Tag: Balloon

China violated sovereignty of nations across 5 continents: Blinken on surveillance balloon

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Washington: China has violated the sovereignty of not just the United States but of countries across five continents, Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said, days after American fighter jets shot down a Chinese surveillance balloon.
Earlier this week, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman briefed diplomats from about 40 friendly nations, including India, Japan and Australia, over the Chinese surveillance balloon.
The huge balloon was shot down on by a US fighter jet on Saturday off the coast of South Carolina in the Atlantic Ocean. It had hovered over continental America for several days after entering the US airspace on January 30 in Montana.
US officials have described the balloon as being about 60m tall, with the payload portion comparable in size to a regional aircraft.
China has acknowledged that the balloon was theirs but denied that it was for surveillance purposes rather for weather monitoring and that it had drifted off course.
The US, however, has asserted that it has enough evidence to prove that this was a surveillance balloon. It accused China of intruding on its sovereignty and violating international laws.
China on the other hand has alleged that the United States has violated international law by shooting down its balloon.
According to a report of The Washington Post, based on interviews with several anonymous defence and intelligence officials, China has operated a fleet of spy balloons targeting several countries including India and Japan.

At a joint news briefing on Wednesday with the visiting NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Blinken said, “The United States was not the only target of this broader programme which has violated the sovereignty of countries across five continents.” “In our engagements, we are again hearing from our partners that the world expects China and the United States to manage our relationship responsibly. That’s precisely what we’ve set out to do. We continue to urge China to do the same,” he told reporters.
Reacting to the statements from Washington, China on Thursday repeated its stand that the large unmanned balloon was a civilian meteorological airship that had accidentally blown off course and that the US had “overreacted” by shooting it down.
Responding to questions at a foreign ministry briefing in Beijing, ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that she has not heard of China possessing a “fleet of balloons.” “I am not aware of any “fleet of balloons”,” Mao said.
“That narrative is probably part of the information and public opinion warfare the US has waged on China. As to who is the world’s number one country of spying, eavesdropping and surveillance, that is plainly visible to the international community,” she said, referring to the US.
On Tuesday, the Pentagon said that China has declined Washington’s request for a telephonic call between US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Beijing counterpart Gen Wei Fenghe.
On Wednesday, Stoltenberg said the Chinese balloon over the United States confirms a pattern of Chinese behaviour, and it has been seen that Beijing over the last few years has invested heavily in new military capabilities, including different types of surveillance and intelligence platforms.
“We have also seen increased Chinese intelligence activities in Europe – again, different platforms. They use satellites, cyber, and as we’ve seen over the United States, also balloons.
“So, we have to be vigilant. We need to be aware of the constant risk of Chinese intelligence and then step up what we do to protect ourselves,” the NATO secretary general said while highlighting that security is not regional but global.
What happens in Asia matters for Europe, and what happens in Europe matters for Asia and also North America, he said.
“This message was confirmed during my visit to Japan and South Korea last week, where those close partners of NATO very much highlighted the importance of strengthening the cooperation between NATO and our partners in the Indo-Pacific to address the challenges that China poses to our security, values, and interests,” Stoltenberg said.
Defense Department Spokesperson Gen Pat Ryder told reporters at a Pentagon news conference that the US is in the process of updating its international allies and partners.
“Clearly, we maintain an intelligence-sharing relationship with many countries, and so as we have information to provide and as we currently are, we will share that information,” he said.
Ryder said that Chinese balloons have been spotted in various parts of the world.
“When you look at the scope of this (Chinese balloon surveillance) programme and the fact that we know that these balloons have been spotted, and what we now can subsequently assess to be Chinese balloons operating over at least five continents in regions like Latin America, South America, Southeast Asia, East Asia and Europe.
“It demonstrates why, for the Department of Defense, China remains the pacing challenge, and something that we’ll continue to stay focused on,” he said.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that these balloons are all part of a “Chinese fleet” developed to conduct surveillance operations, which have also violated the sovereignty of other countries.
“Over the past several years, Chinese balloons have previously been spotted over countries across five continents. We have been in touch with allies and partners on this issue,” she said.
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#China #violated #sovereignty #nations #continents #Blinken #surveillance #balloon
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 9, 2023
Balloon was part of wider Chinese snooping effort, Pentagon says

