US News: Initial classified balloon report wasn’t flagged as urgent, drawing criticism
US News: Initial classified balloon report wasn’t flagged as urgent. It has been drawing all the criticism. Check the full details of the issue here.
The day before a suspected Chinese spy balloon entered US airspace over Alaska, the Defense Intelligence Agency circulated an internal report indicating that a foreign object was headed towards US territory. The report, also known as a “tipper”, was distributed through classified channels accessible across the US government, but it wasn’t flagged as an urgent warning. Despite being seen by top defense and intelligence officials, the report wasn’t immediately viewed as alarming. Instead, the US viewed the object as an opportunity to observe and collect intelligence. It wasn’t until the balloon entered Alaskan airspace and took a sharp turn south that officials believed it was on a course to cross over the continental US, potentially with the mission of spying on the mainland. This timeline of events helps to explain why US defense officials declined to act before the balloon had crossed over US territory, which has become a political flashpoint on Capitol Hill, with some Republicans criticizing the administration for not sounding the alarm sooner.
“Our government knew a Chinese military spy balloon was going to enter the airspace over the continental U.S. at least TWO DAYS BEFORE it happened Yet they failed to act to stop it,” Sen. Marco Rubio, the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, tweeted on Wednesday. “Biden must disclose to Americans when they knew the spay [sic] balloon was headed towards the U.S. & explain why they didn’t stop it.”
Officials who were privy to the DIA’s internal report acknowledge that the balloon was not perceived as a pressing concern until it was already flying over the US, despite new information emerging about the US’s knowledge of Chinese spy balloons. During a confidential briefing on Tuesday, Senate staff pressed military officials for information about who was aware of the situation and when. In response, Rubio and Senator Roger Wicker, the lead Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, sent a letter to President Biden’s top defense and intelligence officials questioning the administration’s decision-making process once the balloon entered Alaska’s airspace.
CNN reported that officials who were monitoring the balloon’s path identified it as being part of a well-known aerial surveillance operation conducted by the Chinese military. This operation, according to the report, has been carried out in many locations worldwide, including several flights close to or within US airspace. CNN also mentioned a military intelligence report from April 2022, which disclosed that the US had monitored earlier flights of similar balloons. The report stated that it was only when the balloon changed direction and headed south that US officials started considering the possibility of shooting it down. According to a senior US official, this sudden change in the balloon’s trajectory was what made it “strange.”
Scrambling fighter jets
On January 28th, when the balloon was detected in US airspace near Alaska, NORAD sent fighter jets to confirm its identity. According to defense officials, this indicated a heightened level of concern. However, US officials monitoring the balloon still did not view it as a threat, as they expected it to follow a northern trajectory and fly over Alaska where they could track and study it. However, the balloon’s sudden turn south alarmed officials. By January 31st, the balloon had left Canada and entered the Lower 48, causing further concern as it was seen hovering over sensitive military facilities. This confirmed the belief that the balloon was sent by the Chinese government for the purpose of spying on the mainland US, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the intelligence.
The extent to which China manipulated the balloon’s journey remains a topic of discussion. Although the balloon was fitted with propellers and a rudder to steer its course, much like a sailboat, according to a high-ranking US official, it primarily relied on the jet stream for its trajectory. This is one of the reasons why US officials were able to forecast its route over the US.
Who knew what when
The situation surrounding the suspected Chinese spy balloon was not brought to the attention of senior administration officials, including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, until January 28 when it entered Alaskan airspace. President Biden was not informed until three days later, on January 31, after the balloon had crossed into the continental United States. Upon receiving the news, Biden requested that the military provide options to shoot down the balloon immediately, according to officials.
The Behind-the-Scenes Story of How Biden Handled the Chinese Spy Balloon Controversy
According to military sources, it is common for the President not to receive briefings on certain issues until later on, which was the case with the Chinese spy balloon incident. Reports sent out by the DIA are regularly disseminated through government channels, but whether or not these reports are read and included in briefings for high-level policymakers is at the discretion of the individuals involved. A senior US official stated that some organizations may consider sending an email as sufficient notification.
Unanswered questions
As details about the administration’s handling of the Chinese spy balloon incident continue to emerge, Congress has taken notice and expressed concern. A Senate Republican aide told CNN that there are still many questions to be asked regarding the balloon’s passage over Alaska and why it was deemed acceptable to let it travel over that state without informing anyone, but not over the continental US.
Some Republican lawmakers have questioned why the Biden administration didn’t shoot down the balloon before it reached the mainland, either while it was flying over Alaska or sooner. However, military and intelligence officials told CNN that they didn’t know the balloon was going to turn south into the Lower 48 until it was already over Alaska, and they believed it didn’t pose a significant threat to the US and instead presented a valuable intelligence-gathering opportunity.
NORAD Commander General Glen VanHerck stated that domain awareness was in place as the balloon approached Alaska, but he deemed it not to be a physical military threat to North America, and therefore couldn’t take immediate action due to its lack of hostile actions or intent.
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Once the balloon was over US territory, officials considered the potential intelligence it could provide to outweigh the risks of shooting it down over land. The US sent U-2 spy planes to track the balloon’s progress, with one pilot taking a now legendary selfie in the cockpit, showing both the pilot and the surveillance balloon.
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