Naval Recovery Mission Underway to Find Chinese Spy Balloon’s Debris
The U.S. military started a mission to recover the troops. Chinese spy balloon According to the Pentagon.
Several U.S. Navy ships and Coastal vessels set up a security perimeter around the area where the balloon crashed, approximately six nautical miles off South Carolina’s coast. They were also searching for debris, a senior defense official, and a senior military officer stated on February 4.
“The nature of the debris is still being assessed. But recovery options will seek to recover all debris and any material of intelligence value,” According to the defense official. “And we’ll make sure that we’re working closely with the FBI on the chain of custody as we do so.”
They did not provide an estimate on the recovery time, but they said that it should take about three years. “fairly easy,” Since the balloon fell in shallow water,
According to a defense official, the recovery of the balloon will enable analysts to inspect sensitive Chinese equipment.
“I would also note that while we took all necessary steps to protect against the PRC surveillance balloon’s collection of sensitive information, the surveillance balloon’s overflight of U.S. territory was of intelligence value to us,” the defense official said, using the acronym for the People’s Republic of China.
“I can’t go into more detail, but we were able to study and scrutinize the balloon and its equipment, which has been valuable.”
The military official said that Navy divers and a salvage ship under U.S. Northern Command will be joining the recovery effort.
“We have learned technical things about this balloon and its surveillance capabilities. And I suspect if we are successful in recovering aspects of the debris, we will learn even more,” The defense official also added.
Balloon
President Joe Biden issued the order to shoot the balloon down, according to the defense official. At 2:39 p.m. ET, an F-22 Raptor fighter aircraft from Langley Air Force Base in Virginia fired an AIM-9X sidewinder missile at it, causing it to crash.
According to the defense official, the fighter jet flew from 58,000 feet above the balloon, while the balloon was at 60,000-65,000 feet at that time.
The defense official also gave an estimated time frame for when the Pentagon began tracking this balloon. The balloon entered U.S. military air defense zones north of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands on Jan. 28, entered Canadian airspace Jan. 30, and entered U.S. territory over Idaho on Jan. 31.
The balloon was spotted above Montana—home to one of the U.S. nuclear silos—on Feb. 2, the day that the Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder revealed The existence of the balloon.
After passing through several Midwest states, the balloon flew over South Carolina.
Lloyd Austin, Secretary to Defense, in a Statement After the balloon was brought down, the Pentagon said that it had ruled out the possibility of the balloon being taken to land. “due to the size and altitude of the balloon and its surveillance payload,” Which would lead to an “undue risk to people across a wide area.”
Austin made the decision that the balloon would be shot down. “was taken in coordination, and with the full support, of the Canadian government.”
Anita Anand, Canada’s Minister of National Defense, said in a statement that Canada “unequivocally supports” The U.S. action.
China
A defense official noted that this was not the first Chinese surveillance ballon to fly over the United States.
“PRC government surveillance balloons transited the continental United States briefly at least three times during the prior administration and once that we know of at the beginning of this administration, but never for this duration of time,” The defense official also added.
The defense official also rejected China’s claim that the balloon was a weather balloon that had been blown off-course.
“This surveillance balloon purposefully traversed the United States and Canada. And we are confident it was seeking to monitor sensitive military sites. Its route over the United States, near many potential sensitive sites, contradicts the PRC government’s explanation that it was a weather balloon,” According to the defense official.
Another Chinese spy balloon It has been spotted Transiting Latin America
“These balloons are all part of a PRC fleet of balloons developed to conduct surveillance operations, which have also violated the sovereignty of other countries,” The defense official elaborated.
“These kinds of activities are often undertaken at the direction of the People’s Liberation Army, or PLA. Over the past several years, Chinese balloons have previously been spotted over countries across five continents, including in East Asia, South Asia, and Europe. PRC intrusions violating our sovereignty and the sovereignty of other countries are unacceptable.”
In response to its balloon being shot down, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement threatening what it calls “further responses.”
“The U.S. use of force is a clear overreaction,” Before adding China, the ministry stated “reserves the right to make further responses if necessary.”
South Carolina’s North Myrtle Beach Police Department, in a post on Facebook on Saturday, warned local residents that some “pieces” The balloon “may wash ashore.”
“If a piece is located please contact your local law enforcement agency for collection,” The police department was added.
Congress
Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) Write On Saturday, Twitter stated that the Chinese Communist Party must face consequences for entering U.S. Airspace.
“I’m glad we shot it down now that there’s no risk of civilian casualties, but there need to be consequences for the CCP beyond the postponement of [Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s] trip to Beijing,” Slotkin wrote.
She said that the United States should take steps to show support for the Chinese regime “the seriousness of their actions. Whether through new sanctions or tighter restrictions on U.S. exports to China, the message needs to be loud and clear.”
Blinken had originally been scheduled to arrive in China for a two day visit on February 5, 2005. He later postponed China was informed of the trip and told that it was “irresponsible” You can also find out more about a “clear violation of U.S. sovereignty.”
“I look forward to receiving a briefing from the Admin on the balloon’s capabilities, what if any assets have been surveilled, and our plan to stop this from happening in the future,” Slotkin stated.
Rep. Marc Molinaro, R-N.Y., also asked for a briefing.
“We need to know how this balloon was able to penetrate our airspace, what sensitive material it was able to capture, and how we will prevent future breaches,” He Write In a statement. “I call on the Biden Administration to hold a classified briefing for Members of Congress to answer these questions and propose a path forward.
“We must work together to hold China accountable and better protect our national security.”
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