Military finishes recovering Chinese balloon debris

FEBRUARY 17, 2023:

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. has finished efforts to recover the remnants of the large balloon that was shot down off the coast of South Carolina, and analysis of the debris so far reinforces conclusions that it was a Chinese spy balloon, U.S. officials said Friday (Feb. 17, 2023).

Officials said the U.S. believes that Navy, Coast Guard and FBI personnel collected all of the balloon debris off the ocean floor, which included key equipment from the payload that could reveal what information it was able to monitor and collect.

U.S. Northern Command said in a statement that the recovery operations ended Thursday and the final pieces are on their way to the FBI lab in Virginia for analysis. It said air and maritime restrictions off South Carolina have been lifted.

The announcement capped three dramatic weeks that saw U.S. fighter jets shoot down four airborne objects — the large Chinese balloon on Feb. 4 and three much smaller objects about a week later over Canada, Alaska and Lake Huron. They are the first known peacetime shootdowns of unauthorized objects in U.S. airspace.

The officials also said the search for the small airborne object that was shot down over Lake Huron has stopped, and nothing has been recovered. U.S. officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations. The U.S. and Canada have also failed to recover any debris so far from the other two objects which were shot down over the Yukon and northern Alaska.

While the military is confident the balloon shot down off South Carolina was a surveillance airship operated by China, the Biden administration has admitted that the three smaller objects were likely civilian-owned balloons that were targeted during the heightened response, after U.S. homeland defense radars were recalibrated to detect slower moving airborne items.

Due to their small size and the remote areas where they were shot down, officials acknowledge that recovering any debris is difficult and probably unlikely. Those last two searches, however, have not been formally called off.

Much of the Chinese balloon fell into about 50 feet (15 meters) of water, and the Navy was able to collect remnants floating on the surface, and divers and unmanned naval vessels pulled up the rest from the bottom of the ocean. Northern Command said Friday that all of the Navy and Coast Guard ships have left the area.

 

FEBRUARY 16, 2023, UPDATE:

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden says the U.S. is developing “sharper rules” to track, monitor and potentially shoot down unknown aerial objects. This follows three weeks of high-stakes drama sparked by the discovery of a suspected Chinese spy balloon transiting much of the country. Biden has directed national security adviser Jake Sullivan to lead an “interagency team” to review U.S. procedures after the downing of the Chinese balloon, as well as three other objects that the U.S. now believes are most likely “benign.” Biden said Thursday (Feb. 16, 2023) he hopes the new rules will help “distinguish between those that are likely to pose safety and security risks that necessitate action and those that do not.”

 

FEBRUARY 16, 2023:

BEIJING (AP) — The foreign affairs committee of China’s ceremonial parliament is accusing American lawmakers of trampling on the sovereignty of other nations after the United States passed a measure condemning a suspected Chinese spy balloon’s intrusion into U.S. airspace. The Chinese statement issued Thursday (Feb. 16, 2023) repeated Beijing’s insistence that the object was an unmanned civilian weather research balloon. The U.S. has dismissed that claim citing the balloon’s flight route and payload of surveillance equipment. On Wednesday, China’s Foreign Ministry said it will take measures against U.S. entities somehow related to the downing of the balloon, without giving details.

 

FEBRUARY 15, 2023:

BEIJING (AP) — China says it will enact measures against U.S. entities related to the downing of a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the American East Coast. The Foreign Ministry spokesperson gave no details and did not identify the targets of the measures. China says the balloon was a unmanned weather airship that had flown off course. Since bringing it down on Fe. 4, 2023, the United States has sanctioned six Chinese entities it said are linked to Beijing’s aerospace programs. The U.S. House of Representatives also condemned China for a “brazen violation” of U.S. sovereignty. U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel said in Tokyo that the Chinese balloon’s intrusion was part of a pattern of aggressive behavior by Beijing and not an isolated incident.