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“We are aware that there have been four previous balloons that have gone over U.S. territory. This is what we assess is part of a larger Chinese surveillance balloon program,” Ryder said. “You’ve heard us talk in the past about the fact that this is a program that’s been operated for several years.”
Last week, the military tracked a balloon that crossed the U.S. before it was shot down off the coast of the Carolinas on Saturday. The military is still working to recover debris from the airship.
Outrage over Beijing’s encroachment last week was further fueled by revelations of several more Chinese balloons that crossed into U.S. territory but went undetected. Ryder said the military has since “learned a lot on how to track” the balloons.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who postponed a visit to Beijing over the balloon, echoed the assessment that China’s surveillance was widespread. He said the U.S. has “shared information with dozens of countries.”
“We’re not alone in this,” Blinken told reporters on Wednesday. “Countries across five continents have also had surveillance balloons [fly over] their territory, which is why we’re sharing this information with others.”
“We continue to look to China to act responsibly,” he said.
The global surveillance network was first reported by The Washington Post.
There’s bipartisan furor over China’s incursion, but Biden is also taking heat, mostly from Republicans, over waiting to shoot down the balloon.

Biden said he ordered the craft shot down last week, but military brass advised waiting until it was over water to minimize risks to people on the ground.
Meanwhile, officials from the intelligence community, Pentagon and State Department are set to brief members of the House and Senate separately on Thursday.
Administration briefers include Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, Pentagon policy chief Colin Kahl and Gen. Glen VanHerck, the commander of U.S. Northern Command and the North American Aerospace Defense Command.
Sen. Jon Tester, a Democrat, will also gavel in the first public hearing on the balloon on Thursday with Pentagon officials set to testify.
Tester, whose state of Montana was traversed by the balloon, chairs the Senate panel that controls the Pentagon budget.
Sherman and the Pentagon’s Asia policy chief, Ely Ratner, are also scheduled to testify at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on U.S.-China policy on Thursday.
Daniella Diaz and Kelly Garrity contributed to this report.
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#Balloon #part #wider #Chinese #snooping #effort #Pentagon
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

February 9, 2023
Boy proposes a girl with a heart-shaped balloon, US army shot it down mistaking it for spy balloon

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New York: Valentine’s week has begun and today people are celebrating Propose Day. Many people propose to their significant others or declare their love for them today. However, in a bizarre turn of events, the propose day becomes the most horrific day for a couple.

Reportedly, a man proposed his long time crush with a heart shaped balloon filled with hydrogen gas. The lady was about to respond to the crush when the heart-shaped balloon blasted. The lady slapped the man and went away.

Later it was learned that the balloon was spotted by the US army who mistook the balloon for Chinese spy balloon and shot it down by firing over 1000 bullets. Fortunately, none of the bullets caused any harm to anyone except to the couple.

The US army has accused the man of violating American sovereignty and international law. Man, on the other hand, has said that by shooting down its balloon, the US has violated the law of celebrating valentine week and warned that he reserves its right to take appropriate action in response.

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#Boy #proposes #girl #heartshaped #balloon #army #shot #mistaking #spy #balloon
[ Disclaimer: With inputs from The Fauxy, an entertainment portal. The content is purely for entertainment purpose and readers are advised not to confuse the articles as genuine and true, these Articles are Fictitious meant only for entertainment purposes. ]

February 8, 2023
Biden pledges to protect America after Chinese balloon incident

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The balloon traversed U.S. and Canadian airspace last week before it was shot down off the coast of the Carolinas on Saturday, just days before Biden addressed Congress.
China has claimed it was a weather balloon that went off course and has lashed out at the U.S. over shooting it down. Secretary of State Antony Blinken postponed a trip to Beijing over the incident.
The flap triggered bipartisan uproar at China on Capitol Hill — where confronting Beijing has garnered support from both parties — and calls for more information over the balloon and the administration’s handling of it.
Biden said last week he ordered the military to shoot down the balloon before Saturday, but top brass recommended waiting until it was over water so it would minimize risk to people on the ground. The military is now working to retrieve the debris.
Administration officials are set to brief lawmakers on the balloon this week, and a Senate panel is scheduled to hold a hearing Thursday on it.
Biden added Tuesday night that his administration has put the U.S. in “the strongest position in decades to compete” with Beijing. The U.S., he said, would cooperate where possible.
He added that he makes “no apologies that we are investing to make America strong” and competing with China. He touted efforts to modernize the military “to safeguard stability and deter aggression.”
Biden also highlighted the administration’s efforts to aid Ukraine to repel Russia’s invasion, a message that comes as some Republican factions question the need to continue to aid Kyiv.

