Spy balloon part of a broader Chinese military surveillance operation, US intel sources say

[Social Media]

CNN — 

US intelligence officials believe that the recently recovered Chinese spy balloon is part of an extensive surveillance program run by the Chinese military, according to multiple American officials familiar with the intelligence.

The surveillance program, which includes a number of similar balloons, is in part run out of the small Chinese province of Hainan, officials tell CNN. The US does not know the precise size of the fleet of Chinese surveillance balloons, but sources tell CNN that the program has conducted at least two dozen missions over at least five continents in recent years.

[internationalism]

china, as well as the usa, have thousand satelites each.

how does those low tens of balloons spread over many years over 5 continents make any difference?

[John Drake]

1 hour ago, internationalism said:

china, as well as the usa, have thousand satelites each.

how does those low tens of balloons spread over many years over 5 continents make any difference?

Because incredibly it seems most of the Western military and intelligence agencies either 1) cannot detect them or 2) sit around in their underwear and wonder "what's that?"

[Tug]

6 hours ago, internationalism said:

china, as well as the usa, have thousand satelites each.

how does those low tens of balloons spread over many years over 5 continents make any difference?

Because they are low slow and have a limited abilities to loiter therefore perhaps a better ability to study in detail what it is they are after they are also much much cheaper than satellites 

[Chomper Higgot]

The first bit of intelligence the Chinese (and anyone else bothered to observe) have gathered is the fact that floating a ballon across America can propagate division and political arguments.

 

‘Divide and rule’.

 

 

[alex8912]

Funny how the poster who posts constantly on here hasn't explained why this is a " nothing burger " still?? 

[placeholder]

7 minutes ago, alex8912 said:

Funny how the poster who posts constantly on here hasn't explained why this is a " nothing burger " still?? 

Is it that poster? Or is it the other one? Or possibly the one I didn't mention previously? Or could it be, (be still my heart) me? I would be so flattered to finally have a fan!

[alex8912]

On 2/9/2023 at 11:34 AM, placeholder said:

Is it that poster? Or is it the other one? Or possibly the one I didn't mention previously? Or could it be, (be still my heart) me? I would be so flattered to finally have a fan!

Not you. The other one who is a habitual poster and called it a nothing burger.  But keep tryin. 

[placeholder]

36 minutes ago, alex8912 said:

Not you. The other one who is a habitual poster and called it a nothing burger.  But keep tryin. 

Oh, that one. I really thought it was the other one.