According to the top commander for defending the United States on Monday, the Pentagon did not shoot down the Chinese spy balloon as it approached Alaska in late January because it did not constitute a military danger to either Canada or the United States.
After entering the US from Alaska, the spy balloon was shot down on Saturday off the coast of South Carolina, according to Pentagon sources, who claimed it was constructed to spy on secret military installations. Reporters were briefed by Air Force Gen.
Glen VanHerck, who is in charge of both the North American Aerospace Defense Command and the U.S. Northern Command, on the decision to allow the balloon to track across the country, the recovery attempts, and prior spy balloon incursions.
The balloon captured the interest of Americans, stoked wrath on Capitol Hill, and strained relations with China diplomatically. While the spy balloon was passing above the United States, Secretary of State Antony Blinken decided to postpone his trip to China.
The length of the trash is equivalent to 15 football fields.
According to VanHerck, the intelligence payload was about the size of a small aircraft and weighed thousands of pounds. The balloon was 200 feet in height. According to Pentagon authorities, debris from shooting it down earlier could have killed people on the ground.
15 football fields by 15 football fields is the size of the debris field in the ocean off the coast of South Carolina, according to VanHerck.
Given the possibility that explosives were aboard to damage delicate equipment, it is being categorised as potentially hazardous waste. But, he claimed, there has been no proof that the spy balloon contained explosives.
Despite the fact that there have been no initial indications of such devices, they will search for any explosives that may have been aboard the balloon in order to deflate it.
Additionally, they’ll search for potentially dangerous debris like batteries and solar panel glass fragments.
According to VanHerck, FBI counterintelligence agents are embedded with the Navy to review and use any potentially sensitive data that is found.
