a “mainly meteorological” blimp that had strayed (very) far from its original course. After the boy, named Falcon, was found hiding out in the attic of his house, his parents were “As human beings, to look up in the sky and see something we’re powerless over makes us crazy,” he said. Billie said a third jet flew near the balloon and fired a missile just as the craft crossed the coastline. His message was concise: “SHOOT DOWN THE BALLOON.” “Then, of course, the round big white ball that we saw all of the sudden looked like a shriveled Kleenex.” “It was two fighter jets dancing with this thing going around and around it,” said Jeffrey Billie, a retired defense contractor who lives in Pawleys Island, S.C., and witnessed the one-sided confrontation.

TV footage shows the suspected surveillance balloon as it appeared to be hit. Earlier on Saturday, Americans had reported sightings.

“Once the balloon was detected, the U.S. Evan Fisher, an atmospheric sciences major at the University of North Carolina at Asheville, photographed what he said was a "surprisingly large" balloon just before 9 a.m. The balloon was a "high-altitude surveillance balloon," Air Force Brig. He used a professional camera with a zoom lens to capture detail on the balloon. The balloon was spotted over Montana earlier this week. After a small explosion, its debris was seen slowly floating down to the ocean.

The US military has shot down the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon over the Atlantic Ocean off the Eastern Seaboard of the United States, ...

The military’s attention next turns to recovering the balloon debris. Earlier Saturday, Biden had told reporters in Syracuse, New York, that his administration was “gonna take care” of the suspected Chinese spy balloon when asked by CNN if the US would shoot it down. China’s Foreign Ministry has said the balloon entered US airspace by accident. On Friday, the Pentagon said the balloon did not pose a military or physical threat. [President Joe Biden](https://www.cnn.com/politics/joe-biden) approved the downing of the balloon, Austin said in a statement, which a US official previously told CNN was a plan that was presented and supported by US military leaders. The FAA also restricted airspace near Myrtle Beach “to support the Defense Department in a national security effort.” They decided without doing damage to anyone on the ground,” the president said Saturday. Earlier Saturday, a senior Defense official said the Pentagon has launched “a collaborative effort” with the FBI and “counterintelligence authorities ” to assist with “categorizing and assessing the platform itself.” “We have learned technical things about this balloon and its surveillance capabilities. But the State Department has said the presence of the balloon in US airspace was “a clear violation of our sovereignty as well as international law, and it is unacceptable that this has occurred.” A defense official told CNN that US Northern Command was coordinating with NASA to determine the debris field if the balloon was to be shot down. Waiting to carry out the operation has allowed the US to “study and scrutinize” the balloon and its equipment, a senior Defense official said during a call with reporters following the operation but did not elaborate on when that occurred.

Balloon was downed off the South Carolina coastline, with the goal of recovering the remnants before they sink into the ocean.

They successfully took it down and I want to compliment our aviators who did it.” “Today’s deliberate and lawful action demonstrates that President Biden and his national security team will always put the safety and security of the American people first, while responding effectively to the PRC’s unacceptable violation of our sovereignty.” “They decided that the best time to do that was over water within our within 12-mile limit.

President Joe Biden gave the order to take down the device after it traversed sensitive military sites across North America, becoming the latest flashpoint ...

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that the balloon’s journey was out of its control and urged the U.S. Blinken, who had been due to depart Washington for Beijing late Friday, said he had told senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi in a phone call that sending the balloon over the U.S. China has continued to claim that the balloon was merely a weather research “airship” that had been blown off course. The Pentagon also acknowledged reports of a second balloon flying over Latin America. China has denied any claims of spying and said it is a civilian-use balloon intended for meteorology research. military jets were seen flying in the vicinity and ships were deployed in the water to mount the recovery operation. The FAA rerouted air traffic from the area and warned of delays as a result of the flight restrictions. “In actuality, the U.S. The balloon was spotted Saturday morning over the Carolinas as it approached the Atlantic coast. Military officials determined that the bringing it down over land from an altitude of 60,000 feet would pose an undue risk to people on the ground. The FAA and Coast Guard worked to clear the airspace and water below the balloon as it reached the ocean. It was not immediately clear how long the recovery would take.

A U.S. Air Force fighter safely shot down a Chinese high-altitude surveillance balloon, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III said in a written ...

The balloon at the time was between 60,000 and 65,000 feet. The senior defense official said the recovery of the balloon will enable U.S. While Chinese officials admitted that the balloon was theirs, they said it was a runaway weather balloon. The mission now transitions to one of recovery. The official said Chinese balloons briefly transited the continental United States at least three times during the prior administration. "Military commanders determined that there was undue risk of debris causing harm to civilians while the balloon was overland." The balloon traversed Alaska, Canada and re-entered U.S. officials took steps to protect against the balloon's collection of sensitive information, mitigating its intelligence value to the Chinese. "President Biden asked the military to present options and on Wednesday President Biden gave his authorization to take down the Chinese surveillance balloon as soon as the mission could be accomplished without undue risk to us civilians under the balloon's path," said a senior defense official speaking on background. "Today's deliberate and lawful action demonstrates that President Biden and his national security team will always put the safety and security of the American people first while responding effectively to the PRC's unacceptable violation of our sovereignty," Austin said referring to the Peoples Republic of China. officials first detected the balloon and its payload on January 28 when it entered U.S. "We thank Canada for its contribution to tracking and analysis of the balloon through [North American Aerospace Defense Command] as it transited North America," Austin said.