As the war nears its one-year mark, Biden said Russian President Vladimir Putin’s February 2022 invasion was “a test for the ages” for the U.S. and its allies in Europe.
“One year later, we know the answer,” he said.
Biden called out Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.S., Oksana Markarova, who sat in the House gallery for the speech.
“We are united in our support for your country,” Biden pledged. “We’re going to stand with you as long as it takes.”
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#Biden #pledges #protect #America #Chinese #balloon #incident
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

February 8, 2023
Chinese defense minister refused to talk to Austin after balloon downing, Pentagon says

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“Lines between our militaries are particularly important in moments like this. Unfortunately, the PRC has declined our request,” Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement. “Our commitment to open lines of communication will continue.”
The military shot down the balloon after it spent a week transiting Canada and the U.S.
China, which claimed the airship was a weather balloon that had gone astray, has threatened repercussions for its downing.
Wei, for his part, last June appeared to single out the United States for criticism in an international appearance in Singapore.
Meanwhile, members of both parties in the U.S. have called for aggressive action against China.
President Joe Biden said last week he wanted to shoot down the balloon earlier, but top Pentagon leaders recommended the military wait until it was over water to ensure no one on the ground was harmed by debris.
The military has since launched recovery efforts in the Atlantic Ocean to collect remnants of the balloon and its large payload.

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#Chinese #defense #minister #refused #talk #Austin #balloon #downing #Pentagon
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

February 8, 2023
GOP leaders push bipartisan resolution about China balloon incursion

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House Republicans had previously discussed a resolution aimed squarely at President Joe Biden and his handling of the balloon — which POLITICO first reported — as they aimed to put it to a vote perhaps on Tuesday, the same day as his annual State of the Union.
But several members, including Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas), privately lobbied GOP leaders to pivot toward a bipartisan censure of the Chinese spy tactics — a rare issue that both sides unite behind. Since then, the GOP’s draft has changed substantially, according to multiple Democrats, and may now receive agreement from across the aisle.
“My strong recommendation was … This is one of the things you want as a country to appear to be coming together. You don’t want a partisan resolution,” McCaul said. “I think that’s more important than our petty partisan politics.”
The Texas Republican has spoken not just to McCarthy: He’s also in conversations with his counterpart on the Foreign Affairs panel, Rep. Greg Meeks (D-N.Y.). He planned to review the language with Meeks later in the evening.
Meeks did not rule out possible Democratic cooperation, depending on the language of the measure — as well as its timing. Few Democrats were interested in a high-profile resolution to land the same day as Biden’s biggest address of the year. That now appears unlikely.
“We’re looking at it. They’ve got something, and there’s dialogue going on. So, we’ll see what happens,” Meeks said, adding that the final resolution could go through the House Armed Services Committee, instead of the Foreign Affairs panel. “Depends upon what it says. Depends upon what the timing is.”
McCarthy and his team are also in the process of setting up a briefing for all members on the Chinese balloon, according to three GOP lawmakers. That briefing is likely to be Thursday, the same day the Senate will receive its briefing, according to a leadership aide.
Lawmakers have also received some information to review in advance in the Capitol’s sensitive compartmented information facility.

