The Chinese surveillance balloon that was shot down off the coast of South Carolina on Saturday may have been carrying explosives, possibly with the intention of self-destruction, according to the US Navy.
General Glen VanHerck of the US Air Force revealed this information on Monday during a press conference. The balloon was up to 200 feet tall and weighted over a few thousand pounds, according to VanHerck, Commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM).
He thinks the Chinese balloon has the capability of detonating and destroying the balloon.
The military normally does not have the right to gather domestic intelligence on a daily basis, but in this case, specific authorities were granted to gather intelligence against the balloon, General VanHerck told the press.
Wow: Northcom chief Gen. VanHerck says the balloon was up to 200 ft tall, with a payload the size of a jetliner. It weighed "in excess of a couple thousand lbs" and potentially carried explosives " to detonate and destroy the balloon."
— Lara Seligman (@laraseligman) February 6, 2023
“It was my assessment that this balloon did not present a physical military threat to North America. This is under my NORAD hat, and therefore I could not take immediate action [against the balloon] because it was not demonstrating hostile act or hostile intent.”
The military normally does not have the right to gather domestic intelligence on a daily basis, but in this case, specific authorities were granted to gather intelligence against the balloon, General VanHerck told the press.
In the near future, it is anticipated that the balloon fragments will be examined. The South Carolina coast has been reported to have debris from probable Chinese spy balloons, prompting the local police to ask locals to report any more sightings.
Republican legislators on Capitol Hill have demanded a more thorough investigation of President Biden’s thought process in relation to the Chinese balloon incident last week. Before being shot down, the balloon had traveled the whole US continent.
The Biden administration has defended its actions by claiming that by letting the balloon cross the country, the US was able to obtain important intelligence on it.
