Summary:
- The Chinese spy balloon that caused a stir in the US earlier this year was not collecting intelligence according to an assessment by the intelligence community
- The balloon was probably blown off track by high-altitude winds while on its way to Hawaii
- A single missile took down the balloon without incident
- The spy balloon episode has damaged US-China relations
General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, confirms that the Chinese spy balloon which drifted across North America was not collecting intelligence. David Martin takes us behind the headlines.
[{'subtitle': 'The Bizarre Crisis of the Biden Administration', 'paragraph': "Earlier this year, the United States was caught off guard by a Chinese spy balloon drifting across North America, and its top-of-the-line jet fighters were sent up to shoot it down. The surveillance balloon had raised concerns among the nation's politicians and sparked a frenzy of media reports."}, {'subtitle': 'A High Confidence Assessment', 'paragraph': "Seven months later, in an interview with CBS Sunday Morning, General Mark Milley reveals that the intelligence community's high confidence assessment determined that the balloon wasn't collecting any intelligence. So, the big question remains: why was it over the United States?"}, {'subtitle': 'Theories', 'paragraph': "There are various theories to explain the balloon's appearance in US airspace. It had been headed toward Hawaii but was probably blown off track because of high-altitude winds. One likely possibility is that the balloon drifted over Alaska and Canada before ending up in Billings, Montana."}, {'subtitle': 'Citizen Photographer', 'paragraph': 'Chase Doak, a citizen photographer, spotted the balloon flying over his driveway and took a photo and a quick video of it. He initially thought it was an extraterrestrial craft but later admitted it was probably a spy balloon. His photo would become famous, and he willingly distributed it to anyone who wanted to see it.'}, {'subtitle': 'US-China Relations', 'paragraph': "The incident stirred tensions between the US and China, and Secretary of State Blinken canceled a scheduled trip to China. The president ordered the Air Force to shoot down the balloon as soon as it reached the Atlantic, but a single missile successfully took it down before it could cause any harm. The incident had already damaged the two countries' relationship, although the intelligence community concluded that the spy balloon didn't actually collect any intelligence."}]
In conclusion, the spy balloon episode was a cause for concern for US national security, and it was dealt with swiftly. The intelligence community's assessment proved it wasn't collecting intelligence, even though it was clearly a spy balloon. While theories abound about how and why it ended up over American airspace, the bottom line is that it has caused tension between the US and China, and damaged their two countries' relationship.