Jordain Carney contributed to this report.
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#GOP #leaders #push #bipartisan #resolution #China #balloon #incursion
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

February 7, 2023
Military begins efforts to recover Chinese spy balloon

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The military is concerned the remnants of balloon’s payload could contain explosives or hazardous material, and wants to ensure the safety of the site, VanHerck said. The balloon was as much as 200 feet tall, with a payload the size of a jetliner that weighed “in excess of a couple thousand pounds.”
The efforts to recover the balloon began as new details emerged of previous incidents of Chinese spy balloons flying over the United States. The military tracked eight such incidents, a member of the Pentagon’s Joint Staff told a member of Congress on Sunday.
“I had a conversation with someone at the Joint Staff that used the number eight,” said Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, in a Monday interview.
Two of those incidents occurred over Florida, and one over Texas, Defense Department officials told Waltz separately by phone on Sunday. Officials declined to provide details about the other incidents, he said, including under whose administration they occurred.
After the military shot down the balloon on Saturday, senior DoD officials told reporters that Chinese balloons had traversed the United States during the Trump administration. The comments caused an uproar in Republican circles, with senior Trump national security officials denying they had ever been briefed on such an incident.
Administration officials have conducted a series of briefings for members of Congress and staff since last week. On Thursday, the staff of the “Gang of Eight” lawmakers received a classified briefing, followed by a briefing for national security committee staffs on Friday.
Before the balloon was shot down on Saturday, the Pentagon notified the chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate Armed Services committees and the defense panels of the House and Senate Appropriations committees, and followed up with a briefing after the operation, a White House spokesperson said.
During a separate Sunday briefing, representatives from the Office of the Secretary of Defense read an opening statement about the three incidents over Florida and Texas but did not take questions, Waltz said. They also did not disclose details about the nature or size of the balloons, or whether the incidents were reported up the chain of command.

Waltz said he spoke separately with a member of the Joint Staff, who told him similar incidents had occurred eight times.
Senior Biden administration officials have since said the information was discovered after the previous administration had left office, and have offered to brief former officials on the new intelligence.
However, Robert O’Brien, Trump’s final national security adviser, said that as of Monday afternoon, he had not been contacted about any potential briefings. He reiterated previous comments that he had never heard of any such incident during his tenure.
“We were never briefed, we never heard any of it,” he said.
Waltz said he was not satisfied with the briefing he received on Sunday and is asking for additional information from the Pentagon.
“You can’t just put that out there that our airspace was violated multiple times and not give us any details,” he said.
VanHerck told reporters that the incidents went undetected due to shortfalls in military capabilities at the time.
“We did not detect those threats and that’s a domain awareness gap,” he said. The intel community, after the fact, assessed those threats through “additional means of collection.”
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#Military #begins #efforts #recover #Chinese #spy #balloon
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

February 7, 2023
Schumer: All senators to receive briefing on spy balloon Feb. 15

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China tried to steer the balloon to leave the U.S. “as soon as they could” once information about the balloon was exposed to the public, a press release from Schumer’s office said.
At least three similar balloons went over “portions of the U.S.” during the Trump administration, the press release said, though there were conflicting reports Sunday as to whether that is true.
Schumer also praised the Biden administration’s choice to shoot down the balloon over water as both the safest option and “the one that maximized our intel gain.” The U.S. can now analyze the surviving military equipment in the balloon, Schumer said.
“Republican critics were breathless, political, and premature. President Biden and his team were calm, calculating and effective,” Schumer said.
Members of the GOP on Sunday jumped on Biden’s delay in shooting down the balloon as a sign of perceived weakness.
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#Schumer #senators #receive #briefing #spy #balloon #Feb
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

