Officials said Chinese balloons travelled into U.S. airspace on at least three occasions during the Trump presidency and once previously during Biden's tenure.
Glen VanHerck, commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command, told reporters on Monday that theFile image. General Glen VanHerck, Commander of U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command, testifies during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill March 24, 2022, in Washington, D.C. VanHerck told reporters on Monday that the U.S. previously had a"domain awareness gap" in its detection capabilities.
The Biden administration took credit for improving detection capabilities that allowed them to spot the latest suspected Chinese spy balloon—however,have questioned why it was not shot down over uninhabited land in Alaska or the Pacific Ocean. Jake Sullivan, the White House national security adviser, said that after Biden took over the presidency, the U.S. enhanced"surveillance of our territorial airspace, we enhanced our capacity to be able to detect things that the Trump administration was unable to detect," AP reported.
He defended the decision to hold off shooting down the balloon, noting that military advisers had said that taking it out over water"created a greater possibility that we could effectively exploit the wreckage than if it were shot down over land." China has denied U.S. claims that the balloon was intended for surveillance, instead claiming that it was a civilian weather balloon that had drifted off course.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Trump, top national security officials refute claim that Chinese spy balloons transited US under last adminEXCLUSIVE: Former President Trump and a number of his top national security and defense officials refuted Biden administration officials' claims that Chinese surveillance balloons briefly transited the continental United States during the Trump administration, saying it “never happened.”
Read more »
Ex-Trump Officials Refute DoD Claim That 3 Chinese Balloons Flew Here BeforeAn anonymous Dept. of Defense official claimed three Chinese balloons had flown over the U.S. during the Trump years, but several former defense officials are refuting that assertion ... saying it never happened on DT's watch.
Read more »
Chinese surveillance balloons flew near Texas during Trump’s term, defense officials sayWASHINGTON — As political squabbles over the sighting of a Chinese balloon over several states last week continue, a senior U.S. defense official has said...
Read more »
White House prepares to brief key Trump officials on Chinese spy balloon incursionsThe Biden administration is planning to brief key officials from the Trump administration regarding last week's Chinese spy balloon incursion and previous ones as well.
Read more »
US officials offer Congress briefing on Trump, Biden papersThe Biden administration has offered to brief congressional leaders on its investigation into the classified documents found in the private possession of President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.
Read more »