A Chinese surveillance (spy) balloon entered United States air space this week and began closely monitoring some of America’s most sensitive strategic locations. Strategic military bases were overflown for significant periods of time over the past few days.
The proposed responses to this hostile airspace incursion vary significantly. Some individuals believe monitoring the balloon is acceptable and that this balloon offers no real threat to the United States. Others believe an imminent threat to our nation exists and recommend shooting it down immediately. To date, the Biden Administration has decided to watch the balloon while delaying Secretary of State Blinken’s scheduled trip to China.
Recover the Balloon: Don’t Just Watch It. And Don’t Destroy It.
Simply observing the balloon demonstrates weakness. Conversely, destroying the balloon, shows resolve; but misses greater opportunities. If the United States can successfully capture the balloon, we gain the opportunities of showing American resolve, collecting the data and capabilities inherent to the spy vehicle, proving to the world that China was spying, and physically holding Chinese equipment that can be used for negotiation in the future.
Past Precedence
There has been much discussion in the press over the past days about the fact that Chinese spy balloons have flown over the United States previously with little reaction. But there has been little discussion about how China, and Russia, have responded to our craft over, or near, their air space.
Russia shoots down American Manned Aircraft. As a reminder, a United States U-2 was shot down by the Soviet Union when an American manned aircraft flew over Soviet airspace in 1960. This was not an unmanned balloon like the current Chinese system flying over America. The life of an American pilot was placed at great risk when he was shot down by the Soviets and held captive while some parts of the aircraft were recovered by the Soviets and technology details were attempted to be tortured out of the U2 pilot, Francis Gary Powers. The Soviets held a mock, highly publicized trial for Powers to further embarrass the United States.
China fighter collides with American Manned Surveillance Plane and takes Americans
Hostage. In 2001, an American EP3 was operating in international airspace, approximately 70 miles from Hainan Island, when a Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) J-8II collided with the American EP3 causing the American aircrew to conduct an emergency landing at the closest airfield on Hainan. The 24 aircrew were detained and interrogated by the Chinese for ten days.
The American aircraft was disassembled, and all classified information removed and assessed by the Chinese. Three months later, after intense negotiations, the Chinese delivered the U.S. Navy plane back to the United States via two Russian Antonov An-124 cargo planes. In an effort to further embarrass the United States despite colliding with the American plane in international airspace, the Chinese found a way for the United States to agree to pay for the Chinese cost of disassembling and shipping the U.S. plane home. The United States also paid for the food consumed in China by the 24 captured American aircrew.
Can the United States Capture a High-Altitude Balloon?
The United States has numerous missiles capable of destroying the spy balloon. These missiles can successfully destroy a balloon from American aircraft, land missile sites, or from numerous ships at sea. The United States also flies fixed wing aircraft (jets) that can operate at or above 60,000’ and move at speeds exceeding Mach (the speed of sound). These aircraft could easily destroy the balloon. However, their speed may present an unachievable challenge to recovering the balloon. The United States also has a very large inventory of rotary wing aircraft (helicopters) which could hover for long periods of time but could unlikely operate at 60,000’.
But there is at least one answer-balloons.
The United States has been operating balloons for centuries and as recently as 2014 lifted Alan Eustace nearly 136,000’ feet above New Mexico before Mr. Eustace successfully made the highest parachute jump in history. So undoubtedly, the United States has the capability to put humans, or unmanned balloons, in the position to operate at 60,000’. There are several companies in the United States that would likely be capable of launching an unmanned balloon and retrieving the Chinese balloon in short order if given the opportunity.
What Should the United States Do Now?
First, turn the retrieval of this spy balloon over to one or more of our great U.S. companies immediately. Tell that company that if they retrieve the balloon successfully, the United States will pay them for the costs of their efforts plus a significant bonus. The cost of retrieving the balloon, and eventually shipping the disassembled balloon back to China, will be paid by the Chinese.
Second, don’t let this be a distraction. Send the Secretary of State to his meeting with the Chinese. But hold the meeting in a neutral location. While at the meeting, the Secretary will undoubtedly make it very clear to the Chinese that this “children’s balloon stunt” will not be a distraction from the bigger issues at hand; and it will not be tolerated today or in the future.
Third, get back to the main issues at hand between the United States and China. These issues include Taiwan, economic espionage by China, Intellectual Property Theft by China, economic badgering of U.S. businesses abroad, and other efforts of general espionage against the United States and our allies.
Fourth, remind China that the United States has significant proof that Covid began in China. And because China unsafely experimented and failed to report the pandemic outbreak to the world in a timely manner, the United States, on behalf of the world, intends to begin the process of holding China financially responsible for nearly seven million deaths and $13 Trillion in losses. This money will be paid in full by the Chinese in 12 months or Chinese properties will be seized globally by all nations impacted by Covid.
Finally, if the balloon cannot be retrieved before it leaves U.S. airspace, then destroy it. If a decision cannot be made fast enough to give American companies a chance to retrieve the balloon before it departs U.S. airspace, the U.S. military should destroy the balloon. The military should prepare for a primary, secondary, and tertiary system to destroy the Chinese target. Internal politics should not be factored into which military service(s) are tasked with destroying the target. The use of the systems with the highest probability of kill should be selected for the mission of protecting America.
