The Air Force general overseeing American air space admitted that the military had failed to identify multiple Chinese surveillance balloons that flew over the U.S. in the past, calling it a 'domain awareness gap.'
after it had floated across several states, raising concerns that China was collecting sensitive information on military sites.Chinese government surveillance balloons had flown above the continental U.S. four other times in recent years — three times while former president Donald Trump was in office, and once under Biden — "but never for this duration of time."I will tell you that we did not detect those threats," Air Force Gen. Glen D. VanHerck, head of U.S.
He said the most recent balloon — which China has claimed was a civilian weather airship — was "up to 200 feet tall" with a payload comparable to that of a "regional jet."VanHerck said that the U.S. "took maximum precaution to prevent" the balloon from collecting intelligence while it was above the country but declined to provide further details.
"We did not assess that it presented a significant collection hazard beyond what already exists in actionable technical means from the Chinese," he said. He also said the balloon provided the U.S. an opportunity to collect intelligence on its purpose, capabilities, and more.The balloon's presence over the U.S., which would have been the first trip to China for a top American diplomat in a half-dozen years.
The saga also prompted criticism of President Joe Biden from congressional Republicans, who accused him of acting too slowly to take down the balloon — but military leaders have said they delayed in part due to safety reasons.
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