There is a “high probability” the suspected Chinese spy balloon mined “nuclear intelligence” data from the US before fighter jets shot it out of the sky, a military analyst has told Express.co.uk. Rebekah Koffler, a former Defense Intelligence Agency officer, has said the assessment “is based on what we know about China’s intelligence capabilities, aerospace doctrine and operations, targeting strategy, and leadership’s intentions”. The length of time it remained up in the air – seven days – also supports this verdict, she suggests.
“My intelligence analysis tells me there’s high probability that the Chinese government exfiltrated sensitive US data, collected by the high-altitude reconnaissance vehicle that traversed over US sovereign territory, prior to the airship’s destruction by US Air Force,” Koffler said.
“The duration of the airship’s flight contributed to the basis of this analysis.
“The data stolen by Beijing likely includes unclassified as well as classified or sensitive information on US military installations, critical civilian facilities, and other secrets, including nuclear intelligence.”
According to the Pentagon, the spy balloon drifted into US airspace north of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands on January 28 and loitered over sensitive areas of Montana where nuclear warheads are siloed.
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Koffler added: “This brazen intelligence operation mounted by Beijing, targeting the US homeland, almost certainly enabled the Chinese military to glean critical insights into the Biden Administration’s policy and posture towards China, and President Biden’s ‘red lines’ (or lack thereof), when it comes to foreign aerospace assets, breaching of US sovereign airspace.
“These insights are very useful for China in developing deterrence strategies for dissuading the United States from intervening in China’s future aggressive operations against Taiwan.”
China insists the balloon was just an errant civilian airship used mainly for meteorological research which went off course due to winds and had only limited “self-steering” capabilities.
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It also issued a threat of “further actions” after the balloon was shot down on February 4 over the Atlantic.
In a statement after the craft was downed, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the use of force by the US was “an obvious overreaction and a serious violation of international practice”, adding: ”China will resolutely uphold the relevant company’s legitimate rights and interests, and at the same time reserving the right to take further actions in response.”
The US says it was a Chinese spy balloon without a doubt. Its presence prompted Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel a weekend trip to China aimed at dialling down tensions that were already high between the countries.
A US Air Force fighter jet shot down the balloon on Saturday afternoon six miles off the South Carolina coast.
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Analysis of parts is now underway to ascertain what intelligence the spy balloon may have gathered during its flight.
Images appear to show the recovery of the balloon’s envelope and a metal frame.
Investigators will hope to reach a conclusion on why the flight was spotted floating close to an airforce base on Wednesday.