 

FEBRUARY 10, 2023:

Extended version:

 

FEBRUARY 9, 2023, UPDATE:

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration says the China balloon shot down by the U.S. was equipped to collect intelligence signals as part of a huge, military-linked aerial spy program that has targeted more than 40 countries. In a statement Thursday (Feb. 9, 2023), the administration cited imagery of the balloon from American U-2 spy planes. Meanwhile, the U.S. House voted unanimously to condemn China’s actions. The administration statement from a senior State Department official offered the most detail to date linking China’s People’s Liberation Army to the balloon that traversed the United States. The public details are meant to refute China’s persistent denials of wrongdoing, including a claim Thursday that U.S. accusations about the balloon amount to “information warfare” against Beijing.

FEBRUARY 9, 2023:

BEIJING (AP) — China says U.S. accusations that a downed Chinese balloon was part of an extensive surveillance program amount to “information warfare against China.” The Pentagon on Wednesday (Feb. 8, 2023) said the Chinese balloon shot down off the South Carolina coast was part of a program that China has been operating for “several years.” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning on Thursday repeated China’s insistence that the large unmanned balloon was a civilian meteorological airship that had accidentally blown off course and that the U.S. had overreacted by shooting it down on Saturday. U.S. officials have dismissed the possibility that it was anything other than a balloon intended for military spying purposes and are recovering wreckage from the ocean for analysis.

 

FEBRUARY 7, 2023, UPDATE:

WASHINGTON (AP) — Using underwater drones, warships and inflatable vessels, the Navy is carrying out an extensive operation to gather all of the pieces of the massive Chinese spy balloon a U.S. fighter jet shot down off the coast of South Carolina on Saturday (Feb. 4, 2023).

In the newest images released by the Navy on Tuesday (Feb. 7, 2023), sailors from Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 are seen leaning over a rigid hull inflatable boat and pulling in broad swaths of the balloon’s white outer fabric and shell structure.

The head of U.S. Northern Command, Gen. Glen VanHerck, said Monday the teams were taking precautions to safeguard against the chance any part of the balloon was rigged with explosives.

The balloon was an estimated 200 feet (60 meters) tall and was carrying a long sensor package underneath, which VanHerck estimated was the size of a small regional jet.

The Navy is also using ships to map and scan the sea floor for all remaining parts of the balloon, so U.S. analysts can get a full picture of what types of sensors the Chinese were using and to better understand how the balloon was able to maneuver.

The balloon debris is scattered in waters that are about 50 feet (15 meters) deep, but stretch across an area 15 football fields long and 15 football fields across, VanHerck said.

FEBRUARY 7, 2023:

WASHINGTON (AP) — Monday (Feb. 6, 2023) was supposed to be a day of modest hope in the U.S.-China relationship. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was going to be in Beijing, meeting with President Xi Jinping and other senior Chinese officials in a high-stakes bid to ease ever-rising tensions between the world’s two largest economies. Instead, Blinken was spending the day in Washington after abruptly cancelling his visit late last week as the U.S. and China exchanged angry words about a suspected Chinese spy balloon the U.S. shot down. As fraught as the US-China relationship had been before, it’s worse now. Even as both sides maintain they will manage the situation in a calm and professional manner, the mutual recriminations bode ill for rapprochement.

 

FEBRUARY 6, 2023:

BEIJING (AP) — China has accused the United States of indiscriminate use of force in shooting down a suspected Chinese spy balloon, saying it seriously damaged both sides’ efforts to stabilize Sino-U.S. relations. Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng says he lodged a formal complaint with the U.S. Embassy over the use of military force on the balloon. Xie repeated China’s insistence that the balloon was an unmanned Chinese civil airship that blew into U.S. airspace by mistake. He called the U.S. response an overreaction that “seriously violated the spirit of international law.” The presence of the balloon above the U.S. dealt a severe blow to already strained U.S.-Chinese relations.

