UPDATE 2/9/2023: The balloon had equipment that was "clearly for intelligence surveillance," including "multiple antennas" that were "likely capable of collecting and geo-locating communications," according to a statement by a senior State Department official. The official said the balloon is likely part of a huge aerial spy program operated by the Chinese military that has targeted more than 40 countries on five continents with high-altitude surveillance balloons similar to one the U.S. shot down. More to Come.
UPDATE 2/5/2023: Pentagon officials have made clear that they plan to collect every piece of debris that Navy divers can retrieve, for America’s own intelligence purposes. Once the debris is collected, the Pentagon is expected to hand it over to be studied by various federal intelligence and law enforcement agencies.
UPDATE 2/4/2023: Joe Biden approved the balloon's downing; it was a proposal proposed and backed by US military authorities, a US official previously told CNN.
Feb. 4, 2023, US Fighter jets shot down the giant white balloon off the Carolina coast after it traversed sensitive military sites across North America and became the latest flashpoint in tensions between Washington and Beijing.
In the immediate term, there's the debris field to scour – across an area spread over seven miles, according to a senior military official. There's also the matter of a second surveillance balloon tracked over Central and South America that bears similar technical characteristics to the one that flew over the US, a senior US administration official told CNN over the weekend.
The US is currently tracking a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been tracked flying over sensitive sites in recent days. Defense officials said they were confident the "high-altitude surveillance balloon" belonged to China. It was most recently seen above the western state of Montana. The military decided against shooting it down in case of debris fell. China warned against speculation and "hype" until the facts were verified. ET.[3]
At the start of this story: Pilots flying at high altitudes have spotted the suspected Chinese spy balloon as it drifts over the central United States. “Derelict balloon adrift,” noted the crew of a Cessna Citation private jet in a weather report, which came into the Federal Aviation Administration around 11:30 a.m. ET.[1]
Military analysts have suggested that this may be a test for a potential attack. An EMP releases huge waves of electromagnetic energy. The platform can act as a giant moving magnet, and the charge can cause electrons in a nearby wire, which induces a current. The EMP brings a huge burst of energy and can cause power surges to any electronic equipment in range.[2]
Balloons are one of the oldest forms of surveillance technology. Compared to other air surveillance devices, they can be operated cheaply without personnel while remaining airborne for long periods. The first recorded use of balloons by military forces came in 1794 when the French Committee of Public Safety created the Corps d’ Aerostiers. These balloons were sporadically used for reconnaissance during the French Revolutionary Wars, seeing action during the battles of Charleroi and Fleurus. Nearly 70 years later, balloons were still used for similar military purposes during the American Civil War.
The innocent-looking high-altitude surveillance balloon flew over Alaska's Aleutian Islands and through Canada before appearing over the city of Billings in Montana on 01 February 2023, US officials said. A senior defense official said the government prepared fighter jets, including F-22s, in case the White House ordered the object to be shot down.
Canada said on 03 February 2023 that it was monitoring "a potential second incident" involving a surveillance balloon but did not say which country could be behind it. It said in the statement that it is working closely with the US to "safeguard Canada's sensitive information from foreign intelligence threats."
Top military leaders, including Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and General Mark Milley, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff to assess the threat. The military leaders advised against taking "kinetic action" against the balloon because of the danger that falling debris might pose to people on the ground. And decided to do nothing. What could possibly be damaged by falling debris in Montana? Military analysts should take the opportunity to inspect the payload.
The State of Montana, a sparsely populated state, is home to one of only three nuclear missile silo fields in the country, at Malmstrom Air Force Base, and the official said the apparent spycraft was flying over sensitive sites to collect information. Officials refrained from giving information about the exact size of the balloon but described it as "sizeable," with reports of pilots being able to see it, even from a distance. US media have reported another US official comparing it to the size of three buses.
A spokesman from the Department of Defense said there was no "significantly enhanced threat" of US intelligence being compromised because American officials "know exactly where this balloon is and exactly where it's passing over." And there was also no threat to civilian aviation as the balloon was "significantly" above the altitude used by commercial airlines.
The statement added that the balloon is unlikely to give much more information than China can already collect using satellites. The US had raised the matter with Chinese officials in their embassy in Washington DC and in Beijing, officials added. China's foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Beijing is currently attempting to verify the reports of the surveillance balloon, adding that "until the facts are clear, making conjectures and hyping up the issue will not help to resolve it properly. China is a responsible country and always abides strictly by international law. We have no intention of violating the territory or airspace of any sovereign country," she said.
During the 02 February 2023 briefing at the Pentagon, officials declined to disclose the aircraft's current location and did not give information on where it was launched from. They added that such surveillance balloons had been tracked in the past several years, but this one was "appearing to hang out for a longer period of time this time around."
The sight of the balloon confused social media users in Montana, with some posting images of a pale round object high in the sky. Others reported seeing US military planes in the area, apparently monitoring the object. A Billings, MT office worker Chase Doak told the Associated Press news agency that he noticed the "big white circle in the sky" and went home to get a better camera. "I thought maybe it was a legitimate UFO," he said. "So I wanted to ensure I documented it and took as many photos as possible." Montana Governor Greg Gianforte, a Republican, said in a statement that he had been briefed on the "deeply troubling" situation.
Chinese state media site the Global Times accused the US of aggravating tensions between China and the US by frequently creating a Cold War atmosphere. It is also being widely discussed on Chinese social media, with many amused at the reported use of balloons for surveillance. "We have so many satellites. Why would we need to use a balloon," wrote one user on Weibo. Maybe the balloon’s appearance and lack of action by the DoD has a different purpose?
Senator Marco Rubio, the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, slammed China's alleged balloon. "The level of espionage aimed at our country by Beijing has grown dramatically more intense & brazen over the last five years," he tweeted. Speaking at an unrelated event in Washington DC on 2 February, CIA Director William Burns made no mention of the balloon but called China the "biggest geopolitical challenge" currently facing the US.
Red Sky Alliance is a Cyber Threat Analysis and Intelligence Service organization. For questions, comments, or assistance, please get in touch with the office directly at 1-844-492-7225, or feedback@wapacklabs.com
Weekly Cyber Intelligence Briefings:
- Reporting: https://www. redskyalliance. org/
- Website: https://www. wapacklabs. com/
- LinkedIn: https://www. linkedin. com/company/64265941
Weekly Cyber Intelligence Briefings:
REDSHORTS - Weekly Cyber Intelligence Briefings
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5504229295967742989
[1] https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/suspected-chinese-balloon-us/index.html
[2] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64507225
[3] https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/politics/2023/february/us-downs-chinese-balloon-over-ocean-moves-to-recover-debris
Comments