‘FIVE CONTINENTS, 40 COUNTRIES’: In public and private briefings on Capitol Hill yesterday, lawmakers were briefed on the extent of a Chinese balloon espionage program that has operated around the globe for years with apparent impunity.
“This activity was undertaken in recent years, across five continents — 40 countries who had their sovereignty violated,” said State Department spokesman Ned Price after a senior official released new details about last week’s balloon incursion, including the extent of the balloon spy operations.
”I’ll let other countries speak to balloons that may have traversed their airspace,” said Price, “But what I can say broadly is President Biden ordered his team to do all we can to step up our capabilities to be sensitive to threats like Chinese espionage, Chinese surveillance, Chinese spying.”
In a statement, the senior State Department official said the spy operations are conducted under the direction of China’s People’s Liberation Army, using technology from a manufacturer that has “a direct relationship with China’s military and is an approved vendor of the PLA.”
“The company also advertises balloon products on its website and hosts videos from past flights, which appear to have overflown at least U.S. airspace and airspace of other countries,” the senior official said. “These advertised balloon videos seemingly have similar flight patterns as the balloons we have been discussing this week.”
CHINESE BALLOON WAS DESIGNED FOR INTELLIGENCE SURVEILLANCE, NOT WEATHER, US SAYS
BARELY CONTROLLED ANGER: There was widespread dissatisfaction among lawmakers of both parties with the explanations provided by Pentagon officials for the failure to take immediate action when the balloon vitiated U.S. airspace on Jan. 28, with much of the frustration displayed behind closed doors, but some spilling out in public hearings.
“As an Alaskan, I am so angry. I want to use other words but I’m not going to. The fact of the matter is, Alaska is the first line of defense for America, right?” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) at a hastily-called meeting of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense. “It’s like this administration doesn’t think that Alaska is any part of the rest of the country here … Seems to me the clear message to China is, ‘we’ve got free range in Alaska,’ because they’re going to let us cruise over that until it gets to more sensitive areas.”
“We don’t understand. We don’t understand because quite frankly we have been briefed in this committee over and over and over again about the risks that China poses both economically and militarily,” fumed Chairman Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), who had called Pentagon officials before the subcommittee to explain the decision to wait a week before shooting down the balloon. “In Montana, for example, we have some pretty important military assets that we use as a deterrent,” Tester said. “You guys have to help me understand why this baby wasn’t taken out long before. Because I am telling you that this ain’t the last time.”
MTG SAYS SHE TORE BIDEN OFFICIALS ‘TO PIECES’ IN BRIEFING ON CHINESE BALLOON
‘WE THINK BEFORE WE SHOOT’: The Pentagon officials who testified in open session and briefed lawmakers privately afterward insisted that an immediate showdown would have been risky and unnecessary.
Melissa Dalton, assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense and hemispheric affairs, argued bringing the balloon down over Alaska’s Aleutian Islands would have vastly complicated its recovery.
“The water depths offshore the Aleutians at six-plus nautical miles go very quickly from about a hundred and fifty feet to over 18,000 feet near the Bering Sea. The winter water temperatures in the Bering Sea hover consistently in the low 30s which would make recovery and salvage operations very dangerous,” Dalton said. “So again, a key part of the calculus for this operation was the ability to salvage, understand, and exploit the capabilities of the high-altitude balloon.
Joint Staff Operations Director Lt. Gen. Douglas Sims argued one of the things that distinguishes the U.S. military from those of some other countries is that “we think before we shoot.”
“In this case, we thought before we shot,” Sims said. “I am very confident in the authorities that were granted to the NORAD-NORTHCOM commander to make decisions here, that the decisions he made were in the best interests of the United States and our citizens, as were the decisions of our senior leadership.”
THE SPY BALLOON THAT CHANGED THE US CONVERSATION ABOUT CHINA
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HAPPENING TODAY: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin meets with Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand at 11:30 a.m., one of several consultations ahead of next week’s ninth session of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Brussels.
Austin will chair the meeting of more than 50 donor countries providing aid to Ukraine as they consider Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s pleas for modern fighter aircraft to replace his slowly shrinking fleet of Soviet-era MiG-29s.
The contact group meeting will be followed by NATO Defense Ministerial at NATO Headquarters.
ALSO TODAY: President Joe Biden meets with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at the White House “to further strengthen the close relationship between the United States and Brazil.” The 3:30 p.m. meeting will also be attended by Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
NEW STARLINK LIMITS IN UKRAINE: The Ukrainian military relies heavily on Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite service for communications and coordination of its operations, and it’s expressing surprise at the recent pronouncement from SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell that Starlink is taking steps to prevent internet service from being used for offensive drone attacks.