 

FEBRUARY 5, 2023:

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP) — The downing of a suspected Chinese spy balloon just off South Carolina’s coast created a spectacle over one of the state’s tourism hubs that drew reactions ranging from bewilderment to cheers. The balloon was struck by a missile from an F-22 fighter just off Myrtle Beach, fascinating sky-watchers across a populous area known as the Grand Strand for its miles of beaches that draw retirees and vacationers. Crowds gathered in neighborhoods, hotel parking lots and beaches to watch the balloon hover, with some cheering just after it went down. The festive mood belied the seriousness of the situation, with law enforcement around the county of 366,000 warning people not to touch any debris and to instead call dispatchers.

FEBRUARY 4, 2023:

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is considering a plan to shoot down a large Chinese balloon suspected of conducting surveillance on U.S. military. It would be brought down once it is above the Atlantic Ocean where the remnants could potentially be recovered. That’s according to four U.S. officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive operation. They said it was unclear whether a final decision had yet been made by President Joe Biden. In a brief remark Saturday in response to a reporter’s question about the balloon, Biden said: “We’re going to take care of it.”The balloon was spotted Saturday morning  (Feb. 3, 2023) over North Carolina as it neared the Atlantic coast.

 

FEBRUARY 3, 2023:

WASHINGTON (AP) — The massive white orb drifting across U.S. airspace has triggered a diplomatic maelstrom and is blowing up on social media. The Pentagon says it’s a Chinese spy balloon and that its presence led Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel a trip to China that was aimed at easing tensions between the countries. China says the balloon is just an errant civilian airship used mainly for meteorological research and that it went off course due to winds. China also says the balloon has only limited “self-steering” capabilities. But there are a lot of unanswered questions at this point, including whether to let it continue flying. For now, the Pentagon is just monitoring the balloon’s path.

WASHINGTON (AP) — What in the world is that thing?

The massive white orb drifting across across U.S. airspace has triggered a diplomatic maelstrom and is blowing up on social media.

China insists the balloon is just an errant civilian airship used mainly for meteorological research that went off course due to winds and has only limited “self-steering” capabilities.

The United States says it is a Chinese spy balloon without a doubt. Its presence prompted Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel a weekend trip to China that was aimed at dialing down tensions that were already high between the countries.

The Pentagon says the balloon, which is carrying sensors and surveillance equipment, is maneuverable and has shown it can change course. It has loitered over sensitive areas of Montana where nuclear warheads are siloed, leading the military to take actions to prevent it from collecting intelligence.

A Pentagon spokesman said it could remain aloft over the U.S. for “a few days,” extending uncertainty about where it will go or if the U.S. will try to safely take it down. And late Friday, the Defense Department acknowledged reports of a balloon flying over Latin America — assessed as “another Chinese surveillance balloon.”

A look at what’s known about the balloon crossing the U.S. — and what isn’t.

IT’S A BIRD, IT’S A PLANE, IT’S A … SPY BALLOON

The Pentagon and other U.S. officials say it’s a Chinese spy balloon — about the size of three school buses — moving east over America at an altitude of about 60,000 feet (18,600 meters). The U.S. says it was being used for surveillance and intelligence collection, but officials have provided few details.

U.S. officials says the Biden administration was aware of it even before it crossed into American airspace in Alaska early this past week. A number of officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive topic.

The White House said that President Joe Biden was first briefed on the balloon on Tuesday. The State Department said Blinken and Deputy Secretary Wendy Sherman spoke with China’s senior Washington-based official on Wednesday evening about the matter.

In the first public U.S. statement, Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said Thursday evening that the balloon was not a military or physical threat — an acknowledgement that it was not carrying weapons. He said that “once the balloon was detected, the U.S. government acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information.”

Even if the balloon is not armed, it poses a risk to the U.S., said retired Army Gen. John Ferrari, a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. The flight itself, he said, can be used to test America’s ability to detect incoming threats and to find holes in the country’s air defense warning system. It may also allow the Chinese to sense electromagnetic emissions that higher-altitude satellites cannot detect, such as low-power radio frequencies that could help them understand how different U.S. weapons systems communicate.

He said the Chinese may have sent the balloon “to show us that they can do it, and maybe next time it could have a weapon. So now we have to spend money and time on it” developing defenses.

