On Saturday, the U.S. military took down a Chinese balloon believed to be a spy aircraft off the Carolina coast, which had flown over sensitive military locations in North America. Earlier in the week, President Biden had wished for the balloon to be shot down but was informed that the optimal time would be when the balloon was over water. Shooting it down from 60,000 feet over land would put those on the ground at risk.
China has responded to the U.S. action by insisting that the flyover was an accident involving a civilian aircraft and has threatened repercussions. The country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement saying they “will resolutely uphold the relevant company’s legitimate rights and interests, and at the same time reserving the right to take further actions in response.” China’s Ministry of Defense echoed this statement, saying it “reserves the right to take necessary measures to deal with similar situations.”
The appearance of the balloon in U.S. skies has dealt a severe blow to already strained U.S.-Chinese relations, which have been in a downward spiral for years. Secretary of State Antony Blinken even canceled a high-stakes Beijing trip aimed at easing tensions. President Biden commented on the operation, saying, “They successfully took it down and I want to compliment our aviators who did it.”
The large white sphere was initially seen over the Carolinas on Saturday morning as it moved towards the Atlantic coast. An F-22 fighter plane shot a missile at the balloon, causing it to burst approximately 6 nautical miles from the coast near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The resulting debris fell into 47 feet of water and spread over approximately seven miles. A recovery operation was initiated with multiple ships involved and is expected to be completed promptly.
The U.S. military and defense officials stated that a balloon entered the U.S. air defense area north of the Aleutian Islands on 28th January and traveled over land from Alaska to Canadian airspace in the Northwest Territories on Monday. It re-entered U.S. airspace over northern Idaho on Tuesday, and the White House reported that President Biden was briefed on it that day.
On Wednesday, the balloon was spotted flying over Montana, home to the Malmstrom Air Force Base that houses nuclear missile silos. Two anonymous senior defense officials informed reporters that the U.S. military collected intelligence on the balloon as it traveled over the country, giving them several days to study its movements and capabilities.
The officials stated that the U.S. military continually assessed potential threats and determined that the technology on the balloon did not provide China with significant intelligence that couldn’t already be obtained through satellites. Although steps were taken to mitigate the information gathered, Republicans criticized the Biden administration’s response.
Senator Roger Wicker from Mississippi, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, declared that “allowing a spy balloon from the Communist Party of China to travel across the entire continental United States before contesting its presence is a disastrous projection of weakness by the White House.”
Senator Thom Tillis from North Carolina tweeted that the Biden administration must provide answers on their decision-making process and that the U.S. must be better prepared for future incursions by the CCP. On the other hand, Senator Lindsey Graham from South Carolina thanked the U.S. military for shooting down the balloon and praised the Biden administration for doing the right thing.
According to China, the balloon was a weather research airship blown off course. The Pentagon quickly dismissed this claim and China’s assertion that it was not being used for surveillance and had limited navigational abilities.
