Page 58 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - February 2023 Edition
P. 58
58 Balloon Part of Vast Aerial Spy Program
Chinese Balloon Part Of
Vast Aerial Surveillance
Program, U.S. Says
Continued from Page 57
President Biden directed that all sensitive
sites were protected from espionage,
“which was straightforward because we
could track the path of the balloon and
ensure no sensitive activities or
unencrypted communications would be
conducted in its vicinity,” said National
Security Council strategic
communications coordinator John Kirby.
“At the same time, we turned the tables
on China and collected against the
balloon, so that we would learn more
about China’s capabilities and
tradecraft.”
The spy balloon shot down Saturday first officials said.
Monitoring the recent balloon helped fill entered U.S. airspace over Alaska on Jan.
in gaps about the four others, officials 28. It crossed north of the Aleutian China has made significant use of
said. The U.S. military sent up fighter islands, back over mainland Alaska, over balloons to monitor targets on the ground,
jets and other aircraft over the past week Canada and then over northern Idaho last officials said. The balloons often don’t
to observe the airship. A Chinese spy week, but the Pentagon did not use the most cutting-edge technology —
balloon that crashed off the Hawaiian acknowledge its presence until NBC in most cases, the sensors aboard don’t
islands last June also yielded helpful News reported last Thursday that the capture more information than China
information, including about the nature Pentagon was tracking the balloon over could obtain with a satellite.
of the technology China is using, they Montana.
said. But balloons offer some advantages.
The resulting political uproar — some They can linger over a target for hours,
For instance, some of the balloons are Republicans slammed the Biden whereas a satellite orbiting Earth may
outfitted with electrooptical sensors or administration for not shooting down the have only minutes to snap a picture of its
digital cameras that, depending on their balloon sooner — led Secretary of State target. “If you have a balloon that’s
resolution, can capture highly precise Antony Blinken to postpone a trip to moving extremely slowly you have
images, officials said. They also are Beijing, an announcement made hours persistence that you can’t get from a
equipped with radio signal and satellite before his plane was set to take off. satellite,” said retired Air Force Lt. Gen.
transmission capability, they said. Charlie “Tuna” Moore, a former fighter
U.S. intelligence analysts have pilot who helped run operations out of
Hainan, one of the locations where retroactively identified as spy balloons NORAD and retired in October as deputy
officials said the balloons are based, is an objects that were previously deemed of U.S. Cyber Command.
island off the southern coast of China unidentified, according to U.S. officials.
that has long been a PLA command and New technologies have enabled the Analysts think the balloons, like drones,
control location. Though known more for detection of measurement and signature can be remotely piloted — at about 30 to
its naval facility, it features an airfield intelligence, or MASINT, which 60 mph, said one official. And because
that was the home base for the Chinese J- typically includes information about balloons float along high-altitude winds,
8 interceptor fighter jet that collided with radar or electromagnetic signals, such as their paths are less predictable and thus
an American EP-3 spy plane in 2001. those that might be emitted by more difficult to track. The balloons are
surveillance balloons. also much cheaper to produce and launch
In January, the U.S. military disclosed than space-based satellites.
what it characterized as an unsafe In some instances, the military and
maneuver in December by a Chinese intelligence communities have been able Some of the balloons have been launched
fighter jet that U.S. military officials said to say that they originated in particular from China on flight paths that took them
flew too close to an American countries, including China, the officials around the entire globe, officials said.
reconnaissance aircraft in international said.
airspace near the island. The Chinese J- Officials noted that China’s Ministry of
11 fighter pulled within 20 feet of the The retroactive discovery of the Chinese Foreign Affairs was apparently caught by
American plane’s nose, “forcing the RC- balloons helps explain why senior surprise and was chagrined to see
135 to take evasive maneuvers to avoid a defense officials serving in the Trump Blinken cancel his visit.
collision,” U.S. Indo-Pacific Command administration were not aware of the
said in a statement. incursions during their time in office, (Continued on Page 59)