February 6, 2023
Biden, the balloon, and the age of anti-China one-upmanship

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The single missile fired by an F-22 Raptor brought a swift end to an international incident that captured the country’s attention, and underscored the growing bipartisan consensus that when it comes to politics, it pays to be tough on China.
Republicans spent days assailing the White House over the balloon, filling the vacuum created by its deliberations with accusations that the administration had gone soft on a geopolitical foe. Democrats, alarmed by China’s brazenness and under pressure to stake out their own hardline stance, had begun to join in on the calls for aggressive action.
And when Biden got the go-ahead on Saturday, he dispatched the balloon in an overwhelming show of force, sending several fighter jets after the spy craft as it floated out to sea.
The White House has since gone out of its way to emphasize that Biden had planned a violent end to the incursion from the beginning. Senior officials said the president ordered it shot down as early as Tuesday, shortly after learning it had entered American airspace. They noted that Secretary of State Antony Blinken canceled a scheduled trip to China. But even supportive voices wanted more.
Brett Bruen, director of global engagement under former President Barack Obama, said Biden should recall his ambassador to China Nicholas Burns for consultations and throw out the head of Chinese intelligence at their embassy in Washington. He added that he believes individual sanctions need to be imposed on those involved.
“I would recommend Biden get Xi [Jinping] on the line and read him the riot act,” Bruen said. “He should threaten that the next time an incident of this nature takes place we will release sensitive secrets that Beijing’s leaders would rather not be exposed.”
The hostile one-upmanship aimed at China over the intelligence-gathering balloon served as just the latest example that lawmakers across the political spectrum see a clear benefit in taking a hawkish stance toward the global power. Even as China remains a crucial trading and economic partner, Republicans and an increasing number of Democrats are positioning the country as a key political concern — and thus a domestic and geopolitical battering ram.
Over just the last couple of years, lawmakers have blamed Beijing for worsening the spread of Covid and exacerbating supply chain shortages. Senior officials in the Biden administration and on Capitol Hill have raised national security concerns tied to Chinese apps like TikTok, and hardened their rhetoric over the independence of Taiwan.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) made her final international pilgrimage as speaker to the island nation and current Speaker Kevin McCarthy has signaled that he too will visit there as a sign of solidarity against China.
The president himself has swept up competition with China into his broader rhetoric about an epic clash unfolding globally between democracies and autocracies.
And while the administration waited days before shooting down the balloon, it notably chose to publicize its existence and bring it down rather than keep the matter out of public view. A senior Defense Department official noted on Saturday that several similar balloons had been spotted during Donald Trump’s administration with no public outcry.
Chinese officials condemned Biden’s reaction to the surveillance balloon as “excessive,” and asserted that they retain the right to “respond further.” But domestically, Biden faced pushback for not moving more aggressively.
GOP leaders, including Trump, fanned fears over the potential intelligence risks while taking political shots at Biden.
“Biden is letting China walk all over us,” tweeted former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who is on the verge announcing her 2024 presidential bid. “It’s time to make America strong again.”
Former Trump Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is also eyeing a presidential run, tweeted a video portraying him aiming his own gun at the balloon and boasting that he “took many shots at the CCP” during the Trump era.
Several Democrats took a similarly hard line against the violation of U.S. airspace, demanding decisive action even as most defended the White House for its prudence in waiting to down the balloon so that the falling debris did not hurt people on the ground.
“We have a real problem with China on a number of issues, from their human rights violations to their violations of international business law, to even the challenges we’ve had with them on overt spying,” Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) said Sunday on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “I’m grateful that the military took decisive action when they did and how they did, but we obviously have issues here.”
Biden, meanwhile, has appeared to relish the opportunity to talk tough on China, casting himself as a fighter for America’s global dominance and bulwark against Chinese efforts to expand its sphere of influence.
“As I point out to our friends in the [European Union], don’t get angry we’re going to be [at] the beginning of the supply chain,” he said during a fundraiser on Friday, referring to foreign criticism over his economic policies. “Because that’s the only guarantee you’ll have access.”
That confrontational attitude represents a significant departure from Democrats’ stance toward China just a few decades ago. During Bill Clinton’s administration, the party’s predominant thread of concern about China was centered on humanitarian grounds.
The White House itself sought to pursue a policy of “constructive engagement” with the Chinese government, eager to see the economic spoils of a more open relationship. They were cheered on by Wall Street Republicans and self-described foreign policy realists who felt that engagement with the communist nation was a strategically smarter way to defang it.
But the relationship grew strained as China’s ambitions widened throughout the Obama and Trump eras. And lawmakers and voters became more critical about jobs being lost and national security being compromised.
Bruen said taking a harder line on China has become broadly popular because the world has witnessed so many egregious acts over the last several years — whether it’s genocide against the Uyghurs, the violent repression of peaceful protesters in Hong Kong or the lack of transparency on Covid.
“But unlike our response to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s aggression, we need to act faster and put in place more deterrents, whether from launching balloons or invasions,” Bruen told POLITICO. “This moment should refocus leaders not only on strong statements and symbolic acts, but to develop a real strategy for countering Chinese aggression.”
Biden himself has yet to weigh in on how the incident will shape his own approach toward China. But hours before shooting the balloon down, the president couldn’t help but let slip his enthusiasm for the chance to send a strong message to his critics at home and rivals in Beijing.
“We’re gonna take care of it,” he said.