The US military has shot down the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon over the Atlantic Ocean off the Eastern Seaboard of the United States, ...

The balloon, spotted earlier this week over the western United States, was brought down when an F-22 fighter jet fired an air-to-air missile at it off the ...

Pentagon officials were able to gauge its projected path and made plans to shoot it down once it reached the Atlantic. By that day, the balloon was over Kansas and heading, helped in part by the jet stream, to the Eastern Seaboard. Austin III, in the Philippines at the time, called a meeting on Wednesday of senior military and defense officials to review military options, per Mr. Blinken’s trip to China was scheduled to begin in days, and the administration had decisions to make. Nicholas Burns, also told the Chinese Foreign Ministry that its government had to remove the balloon, officials said. “We acted to notify the public as quickly as possible as to the facts regarding the balloon,” said Brig. Blinken said the entry of the spy balloon was a officials conveyed to Chinese officials several times in recent days that the U.S. Earlier, a senior defense official said that had happened three times during the Trump administration and one previous time during the Biden administration. officials to their Chinese counterparts, criticism from Republican lawmakers, and on Friday, the cancellation of a visit to China by Secretary of State Antony J. The president was alerted by the Pentagon on Tuesday that a spy balloon had entered continental American airspace near Idaho, White House officials said, and asked for military options. The Chinese foreign ministry declared its “strong discontent and protest” about the United States’ downing of the balloon.

A U.S. Air Force fighter safely shot down a Chinese high-altitude surveillance balloon, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III said in a written ...

The balloon at the time was between 60,000 and 65,000 feet. The senior defense official said the recovery of the balloon will enable U.S. While Chinese officials admitted that the balloon was theirs, they said it was a runaway weather balloon. The mission now transitions to one of recovery. "Military commanders determined that there was undue risk of debris causing harm to civilians while the balloon was overland." The official said Chinese balloons briefly transited the continental United States at least three times during the prior administration. The balloon traversed Alaska, Canada and re-entered U.S. officials took steps to protect against the balloon's collection of sensitive information, mitigating its intelligence value to the Chinese. "President Biden asked the military to present options and on Wednesday President Biden gave his authorization to take down the Chinese surveillance balloon as soon as the mission could be accomplished without undue risk to us civilians under the balloon's path," said a senior defense official speaking on background. "Today's deliberate and lawful action demonstrates that President Biden and his national security team will always put the safety and security of the American people first while responding effectively to the PRC's unacceptable violation of our sovereignty," Austin said referring to the Peoples Republic of China. officials first detected the balloon and its payload on January 28 when it entered U.S. "We thank Canada for its contribution to tracking and analysis of the balloon through [North American Aerospace Defense Command] as it transited North America," Austin said.

President Joe Biden's decision to shoot down a Chinese surveillance balloon on Saturday is a blow to a U.S.-China relationship that has been spiraling ...

“The objective of the trip was to seek a ‘floor’ in relationship and explore potential areas of cooperation in mutual interest,” a U.S. After several days of tense negotiations, the two countries [b](https://www.politico.com/news/2021/09/01/us-china-military-hotline-508140) [rokered a deal](https://www.politico.com/news/2021/09/01/us-china-military-hotline-508140) hinged on a [U.S. “It was better to postpone for a better time, and the interagency all agreed with that.” Beijing also [suspended bilateral military dialogues and joint efforts](https://www.politico.com/news/2022/08/05/beijing-protest-pelosi-taiwan-00050155) in China’s role in the U.S. [days of live fire military drills](https://www.npr.org/2022/08/08/1116389423/china-ends-series-of-live-fire-military-drills-around-the-island-of-taiwan) around the island. The Chinese government was even preparing to welcome Secretary of State Antony Blinken for [a now-postponed visit](https://www.politico.com/news/2023/02/03/blinkens-china-trip-postponed-over-chinese-balloon-00081090) in which he would potentially have met with Xi. Biden could use that wreckage “to humiliate China or as a bargaining chip in private discussions,” said Yun Sun, China program director at the Stimson Center. of [a Cold War mentality](https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/zxxx_662805/202112/t20211204_10462405.html) and of seeking to [suppress China economically and militarily](https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-tells-us-stop-containment-suppression-against-it-2022-10-31/). Foreign affairs observers, however, predicted that both Beijing and Washington would try to minimize the fallout. [political rhetoric about economic decoupling](https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/congressman-some-us-china-decoupling-will-be-necessary-no-matter-who-wins-election-201127954.html), the two countries [are too interdependent](https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/29/5-charts-show-how-the-us-and-chinese-economies-depend-on-each-other.html) to opt for a drastic downgrade in bilateral ties. And historically, other U.S.-Chinese incidents that have roiled the relationship eventually faded in favor of resumed, if strained, ties. In the short term, GOP lawmakers are arguing that Biden needs to get tougher on China.

