Republican lawmakers have called on the Biden administration to reveal why a Chinese spy balloon was allowed to enter U.S. airspace and gather intelligence from sensitive military sites before being shot down.
Senator Steve Daines posed ten questions for the Biden administration, which remain unanswered. The collected intelligence primarily included electronic signals, which can come from weapons systems or base personnel communications, according to reports. The Republicans have accused the administration of a cover-up and demanded accountability.
Takeaways:
A Chinese spy balloon was detected hovering over the Big Sky State in early February.
Despite being shot down by the Biden administration, the vessel had collected intelligence from several sensitive American military sites.
The collected intelligence primarily included electronic signals.
Republicans have called for a gap analysis of NORAD capabilities to identify potential threats from foreign aerial objects entering U.S. airspace.
The administration has been accused of a cover-up, and Senator Daines has called for accountability.
Commentary:
The Chinese spy balloon incident is a significant national security breach that deserves an honest and transparent explanation from the Biden administration.
It is concerning that even briefings with intelligence officials left Senator Daines with more questions than answers.
The administration must take responsibility for allowing a foreign spy vessel to roam freely across the country and collect sensitive information from American military sites. It is unacceptable that the American people are being left in the dark about the incident.
The administration must come clean about what happened, take corrective action, and ensure that this never happens again.