On Monday, U.S. officials claimed that the identification of last week’s spy balloon and the discovery that similar flights were conducted multiple times during the Trump administration were made possible by upgrades ordered by former President Joe Biden to strengthen defenses against Chinese espionage.
To “enhance our surveillance of our territorial airspace,” as White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan put it, “we enhanced our capacity to be able to detect things that the Trump administration was unable to detect,” the United States made significant investments in surveillance technology after Biden took office.
Some Republicans have accused Biden of being negligent for failing to order the balloon to be shot down before it crossed the country. According to reports from government officials, individuals on the ground are a source of concern for potential harm. Vice President Joe Biden discussed this on Monday.
I told the Defense Department I wanted to shoot it down as soon as it was appropriate once it arrived in the United States from Canada,” Biden stated. We should not shoot it down over land, the military decided, because it was not a severe threat.
While speaking with reporters, Vice President Biden made clear his persistent anger with Beijing. When asked why China chose to fly the balloon over the United States, he simply said, “Because they’re the Chinese.”
