Page 66 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - February 2023 Edition

66 Why Canada Didn’t Shoot China Balloon

When a suspected Chinese

spy balloon flew over
Canada, why didn't we

shoot it down?

Questions have been raised about
why Canada didn’t act when the

balloon was in our airspace

Amid all the suspicion and intrigue that's
been swirling around the Chinese spy
balloon are questions related specifically
to the time it was flying in Canadian

airspace.

The balloon was first sighted Jan. 28 as it
flew over Alaska, according to U.S.
Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, and it
flew over the Yukon and B.C.'s Interior
before returning to American airspace
over Montana. of the Canadian government, and the country was an opportunity to watch it
NORAD agreement makes NORAD an and gather our own intelligence about

Some Canadians — including opposition executor of that decision making. how it was doing — and what it was
party members and CBC readers — have doing," Clancy said.
questioned why this country didn't act So in this case, Clancy says as soon as the
sooner, why we didn't shoot it down balloon was identified over Alaska, NORAD commander VanHerck
ourselves, and whether Canada's military Canada would have been informed by the confirmed the move was strategic in the
was even capable of doing so. commander of NORAD, who would same Monday briefing.
inform "the hierarchies — political and
Should Canada have acted when military — of both governments in the "This gave us the opportunity to assess
United States and Canada what they were actually doing, what kind
it flew into Canadian airspace?
simultaneously." of capabilities existed on the balloon,
what kind of transmission capabilities
The short answer, according to military
And the decision as to how to react, he existed," he said.
experts, is no.
said, would be a "balance between
intelligence and operational security and VanHerck did not elaborate on what they
"To say that, oh, Canada should have shot
public safety." were able to learn, but Clancy says it
this balloon down on its own — that's just
could have included insight into their
silly," said University of Calgary history
NORAD commander U.S. Gen. Glen uses of technology.
professor and military historian David
VanHerck said there was some action
Bercuson.
taken when the balloon was over Canada. "It would be very interesting to know the
kind of emission devices that were
"That just completely ignores the fact that
"There was some speculation about a sending information back to China from
NORAD exists that we're part of it and
second one," he told reporters during a this balloon," Clancy said. "I think that's
have been part of it for almost 80 years
briefing Monday. "I launched NORAD going to be very indicative of some
now."
fighters, Canadian CF-18s, and we were things."
not able to corroborate any additional
NORAD is the North American
balloon." And, said Clancy, allowing the balloon to
Aerospace Defense Command,
continue to drift helped keep China a bit
responsible for aerospace warning,
Why was the balloon allowed to fly in in the dark.
aerospace control, and maritime warning.
North American airspace for as long as it
did? "In the early days, the predominant factor
Retired major general Scott Clancy, who
at play was trying to allow this to play out
at one point served as deputy commander
Both Clancy, the retired NORAD deputy so that the Chinese did not know whether
of the Alaskan NORAD Region, says
commander, and Bercuson say that once or not NORAD knew of — NORAD
while each country has sovereignty over
the balloon was deemed not to pose any being the United States and Canada —
its airspaces, "the binational command of
tactical threat to people on the ground, it knew of the presence of this balloon in
NORAD is both Canada and the United
actually offered up an opportunity for Canadian and U.S. airspace," he said.
States. It's not one or the other."
Canadians and Americans to gather
important information. (Continued on Page 67)
He said any decision to act within
Canadian airspace would be the purview
"Just having the balloon move across the