The alleged Chinese spy balloon that crossed the US in late January and February managed to gather intelligence from military sites, but the US was able to limit what it collected, according to a Pentagon spokeswoman.
(Bloomberg) — The alleged Chinese spy balloon that crossed the US in late January and February managed to gather intelligence from military sites, but the US was able to limit what it collected, according to a Pentagon spokeswoman.
The military knew that the balloon could be maneuvered to “hover” over sensitive sights and responded by taking actions that ensured China gained little “additive value” from it, Sabrina Singh said Monday.
She was responding to a report by NBC News, which said China was able to transmit the information it collected in real time and that intelligence collected was mostly from electronic signals rather than images. The network cited two current senior US officials and one former senior administration official that it didn’t identify.
Singh didn’t respond when asked about those details, saying the FBI is still conducting an analysis of the balloon and what was transmitted to Beijing. But a US intelligence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the analysis so far indicates that its flight over the country didn’t appear to have provided China with critical new insights.
Singh reaffirmed the US conclusion that “the intent of this balloon was surveillance” despite repeated denials by China.
A US fighter jet shot down the balloon off the South Carolina coast on Feb. 4.
Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement Monday that the latest reports “clearly demonstrate that the administration made an unacceptable mistake” by waiting to destroy the balloon until it was over water. Administration officials said the Defense Department recommended waiting to avoid the risk to people on the ground from falling debris.
–With assistance from Tony Capaccio.
(Updates with insight from intelligence official in fourth paragraph)
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