Headline Roundup • April 3rd, 2023
Chinese Spy Balloon Gathered Intelligence on US Military Bases
Summary from the AllSides News Team
The Chinese spy balloon that flew over the U.S. earlier this year was able to gather intelligence on U.S. military bases and transmit it back to Beijing in real time, according to NBC News (Lean Left bias).
Key Details: U.S. officials said that China could have gathered more intelligence if the administration had not moved around potential targets, and obscured the balloon's ability to pick up electronic signals by keeping them from broadcasting.
Key Quote: "The intelligence China collected was mostly from electronic signals, which can be picked up from weapons systems or include communications from base personnel, rather than images," NBC cited the officials as saying.
For Context: The high-altitude Chinese balloon was able to make several passes over military installations in Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, and Missouri before it was shot down over the Atlantic Ocean on Feb. 4. The Pentagon has said it didn't shoot down the balloon sooner due to the risk to civilians and property on the ground. President Joe Biden has said that he authorized officials to shoot it down days earlier.
How the Media Covered it: Sources across the political spectrum covered the news that the spy balloon was able to get intelligence on U.S. military bases prominently. Many highlighted how China has denied any wrongdoing.
Featured Coverage of this Story
U.S. Air Force/Department of Defense/Handout via Reuters
A Chinese balloon that flew across the United States was able to gather intelligence from several U.S. military sites and transmit it back to Beijing in real time, despite the Biden administration's efforts to prevent it from doing so, NBC News reported on Monday.
The high-altitude balloon, controlled by Beijing, was able to make multiple passes over some of the sites before it was shot down on Feb. 4, at times flying in a figure-eight formation, NBC said, citing two current senior U.S. officials and one former senior administration official.
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The Chinese spy balloon that flew across the U.S. was able to gather intelligence from several sensitive American military sites, despite the Biden administration’s efforts to block it from doing so, according to two current senior U.S. officials and one former senior administration official.
China was able to control the balloon so it could make multiple passes over some of the sites (at times flying figure eight formations) and transmit the information it collected back to Beijing in real time, the three officials said. The intelligence China collected was mostly from electronic...
The Chinese spy balloon that flew over the continental United States earlier this year was reportedly able to get intelligence on U.S. military bases during its flight.
The surveillance balloon flew over several military installations, and the Chinese government was able to collect information on those bases despite efforts to prevent it from doing so, per NBC News.
The report says the balloon was able to be controlled by and deliver data in real time to the Chinese government, per two current senior-level officials and one former senior administration official. The data the balloon was...