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LET IT FLY? SHOOT IT DOWN?

According to senior administration officials, Biden initially wanted to shoot the balloon down. Some members of Congress have echoed that sentiment.

But Pentagon leaders strongly advised Biden against that move because of risks to the safety of people on the ground, and Biden agreed.

One official said the sensor package the balloon is carrying weighs as much as 1,000 pounds. The balloon is large enough and high enough in the air that the potential debris field could stretch for miles, with no control over where it would eventually land.

For now, officials said the U.S. will monitor it, using “a variety of methods” including aircraft. The Pentagon has said the balloon isn’t a military threat and doesn’t give China any surveillance capabilities it doesn’t already have with spy satellites.

But the U.S. is keeping its options open.

Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, suggested that it could be valuable to try and capture the balloon to study it. “I would much rather own a Chinese surveillance balloon than be cleaning one up over a 100-square-mile debris field,” said Himes, D-Conn.

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HOW DID IT GET HERE?

Deliberate or an accident? There’s also disagreement.

As far as wind patterns go, China’s account that global air currents — winds known as the Westerlies — carried the balloon from its territory to the western United States is plausible, said Dan Jaffe, a professor of atmospheric chemistry at the University of Washington. Jaffe has studied the role those same wind patterns play in carrying air pollution from Chinese cities, wildfire smoke from Siberia and dust from Gobi Desert sand storms to the U.S. for two decades.

“It’s entirely consistent with everything we know about the winds,” Jaffe said. “Transit time from China to the United States would be about a week.” “The higher it goes, the faster it goes,” Jaffe said. He said that weather and research balloons typically have a range of steering capability depending on their sophistication, from no steering at all to limited steering ability.

The U.S. is largely mum on this issue, but insists the balloon is maneuverable, suggesting that China in some way deliberately moved the balloon toward or into U.S. airspace.

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SPY BALLOONS HAVE A HISTORY

Spy balloons aren’t new — primitive ones date back centuries, but they came into greater use in World War II. Administration officials said Friday that there have been other similar incidents of Chinese spy balloons, with one saying it happened twice during the Trump administration but was never made public.

The Pentagon’s Ryder confirmed there have been other incidents where balloons came close to or crossed over the U.S. border, but he and others agree that what makes this different is the length of time it’s been over U.S. territory and how far into the country it penetrated.

Craig Singleton, a senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, said Chinese surveillance balloons have been sighted on numerous occasions over the past five years in different parts of the Pacific, including near sensitive U.S. military installations in Hawaii. The high altitude inflatables, he said, serve as low-cost platforms to collect intelligence and some can reportedly be used to detect hypersonic missiles.

During World War II, Japan launched thousands of hydrogen balloons carrying bombs, and hundreds ended up in the U.S. and Canada. Most were ineffective, but one was lethal. In May 1945, six civilians died when they found one of the balloons on the ground in Oregon, and it exploded.

In the aftermath of the war, America’s own balloon effort ignited the alien stories and lore linked to Roswell, New Mexico.

According to military research documents and studies, the U.S. began using giant trains of balloons and sensors that were strung together and stretching more than 600 feet as part of an early effort to detect Soviet missile launches during the post-World War II era. They called it Project Mogul.

One of the balloon trains crash-landed at the Roswell Army Airfield in 1947, and Air Force personnel who were not aware of the program found debris. The unusual experimental equipment made it difficult to identify, leaving the airmen with unanswered questions that over time —aided by UFO enthusiasts — took on a life of their own. The simple answer, according to the military reports, was just over the Sacramento Mountains at the Project Mogul launch site in Alamogordo.

In 2015, an unmanned Army surveillance blimp broke loose from its mooring at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland and floated over Pennsylvania for hours with two fighter jets on its tail, triggering blackouts as it dragged its tether across power lines. As residents gawked, the 240-foot blimp came down in pieces in the Muncy, Pennsylvania, countryside. It still had helium in its nose when it fell, and state police used shotguns — about 100 shots — to deflate it.