“We were really pleased to be able to provide Ukraine connectivity and help them in their fight for freedom. It was never intended to be weaponized,” Shotwell said at a conference in Washington. “However, Ukrainians have leveraged it in ways that were unintentional and not part of any agreement.”
A top aide to Zelensky tweeted that Starlink needs to decide which side it’s on. “Either they are on the side of [Ukraine] & the right to freedom, and don’t seek ways to do harm,” tweeted Mykhailo Podolyak, “Or they are on RF’s side & its ‘right’ to kill & seize territories.”
Meanwhile, Ukraine is not reporting any disruption to its Starlink service.
US TESTS AN OLD MINUTEMAN III ICBM: In another of its regular tests to make sure its aging arsenal of Cold War-era Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles still work as advertised, the Air Force fired one off last night from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California.
“This test launch is part of routine and periodic activities intended to demonstrate that the United States’ nuclear deterrent is safe, secure, reliable and effective to deter twenty-first century threats and reassure our allies,” said a statement from the Air Force Global Strike Command.
“Such tests have occurred over 300 times before, and this test is not the result of current world events,” the Air Force said, adding the ICBM’s reentry vehicle traveled approximately 4,200 miles to the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The Rundown
Washington Examiner: The spy balloon that changed the US conversation about China
Washington Examiner: White House won’t commit to shooting down future Chinese spy balloons
Washington Examiner: Rubio slams Biden for not announcing plans for handling Chinese spy balloon
Washington Examiner: Pentagon hopes to avoid war with China this decade
Washington Examiner: ‘Pounding on the door of the Pentagon’: Senators push to keep out foreign spy balloons
Washington Examiner: Chinese spy balloon initial report not marked urgent, per officials
Washington Examiner: Chinese balloon was designed for intelligence surveillance, not weather, US says
Washington Examiner: Hawley: ‘Very disturbing possibility’ US manufacturing helped build Chinese balloon
Washington Examiner: MTG says she tore Biden officials ‘to pieces’ in briefing on Chinese balloon
Washington Examiner: Pentagon hopes to avoid war with China this decade
Washington Examiner: FBI HQ disavows FBI field office intel report targeting ‘Radical Traditionalist Catholics’
Washington Examiner: Pence subpoenaed by special counsel overseeing Trump investigations
Washington Examiner: Trump national security adviser subpoenaed by special counsel Jack Smith
Washington Examiner: Jan. 6 rioter with Confederate flag sentenced to three years in prison
Washington Examiner: Late Japanese PM Abe pans Trump for being weak on North Korea in memoir
Washington Examiner: Bipartisan group of senators revive efforts to end Gulf and Iraq wars
CBS News: Chinese Spy Balloon Went Past Ballistic Missile Fields And B-2 Stealth Bomber Base, Defense Secretary Says
AP: ‘It just rang’: In crises, US-China hotline goes unanswered
Wall Street Journal: China’s Lofty Ambitions Started Many Decades Ago
Air & Space Forces Magazine: US Used U-2 to Gather Intelligence on Chinese Spy Balloon
USNI News: U.S. Should Create Military Cyber Force to Help Deter China, Experts Tell Congress
AP: Russia hits targets across Ukraine with missiles, drones
Washington Post: Ukraine’s Strikes Rely On Precision Targets From U.S.
New York Times: Zelensky Presses Ukraine’s Case In Brussels, The Third Stop In A Brief But Packed European Tour.
