Pentagon Admits It Failed To Spot 3 Chinese Spy Balloons During Trump’s Term

Topline

The Pentagon failed to detect three suspected Chinese spy balloons as they flew over the U.S. during former President Donald Trump’s tenure, a top Defense official said Monday, two days after the military shot down a Chinese balloon that flew over the continental U.S.—and described it as the latest in a series of spy balloons in recent years.

Key Facts

Gen. Glen VanHerck, commander of US Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command, told reporters a “domain awareness gap” led to the Pentagon’s failure to detect the “threats” during Trump’s tenure, but the military later learned about the balloons via intelligence-gathering operations “from additional means.”

VanHerck offered clarity after a senior Defense official said Saturday that Chinese government surveillance balloons flew over the U.S. at least three times during Trump’s time in office and once at the beginning of Biden’s tenure, adding that none of the previous four flights lasted as long as the most recent incident.

Trump pushed back on this claim, telling Fox News Digital on Sunday that the flights “never happened” and “would have never happened” during his time in office, because Beijing “respected us greatly” while he was president.

Two of Trump’s former advisers, John Bolton and Robert O’Brien, also told Fox that they were unaware that Chinese surveillance balloons had been detected under Trump.

Key Background

The federal government shot down what it said was a Chinese surveillance balloon on Saturday as it floated over the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Carolina. The balloon began flying over the continental United States as early as Wednesday, but the military had previously hesitated to take down the balloon, which was approximately the size of three school buses, out of fears of injuring people on the ground and causing property damage—sparking criticism from Republicans including Trump. The U.S. Navy is currently recovering debris from the balloon, which will reportedly head to Quantico in Virginia for analysis. The incident has raised tensions with the Chinese government, which called the U.S.’s decision to shoot down the balloon on Sunday an “indiscriminate use of force” on a “civilian unmanned airship.” Following news of the balloon’s discovery on Thursday—a day after it was detected hovering over Billings, Montana, about 200 miles from one of the U.S.’s three nuclear silo fields—the Chinese foreign ministry said the device was a civilian-operated balloon used for weather research purposes. The Pentagon, however, disputed the claim and insisted it was a “surveillance balloon” that had “violated U.S. airspace and international law,” Defense Press Secretary Pat Ryder said Friday.

What To Watch For

The Biden Administration is reportedly weighing its next steps for retaliation, and lawmakers in Congress are demanding answers about why the federal government failed to prevent the aircraft from entering U.S. airspace. Senators will receive a briefing on the incident on February 15, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Sunday, while House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has also demanded the Defense Department hold a briefing with the Gang of Eight, referring to the top congressional leaders from both parties as well as the chairs and ranking members of the intelligence committees. The Biden Administration has also offered to brief former Trump officials on the balloon sightings during his tenure, Politico reported Sunday, citing senior officials.

Tangent

The federal government is considering rescheduling Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Beijing, which was canceled on Friday amid the balloon controversy, Bloomberg reported, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter who said Blinken would deliver a rebuke to Chinese officials about the balloon.

Further Reading

U.S. Shoots Down Suspected Chinese Spy Balloon Over Atlantic (Forbes)

It’s A Spy Balloon, Defense Secretary Says, Disputing China’s ‘Civilian Airship’ Claim (Forbes)

Trump, Right-Wing Republicans Urge U.S. Government To ‘Shoot Down’ Suspected Chinese Spying Balloon (Forbes)