The Chinese spy balloon that traversed the continental United States for several days before being shot down off the coast of South Carolina prompted officials to release more information about past sightings.
Since the discovery by the public of the suspected surveillance device over Montana last week, the Pentagon revealed that there have been at least four incidents involving Chinese spy balloons. Here are some of the top unanswered questions remaining.
US MILITARY HAS RECOVERED ‘SOME REMNANTS’ OF CHINESE SPY BALLOON
How do defense officials know that balloons crossed into U.S. airspace?
Officials have said they are able to monitor the balloon’s entry into U.S. airspace, but they haven’t fully explained their methods. Department of Defense officials have kept the ways they can monitor the balloons classified.
Officials said that they did monitor the balloon from when it entered into U.S. airspace from Alaska and when it reentered U.S. airspace on Jan. 31 near northern Idaho. The Pentagon said it did not shoot it down sooner due to the risk of damage to people and property on the ground.
When did officials learn about previous instances?
It is not clear when the Department of Defense learned of previous intrusions, but we know that officials have said they observed balloons enter U.S. airspace on at least four occasions. U.S. officials reportedly confirmed that another balloon crashed near Hawaii four months ago, Fox News reported on Sunday.
Why were Trump officials unaware of previous balloons?
When pressed about other Chinese balloons, officials from the Trump administration, ranging from former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe to former President Donald Trump, denied any instances of intrusions during their time in office. Officials in the current Department of Defense have contradicted these officials, saying there were three previous instances under the Trump administration in which a Chinese balloon crossed into U.S. airspace.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that the Pentagon was only aware of the previous balloons after President Joe Biden came into office, citing that as the reason that Trump officials were not informed of the incidents.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) called for an investigation on Monday into the matter.
What information can be gather from the debris?
The Pentagon said it hopes to understand what China was doing with the balloon by examining the debris it is retrieving from the Atlantic Ocean. So far, the payload has been described as being the size of a regional jet airplane, and officials have conducted the search with caution due to the risk of there being explosives on the balloon.
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The balloon’s intrusion into U.S. airspace caused Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel his trip to China, with Blinken telling the press on Friday that “conditions were not conducive for a constructive visit at this time.”
The Chinese have denied any wrongdoing, insisting the balloon was a civilian aircraft used for meteorological purposes and that it simply veered off its course. China said it “strongly disapproves” of its balloon being shot down.
