It had to be the Biden administration’s strangest crisis: America’s front-line fighter jets were being sent to shoot down, no less, a balloon (a Chinese spy balloon) drifting across the country, which had the nation and its politicians in an uproar.
Seven months later, Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, tells “CBS News Sunday Morning” that the balloon was not spying.
“The intelligence community, its assessment – and it is a high confidence assessment – [is] that there was no intelligence gathering by that balloon,” he explained.
So why was it flying over the United States? There are several possibilities, and at least one leads to the conclusion that he veered off course.
Jump to
- What’s behind the Chinese spy balloon?
- When was the spy balloon deployed over the United States?
What’s behind the Chinese spy balloon?
Credit: AP
The balloon was headed to Hawaii when winds at 60,000 feet took over.
“Those winds are very strong,” Milley said, adding: “The particular engine on that plane can’t go against those winds at that altitude.”
The balloon flew over Alaska and Canada before landing in Billings, Montana, where photographer Chase Doak, who studied photography in college, captured it from its driveway.
“I happened to notice a white spot in the sky out of the corner of my eye.” “Of course, I came up with the most logical explanation: it was an alien ship!” she joked.
Credit: AP
“I took a photo, a quick video and then called some coworkers to check that I wasn’t seeing things and asked them to look at them.”
Martin said: “You’ll probably never take a more famous photograph.” “No, I don’t think I ever will!” Doak stated.
He notified the Billings Gazette, which published his photo, and promised anyone who asked that they could use his photo for free. “I didn’t want to do anything about it,” Doak explained. Secretary of State Antony Blinken canceled a trip to China while a U-2 surveillance plane watched the 200-foot balloon.
When was the spy balloon deployed over the United States?
Credit: CBS News
On February 3, he described China’s decision to deploy a spy balloon over the United States as “unacceptable and irresponsible.” President Joe Biden ordered the Air Force to shoot it down as soon as he reached the Atlantic Ocean. Colonel Brandon Tellez devised the February 4 mission, which called for shooting down the balloon once it was six miles from shore.
“On paper, it appears to be a colossal mismatch: one of this country’s most sophisticated fighter jets against a balloon with a putt-putt engine. Was that a foregone conclusion?” Martin commented.
“There is no doubt,” Téllez responded.
Credit: AP
“Yes, sir, I would have done it! But if I had seen that first shot miss, there would have been three or four immediately afterwards that would have solved the situation,” Téllez added. But it only took one missile to focus on the heat reflected by the balloon.
Technical specialists confirmed that the balloon’s sensors had never been activated while flying over the continental United States after the Navy recovered the wreckage from the bottom of the Atlantic.
However, the damage to US-China relations had already been done.
Credit: AP
On May 21, President Biden said, “This silly balloon carrying two freight cars’ worth of spy equipment was flying over the United States, it was shot down, and everything changed as far as talking to each other.”
“Simply put, it was a spy balloon, but it wasn’t a spy?” Martin wondered.
“I would say it was a spy balloon that we know with a high degree of certainty did not obtain intelligence information and did not transmit any intelligence to China,” Milley responded.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn