Page 57 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - February 2023 Edition
P. 57
Balloon Part of Vast Aerial Spy Program 57
Chinese Balloon Part Of
Vast Aerial Surveillance
Program, U.S. Says
The U.S. intelligence community has
linked the Chinese spy balloon shot down
on Saturday to a vast surveillance
program run by the People’s Liberation
Army, and U.S. officials have begun to
brief allies and partners who have been
similarly targeted.
The surveillance balloon effort, which
has operated for several years partly out
of Hainan province off China’s south
coast, has collected information on
military assets in countries and areas of
emerging strategic interest to China
including Japan, India, Vietnam, Taiwan
and the Philippines, according to several
U.S. officials, who, like others
interviewed for this story, spoke on the In Japan in 2020, an aerial orb drew The official flatly rejected China’s
condition of anonymity because of the speculation. “Some people thought this assertion that the airship moving over the
matter’s sensitivity. was a UFO,” said a Japanese official. “In United States was a weather balloon
hindsight people are realizing that was a blown off course. “This is false,” the
Chinese espionage balloon. But at that official said. “This was a PRC
Officials have said these surveillance
airships, operated in part by the PLA air time it was purely novel — nobody had surveillance balloon. This surveillance
force, have been spotted over five seen this. … So there’s a lot of balloon purposefully traversed the United
continents. heightened attention at this time.” States and Canada. And we are confident
it was seeking to monitor sensitive
While most of China’s long-range military sites.”
“What the Chinese have done is taken an
unbelievably old technology, and surveillance efforts are conducted by its
basically married it with modern expanding military satellite array, PLA Some commentators have made light of
communications and observation planners have identified what they the Chinese effort, noting that balloons
capabilities” to try to glean intelligence consider to be an opportunity to conduct are not the most high-tech of platforms.
surveillance from the upper atmosphere But others caution against dismissing the
on other nations’ militaries, said one
official. “It’s a massive effort.” at altitudes above where commercial jets balloons’ potential.
fly, using balloons that fly between
On Monday, Deputy Secretary of State 60,000 and 80,000 feet or higher, “For those who have a sanguine view
Wendy Sherman led a briefing on China’s officials said. about the actual intelligence collection
capabilities of this balloon, I think
balloon espionage for some 150 people
from about 40 embassies, said a senior Analysts still don’t know the size of the they’re underestimating the creative
administration official familiar with the balloon fleet, but there have been ways the PLA might use it either for
matter. The department has also sent to “dozens” of missions since 2018, said intelligence and surveillance purposes, or
every U.S. Embassy “detailed one U.S. official. They take advantage of as a platform for weapons,” said Rep.
technology provided by a private Chinese Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), chairman of
information” on the espionage that can be
shared with allies and partners. company that is part of the country’s the Select Committee on China, who was
civil-military fusion effort — a program commenting on public remarks made by
Separately, U.S. officials have begun to by which private companies develop Pentagon officials over the weekend.
share specifics with officials in countries technologies and capabilities used by the
PLA. In recent years, at least four balloons
such as Japan whose military facilities
were targeted by Beijing. have been spotted over Hawaii, Florida,
In a news briefing Saturday, senior Texas and Guam — in addition to the one
“There has been great interest in this on Pentagon officials alluded to the PLA tracked last week. Three of the four
the part of our allies and partners,” said a program, noting that balloons had been instances took place during the Trump
operating elsewhere in the Western administration but were only recently
senior administration official.
Hemisphere. “These balloons are all part identified as Chinese surveillance
“Many of them recognize that they, too, of a PRC fleet of balloons developed to airships. Other balloons have been
may be vulnerable or susceptible to this conduct surveillance operations, which spotted in Latin America and allied
or an object of interest to the PRC,” the also violated the sovereignty of other countries in the Pacific, officials have
countries,” said one senior defense said.
official said, referring to the People’s
Republic of China. official. (Continued on Page 58)
