US Department of Defense “previously post-detection”
The issue of a Chinese reconnaissance balloon that was shot down for invading US airspace is spreading into a truth battle between the former and current US administrations. When former President Donald Trump and others denied the Pentagon’s announcement that Chinese reconnaissance balloons had appeared three times in the past, the Joe Biden administration refuted that the Trump administration had not been able to detect the balloons in real time.
“(During the Trump administration, we did not detect such a threat in real time,” said US Northern Command commander Glenn D. There was a time gap in perception,” he said. Commander Benhurk said at the time that intelligence authorities had discovered the existence of the reconnaissance balloon through additional means.
Previously, the Ministry of National Defense announced that the previous day, Chinese reconnaissance balloons invaded US airspace three times during former President Trump and once during President Biden, and this was captured by the intelligence network only following the balloon left US soil. In response, former President Trump immediately refuted “false information,” and the controversy heated up when former White House National Security Advisor John Bolton and former Defense Secretary Mark Esper denied the Pentagon announcement. Then, the Biden administration once more refuted that it had not previously detected the presence of Chinese reconnaissance balloons in real time.
A high-ranking official in the Biden administration announced on CNN that day that he confirmed following President Biden took office that a Chinese reconnaissance balloon had invaded US airspace during the days of former President Trump. The official also said there are plans to brief key figures in the former Trump administration regarding the Chinese reconnaissance balloon. White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan also said that following President Biden took office that day, US airspace surveillance was strengthened from Chinese intelligence activities. As the Republican Party continues its offensive over President Biden’s failure to immediately shoot down the balloon, the theory of responsibility for Chinese reconnaissance balloons is being raised in both the former and current administrations.
Meanwhile, President Biden said that the shooting down of the balloon was “the right thing to do,” and that he did not expect the US-China relationship to deteriorate. President Biden met with reporters at the White House that day and said, “We made it clear to China what we wanted to do, and they understood our position.”
