The Chinese dispatched a spy balloon reportedly
monitoring US military installations in the Western United States. It
was spotted over Montana last night, and we didn’t shoot it down for
some reason. It was a high-altitude device that was hovering at limits
above that of commercial air travel. Initial reports said that there
were concerns about falling debris.
Shockingly, Joe Biden’s initial decision would have been accepted by
almost everyone. It would have been a course of action that earned a
genuine bipartisan consensus: he wanted to shoot it down.
It was the Pentagon who advised against it. House Speaker Kevin
McCarthy is now demanding a ‘Gang of Eight’ briefing about the spy
balloon and how it was able to float around the US for so long. Spy
balloons from China aren’t new, but the length of this spy trip is
what’s different (via Fox News):
China’s
brazen disregard for U.S. sovereignty is a destabilizing action that
must be addressed, and President Biden cannot be silent.
I am requesting a Gang of Eight briefing. https://t.co/KarTCUzbOS
House
Speaker Kevin McCarthy is asking for a Gang of Eight briefing after
government officials said that a suspected Chinese spy balloon is
hovering over the continental United States.
"China’s
brazen disregard for U.S. sovereignty is a destabilizing action that
must be addressed, and President Biden cannot be silent. I am requesting
a Gang of Eight briefing," McCarthy said.
The "Gang of Eight"
comprises Republican and Democrat Congressional leaders, eight in total,
from both the House and Senate, who are briefed on classified matters
by the executive branch.
[…]
A
senior defense official said that the U.S. government is "confident"
that the surveillance balloon belongs to the People's Republic of China.
The
defense official said during the briefing that the balloon was over
Montana, adding that officials were considering bringing the plane down
with military assets, but decided against doing so because of the risks
associated, adding that President Biden was briefed on the situation and
asked for military options.
[…]
The Chinese
spy balloons discovery comes as the U.S. and Philippines reached an
agreement to increase military presence on the islands amid escalating
tensions between China and Taiwan.
Recommended
NORAD and U.S. Northern Command statement on the high-altitude surveillance balloon. pic.twitter.com/NyALmVqJ9k
— U.S. Northern Command (@USNorthernCmd) February 3, 2023
This
incident did remind me of one thing: we have a secretary of state.
Antony Blinken was set to visit China soon, the first secretary of state
to do so in nearly six years. There’s been no news about whether that
trip is canceled, but it should at least be postponed after this stunt
(via WSJ):
Two
Air Force F-22 fighters scrambled from Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada
to Montana, where the balloon was observed, before the administration
decided not to shoot it down.
The U.S. maintains an
arsenal of 150 nuclear-armed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic
missiles at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana. A senior defense
official said the U.S. government was taking steps to shield sensitive
sites, but added that the reconnaissance systems on the balloon were
presumed to have “limited additive value” beyond what the Chinese could
gather from their low-earth-orbit satellites.
On
Thursday, the State Department declined to say whether it would call off
Mr. Blinken’s trip, part of an effort to revive a relationship strained
by the countries’ geopolitical rivalry and exacerbated by the Covid-19
pandemic. The U.S. wants to use the short visit to address persisting
disputes ranging from Taiwan to technology and, officials said, intends
to stress the Biden administration’s interest in finding areas of
potential cooperation.
Russia sends fighter jets and bombers within inches of US airspace,
and China penetrates our skies with spy balloons. Happy Friday,
everyone.
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