19fortyfive.com: Russia’s New START Breach Means U.S. Nuclear Weapons Modernization Is a Must
19fortyfive.com: Putin Is in Crisis: Russia’s Generals Are Getting Killed in Ukraine
19fortyfive.com: Putin Has a Big Problem: 134,000 Dead Troops in Ukraine
Defense One: ‘Incredibly Hard’: U.S. Forces Prep For Winter Combat
Breaking Defense: DoD’s Clarified AI Policy Flashes ‘Green Light’ For Robotic Weapons: Experts
Stars and Stripes: Navy’s Super Hornet Fighter Jets Are Aging Worse Than F-18 Predecessors, Report Says
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Kendall and UK Defense Official Look To Accelerate E-7 Wedgetail
Air & Space Forces Magazine: New Report: Defense Industrial Readiness ‘Going in the Wrong Direction’
Military Times: Republicans Aim At Pentagon Civilian Workforce To Curb Spending
Bloomberg: Dating Apps, Yacht Research Found On Pentagon Phones Despite Ban
Calendar
FRIDAY | FEBRUARY 10
10 a.m. — Center for a New American Security virtual event: “The Role of Allies and Partners in the National Defense Strategy,” with Celeste Wallander, assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs https://www.cnas.org/events/mission-brief-the-role-of-allies-and-partners
10 a.m. — Jewish Institute for National Security of America webinar: “Threat or Hot Air? The Chinese Spy Balloon,” with retired Adm. Michael Rogers, former commander, U.S. Cyber Command; retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Joseph Guastella, former commander, U.S. Air Forces Central Command; and John Hannah, senior fellow, JINSA https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register
11:30 a.m. — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin meets with Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand
3 p.m. 2301 Constitution Ave. — U.S. Institute of Peace virtual and in-person hybrid event: “A Conversation with Iraq’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein,” with Lise Grande, USIP president and CEO; and Sarhang Hamasaeed, director, USIP Middle East Programs https://www.usip.org/events/conversation-iraq
MONDAY | FEBRUARY 13
TBA Brussels, Belgium — Press Conference by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg ahead of a two-day meeting of defense ministers https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news
9:30 a.m. 1211 Connecticut Ave. NW — Stimson Center virtual and in-person discussion: “The End of History? Global Implications of the War in Ukraine,” with Marie Jourdain, visiting fellow, Atlantic Council; Michael Kofman, research program director, CNA; Rachel Ziemba, adjunct senior fellow, Center for New American Security; Michael Mazarr, senior political scientist, RAND Corporation; and Alex Ward, national security reporter, Politico https://www.stimson.org/event/the-end-of-history
10 a.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW — Brookings Institution virtual and in-person event: “The U.S. Air Force and American defense strategy,” with Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr.; Michael O’Hanlon, Brookings; and Melanie Sisson, Brookings https://connect.brookings.edu/register-to-watch-us-air-force
TUESDAY | FEBRUARY 14
TBA Brussels, Belgium — Meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group followed by the beginning of a two-day meeting of NATO defense ministers at NATO Headquarters https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news
6:30 a.m. 2425 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, Va. — Association of the U.S. Army Coffee Series in-person event with Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Grinston https://ausa.force.com/OnlineCommunity/s/community-event
10 a.m. — Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies Schriever Spacepower forum “Space infrastructure, space capabilities and defining the threat environment,” with John Plumb, assistant secretary of defense for space policy https://mitchellaerospacepower.org/event/feb-14
10 a.m. — Hudson Institute virtual event: “Securing Cyberspace: Hardening America’s Software against Foreign Digital Sabotage,” Rep. Tony Gonzales, (R-TX); Bryan Clark, senior fellow and director, Center for Defense Concepts and Technology; Jason Weiss, chief software officer, Conquest Cyber; Cliff Bean, director of Navy missions, Defense Sector, Peraton https://www.hudson.org/preview-link
11:30 a.m. — Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments Zoom webinar to release new report: “Innovating for Great Power Competition: An Examination of Service and Joint Innovation Efforts,” with authors Thomas Mahnken, CSBA president and CEO; Evan Montgomery, CSBA director of research and studies; and Tyler Hacker, CSBA analyst https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register
FRIDAY | FEBRUARY 17
TBA Munich, Germany — Munich Security Conference 2023 begins, running through Sunday, Feb. 19 https://securityconference.org
WEDNESDAY | FEBRUARY 22
9:30 a.m. — Henry L. Stimson Center virtual discussion: “Assessing US Military Assistance to Ukraine,” with Missy Ryan, Washington Post; Elias Yousif, research analyst, Stimson Center; and Rachel Stohl, director, Conventional Defense program, vice president, Stimson Center https://www.stimson.org/event/assessing-us-military-assistance-to-ukraine
10 a.m. — Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress Russia Policy Program virtual event: “The Militaries of Russia and Ukraine One Year Into the War,” with retired Lt. Gen. David Barno and Nora Bensahel, authors of Adaptation Under Fire; Michael Kofman, director of CNA’s Russia Studies Program; and Joshua Huminski, director, Mike Rogers Center for Intelligence & Global Affairs https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I think this is a test of the administration. And a test as to how we would respond, particularly, as it relates to Taiwan. And I would say the president failed that test by not shooting it down immediately, and allowing it to traverse across the United States with all of its intelligence collection, which I believe was transmitted back to Beijing, to the mothership. That sends a very dangerous signal back to a very strong adversary. That’s a threat to our national security.”
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Mike McCaul (R-TX), on Fox, discussing his resolution condemning China over its spy balloon.
