A Chinese spy balloon was able to transmit information back to Beijing in real-time, according to a source familiar with the matter. The balloon's ability to capture imagery and collect signals intelligence from US military sites has raised concerns about its true intentions.
The balloon first entered US airspace over Alaska in late January and passed through Canada before entering Montana, where it hovered for several days. The US initially believed it was trying to surveil sensitive military sites like Malmstrom Air Force Base.
Gen. Glen VanHerck, commander of US Northern Command and NORAD, said that the balloon did not pose a significant collection hazard beyond what is already available through Chinese satellites orbiting similar locations. However, he acknowledged that the balloon's presence raised questions about its true intentions.
The surveillance program, which includes balloons like this one, is believed to be run out of the small Chinese province of Hainan. The US does not know the exact size of the fleet, but sources say it has conducted at least two dozen missions over at least five continents in recent years.
Roughly half a dozen of these flights have been within US airspace, although not necessarily over US territory, according to one official familiar with the intelligence. China has maintained that the balloon was simply a weather balloon thrown off course, but the US remains skeptical about this explanation.
The incident has further escalated tensions between Washington and Beijing, including the postponement of a diplomatic visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to China. The US government still does not know for sure whether the Chinese government could wipe the balloon's data as it received it, raising questions about whether there is intelligence the balloon gathered that the US still doesn't know about.
An analysis of the wreckage of the High Altitude Balloon remains ongoing, but so far, its flight over the United States does not appear to have provided critical new insights to the People's Republic of China.
The balloon first entered US airspace over Alaska in late January and passed through Canada before entering Montana, where it hovered for several days. The US initially believed it was trying to surveil sensitive military sites like Malmstrom Air Force Base.
Gen. Glen VanHerck, commander of US Northern Command and NORAD, said that the balloon did not pose a significant collection hazard beyond what is already available through Chinese satellites orbiting similar locations. However, he acknowledged that the balloon's presence raised questions about its true intentions.
The surveillance program, which includes balloons like this one, is believed to be run out of the small Chinese province of Hainan. The US does not know the exact size of the fleet, but sources say it has conducted at least two dozen missions over at least five continents in recent years.
Roughly half a dozen of these flights have been within US airspace, although not necessarily over US territory, according to one official familiar with the intelligence. China has maintained that the balloon was simply a weather balloon thrown off course, but the US remains skeptical about this explanation.
The incident has further escalated tensions between Washington and Beijing, including the postponement of a diplomatic visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to China. The US government still does not know for sure whether the Chinese government could wipe the balloon's data as it received it, raising questions about whether there is intelligence the balloon gathered that the US still doesn't know about.
An analysis of the wreckage of the High Altitude Balloon remains ongoing, but so far, its flight over the United States does not appear to have provided critical new insights to the People's Republic of China.
... I mean, one minute it's just a weather balloon, next minute it's spyin' on our military bases for real 
. And now we're wonderin' if they could've wiped the data off like a digital glove 
. This whole situation is makin' me nervous, fam 
. The thought of some high-tech gadget just floatin' around up there collectin' intel like it's goin' outta style 
is just wild 
. And what's with China not bein' more upfront about this? It's like they're playin' a big game of cat and mouse, but we're the ones gettin' played 
. This whole thing needs to blow over ASAP so we can get back to normal 
.
seems kinda obvious they're trying to hack into our military systems or something. didn't we used to have some intel on this already tho? why the balloon was able to transmit info back to beijing so fast feels fishy to me 
.
. And if China is saying that it was just a random thing and we're being paranoid, I don't know... 
. Can't we just ask them straight out what's going on instead of playing it cool? 
. Maybe the wreckage will give us some answers? 
i mean can you even imagine what kind of intel they got from that balloon 
and now the us is all skeptical because china said it was just a weather balloon lol yeah right 
gotta stay vigilant, folks! 
gotta wonder if there are more of these balloons out there collecting intel without us even knowing...