Senior military and national security officials in the United States have confirmed that a Chinese spy balloon that was initially described as just a “weather balloon” was actually part of a massive global surveillance operation run by the Chinese military, which culminated in its eventual interception over American skylines by our own Air Force.
Prior to last week’s high-profile rogue balloon episode, the Department of Defense admitted on Wednesday that it has been surreptitiously monitoring Chinese spy activities for some time.
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“We are now learning more about the scale of this Chinese balloon surveillance program, which U.S. Intelligence and the Pentagon have been observing for several years,” said Ryder. “Our awareness and understanding of this capability has increased.”
A complex Chinese espionage operation has reportedly been underway since 2018, with sightings of balloon-borne eavesdropping equipment on five continents revealing the breadth of its operations.
“When you look at the scope of this program – operating over at least five continents in regions like Latin America, South America, Southeast Asia, East Asia, and Europe – again, it demonstrates why, for the Department of Defense, that China remains the pacing challenge and something that we’ll continue to stay focused on,” Ryder said.
Unbelievably, it was discovered that a Chinese surveillance balloon had fallen into the Pacific Ocean not far from Hawaii four months before. Evidence that identical balloons were launched over US territory under the Trump administration, including in Texas, Florida, and Guam, is much more frightening.
When opposed to more expensive satellite equipment, retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Charlie “Tuna” Moore has highlighted the significant benefits of spy balloons as an alternative.
“If you have a balloon that’s moving extremely slowly you have persistence that you can’t get from a satellite,” Moore noted that satellites will only have a little window of time to capture images of their intended destinations.
The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China is using cutting-edge balloons to conduct surveillance off the coast of Hainan Island, which is situated in the South China Sea. They want to increase their geopolitical might by this audacious operation and hope to gather useful information on key countries like Japan, India, and the Philippines.