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#Biden #balloon #age #antiChina #oneupmanship
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

February 5, 2023
Buttigieg said U.S. had to balance risks in deciding when to shoot down balloon

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An F-22 stealth fighter shot the balloon down off the coast of the Carolinas a week after the U.S. first started tracking it Jan. 28, POLITICO previously reported. The balloon crossed the continent in the succeeding days, from Alaska to Canadian airspace, then over Idaho and Montana to the Atlantic. The U.S. military is now attempting to recover the debris for intelligence purposes.
Even as Republicans continued to pile on criticism about the way the Biden administration handled the situation, Buttigieg pointed out that the mission was completed without any loss of American life or property. The Transportation secretary repeatedly characterized the balloon’s intrusion as unacceptable behavior from the Chinese government.
Pressed by host Jake Tapper about whether it could be assumed that the balloon gathered intelligence, Buttigieg said that was out of his purview.
“I’m sure there’s a similar presumption about what spy satellites do,” he said, pointing to China’s space program. He also declined to confirm exactly when the Biden administration first became aware of the balloon.
Republicans on Sunday continued to use Biden’s reaction to the balloon as evidence of the administration’s perceived weakness; they were happy to see the balloon shot down but argued it should have been done days earlier.
“What began as a spy balloon has become a trial balloon, testing President Biden’s strength and resolve, and unfortunately the President failed that test,” Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), a frequent China hawk, said Sunday on Fox’s “Fox News Sunday.” “And that’s dangerous for the American people.”
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), speaking on ABC’s “This Week,” repeatedly called the deployment of the balloon a “deliberate” act from China, an attempt to show the U.S. was a declining superpower that can’t be counted on by its allies in the Pacific and elsewhere.
“I can assure you that if we fly a balloon over China, they’d shoot it down,” Rubio said. Speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Rubio added that the U.S. had to consider the risks to civilians in shooting the balloon down, but that there should have been earlier opportunities to down it.

Some of the criticism took the form of colorful language.
Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio), chair of the House Intelligence Committee, compared the takedown of the balloon over the Atlantic to “tackling the quarterback after the game is over.”
“They didn’t go and look at the Grand Canyon. They went and looked at our nuclear weapons sites,” Turner alleged.
Speaking on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures With Maria Bartiromo,” Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) was similarly descriptive.
“Letting a Chinese surveillance balloon lazily drift over America is like seeing a robber on your front porch and inviting him in, showing him where you keep your safe, where you keep your guns, where your children sleep at night, and then politely asking him to leave. It makes no sense,” said Gallagher, who is chair of the House Select Committee on China.
A senior defense official noted this week that it’s not the first time a Chinese spy balloon has entered U.S. air space, POLITICO previously reported. Such incidents occurred at least three times during President Donald Trump’s administration and once at the beginning of the Biden administration, but the flights were never for this duration.
While he was grateful for the military’s action taking down the balloon, Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) said Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation” the U.S. has challenges with China beyond this single incident.
“We have a real problem with China on a number of issues, from their human rights violations to their violations of international business law, to even the challenges we’ve had with them on overt spying,” he said.
Biden told the Pentagon earlier in the week to shoot down the balloon, but military advisers recommended they wait until it was over water, Biden told reporters this week.
China, which has denied the balloon was used for spying, has threatened repercussions over its downing.
One former CIA counterterrorism official said he thought the whole controversy had been absurdly overinflated.
Speaking on CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria GPS,” Philip Mudd judged the crisis a “2” on a scale of 1 to 10 when it comes to national security issues.
“This says a lot more about the inability of Washington and Congress and the White House to talk about relatively insignificant national security issues than it does about intelligence,” he said. “Look, if the Chinese want to collect photos of America, you could get to Google Earth; you could get a Chinese secret satellite if they want to intercept communications. They could do it with satellites.”
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#Buttigieg #U.S #balance #risks #deciding #shoot #balloon
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

February 5, 2023