US Navy is working to collect Chinese “spy balloon” debris

• The Chinese surveillance balloon was shot down off the coast of South Carolina over the weekend.
• And the United States Navy is attempting to salvage the wreckage from the Atlantic Ocean.
• Beijing has asked the US to show moderation in response to the incident.

The Chinese surveillance balloon was shot down off the coast of South Carolina over the weekend, and the United States Navy is currently attempting to salvage the balloon‘s wreckage from the Atlantic Ocean.

According to General Glen VanHerck, commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and US Northern Command, the balloon, which had been travelling at a high altitude over North America since the end of January, was shot down in US airspace and crashed into US territorial seas.

“Our U.S. Navy component is currently conducting recovery operations, with the U.S. Coast Guard assisting in securing the area and maintaining public safety,” VanHerck said in a statement on Sunday.

The balloon, according to the US, was roughly the size of three school buses, and the debris was dispersed over an area of 11 km (7 km) of ocean.

Relations between the US and China have been further strained as a result of the event. Following the finding of the craft, Washington cancelled Secretary of State Antony Blinken‘s trip to Beijing.

According to Beijing, the unmanned “airship” was being employed for meteorological research when poor weather and its “weak” steering skills caused it to be blown off course.

Beijing asked the US to show moderation in response to the incident on Monday. It maintains that the balloon accidentally crossed US airspace while flying at a height of roughly 18,300 meters (60,000 feet) before it was shot down.

“China firmly opposes and strongly protests against this,” China’s Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng said in remarks to the US embassy in China. “The Chinese government is closely following the development of the situation.”

A representative for the Chinese Ministry of National Defense, Senior Colonel Tan Kefei, stated on Sunday that China reserved the right to take the required actions in dealing with similar circumstances and called the US action a “overreaction.”

Prior to going into Canadian airspace on January 30, the balloon first crossed US airspace over Alaska on January 28. On January 31, it re-entered US airspace over northern Idaho.

Canada has also confirmed the balloon’s presence in its airspace.

In contrast to fast-moving satellites, surveillance balloons can monitor locations at a closer range. They are also capable of producing clearer photographs than fast-moving satellites.

They can have a “guiding apparatus” to direct their direction, though their movement is frequently left to to weather patterns.

According to the US, the Chinese balloon was flying over strategic locations in Montana to gather data, and finding the balloon’s remains could give the US information about China’s surveillance capabilities.

Malmstrom Air Force Base, located in Montana, is home to 150 missile silos for intercontinental ballistic missiles, including the Minuteman III nuclear-capable missile.

According to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the Senate will receive a briefing on the incident this week, including information about the balloon’s surveillance capabilities.

He also stated that President Joe Biden’s administration was considering taking action against the Chinese for “their brazen activities.”

Biden has been under fire from Republicans in Congress for not acting sooner.

Although it was suggested that it would be best to carry out the operation over water, the president has stated that he gave the order to shoot down the craft last week.

This is because bringing the balloon down over land from an altitude of 18,300 meters (60,000 ft.) would pose an undue risk to those below.

“Clearly this was an attempt by China to gather information, to defeat our command and control of our sensitive missile defense and nuclear weapon sites,” said Mike Turner, a Republican and chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. “And that certainly is an urgency that this administration does not recognize.”

“It defies belief to suggest there was nowhere” between Alaska and the Carolinas where the US could have safely shot down the balloon,” said Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell.

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