The US shot down an alleged Chinese surveillance balloon off the South Carolina coast on Saturday, injecting new tension into relations with Beijing which ...

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said President Biden authorized the operation to shoot down the balloon.

NASA was also brought it to determine what the debris field may look like when the balloon was shot down, the Biden officials said. Biden directed the military to present options for how to shoot down the balloon immediately. The senior defense official also said that the U.S. The senior defense official told CBS News that the balloon was about six nautical miles off the coast of South Carolina when it was shot down. The military Wednesday then presented options to Mr. Senior Biden administration officials told CBS News that, after the balloon was shot down, the U.S government spoke directly with the Chinese government about the action. Flights resumed shortly after the balloon was taken down. Those Biden officials said the balloon was first detected over Alaska on Jan. airspace on Tuesday, the Biden officials disclosed. Biden told reporters that "we're gonna take care of" the balloon. The balloon was shot down by U.S. After the operation, Mr.

China has expressed its "strong dissatisfaction and protest" against the United States' decision to shoot down its high-altitude balloon, accusing it of ...

Pentagon officials earlier this week said the balloon posed no “military or physical” threat. “Both balloons also carry surveillance equipment not usually associated with standard meteorological activities or civilian research,” the official said. “China clearly asked the US to handle it properly in a calm, professional and restrained manner. “This was a PRC (People’s Republic of China) surveillance balloon. Zhuang Guotai was the head of China Meteorological Administration until Friday, but his departure from that post was not unexpected. It excuses a party from liability if an unforeseen event, such as a natural catastrophe, prevents it from performing its obligations under the contract.

The downing of a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon was met by lawmakers with a mix of praise, criticism and concern.

Patrick Ryder said the balloon didn't pose a physical or military threat, and once it was detected, the U.S. protects American lives while responding "effectively" to the violation of U.S. And so we took additional precautions to make sure that whatever additive intel value would be minimized," the official said. Tim Scott, R-S.C., [called it](https://twitter.com/SenatorTimScott/status/1621973003943743493) a "dereliction of Biden's duty." Senior administration officials told ABC News that shooting down the balloon safely sends the message that the U.S. military for "putting the safety of the American people first." "The surveillance balloon's overflight of U.S. President Joe Biden told reporters on Saturday that he ordered the Pentagon to shoot the balloon down "as soon as possible" on Wednesday. -- and that the situation called for a more forceful response. The Pentagon has confirmed the high-altitude balloon was being used for surveillance, disputing China's claim that it was a civilian aircraft used for meteorological purposes. The balloon was shot down by a U.S. military was met by lawmakers with a mix of praise for the safe and

The effort off the coast of South Carolina is expected to take days. Navy and Coast Guard ships have been sent to the scene.

Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, the top Republican on the Intelligence Committee, called it a “dereliction of duty.” She said the balloon had “violated U.S. America’s Western allies were quick to line up behind the Biden administration’s insistence that the balloon was a clumsy attempt at spying by China. He described it as “a decision that was focused on protecting human life,” but he cautioned that the incident should not have happened at all. Intelligence officials can offer briefings on China’s balloon surveillance program to “key officials” from the Trump administration, the person said. Officials in Washington and Beijing had seen the trip as part of a renewed effort to establish high-level dialogue during a period of heightened tensions. Officials from the State Department and the White House National Security Council spoke with Chinese officials about the downing of the balloon soon after it happened, a senior Biden administration official said. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Defense Secretary Lloyd J. A senior administration official said on Sunday that in the end, U.S. official said on Sunday that there were ways for intelligence officials to feed false information to the balloon, which would largely render the information it gathered worthless. The recovery effort, which is expected to take days, began not long after debris from the balloon hit the water on Saturday, a defense official said. WASHINGTON — Navy divers were searching for debris from the Chinese spy balloon that a U.S.

Pete Buttigieg says president 'considered safety of American people' after Marco Rubio criticizes eight-day wait.

“The message embedded to the world is: ‘We can fly a balloon over airspace of the United States of America and they won’t be able to do anything about it … We should not have let the People’s Republic of China make a mockery of our airspace … The Pentagon has acknowledged reports of a second balloon over Latin America. Blinken said he told a senior Chinese diplomat sending the balloon was “an irresponsible act … President Biden missed the opportunity to defend our sovereignty, send a message of strength and bolster deterrence.” “This puts a big dent in moving that forward in a constructive way, which we really need to do.” The balloon was spotted on Wednesday over Montana, home to Malmstrom Air Force Base, which has fields of nuclear missile silos. and the operation was put in place without pain, damage or injury to any Americans, lives or property”. The Chinese knew this was going to be spotted. It crossed Idaho on Tuesday, the day the White House said Biden was briefed. Marco Rubio of Florida, the Republican vice-chair of the Senate intelligence committee, was unmoved, telling the same network: “Why didn’t they take action? “The debris field that was created by this balloon which was shot down, it’s about seven miles long.