According to an NBC News report, the Biden administration initially had no plans to disclose the presence of a Chinese surveillance balloon that traversed North America earlier this year, as revealed by multiple former and current administration officials. The intention, before it became publicly known, was reportedly to observe the balloon's passage without informing the public or Congress, as shared by a former senior US official.
The revelation unfolded when the spy balloon was detected over Alaska, prompting Gen. Mark Milley, President Joe Biden's top military advisor, to engage in a conversation with North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) chief Glen VanHerck on January 27. During the call, Milley conveyed that the Pentagon aimed to dispatch F-22 jets and other aircraft to closely examine the spy balloon and comprehend its characteristics.
In response to the call, US military jets were mobilized to the location where the balloon was observed. Targeting pods were utilized to scrutinize the object, described as a sizable white orb equivalent to the size of three school buses, equipped with a substantial surveillance payload but lacking the capability to transmit information back to China, according to NBC News.
The report highlights that President Biden himself was unaware of the spy balloon incident until February 1, and the public only became informed on February 2 when multiple media outlets reported on the matter.
Acknowledging that the Chinese balloon program remained active, VanHerck admitted that the incident had "exposed significant gaps" in identifying potential threats. He remarked, "It exposed significant gaps, long-range gaps, for us to be able to see potential threats to the homeland. I think that opened the eyes of a lot of people."
Biden administration officials, as per the report, expressed frustration over the public outcry surrounding the spy balloon incident, emphasizing the perceived impact on US-China relations. One senior administration official was quoted stating, "It caused so many problems."
On February 4, US Air Force jets intercepted and downed the spy balloon over the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Carolina after its trajectory covered extensive parts of the US. Congressional members were briefed about the incident a few days later.
