According to a report from The Washington Post, leaked Pentagon documents have revealed that US intelligence officials were aware of four additional Chinese spy balloons, in addition to the one that flew over North American space and was shot down in February. One balloon flew over an American carrier strike group in the Pacific Ocean but was never reported, and a third craft crashed in the South China Sea. However, there were no details on launch dates. The leaked intelligence also said that US intelligence agencies continued to have questions about the February spy balloon as they were unable to identify sensors and antennas of the Chinese craft weeks after it was shot down.
The report said that Bulger-21 carried sophisticated surveillance equipment and circumnavigated the globe from December 2021 until May 2022. Accardo-21 carried similar equipment as well as a “foil-lined gimbaled, it added. The balloons are believed to be named after notorious criminals, including Tony Accardo, James “Whitey” Bulger, and Donald Killeen. The Chinese balloon spotted in the North American airspace had made headlines before it was shot down by an F-22 fighter.
Republicans had criticized the Joe Biden administration for not shooting down the Chinese surveillance balloon quickly enough, arguing that it allowed the Chinese government additional time to spy. The leaked documents also unveiled US concern over Ukraine’s ability to fend off the Russian invasion, and showed Washington has spied on allies Israel and South Korea.
The report suggests that there is still much to learn about Chinese surveillance balloons and their capabilities, given that US intelligence agencies were unable to identify the sensors and antennas of the craft weeks after it was shot down. It also raises questions about the effectiveness of US intelligence agencies in detecting and countering Chinese espionage efforts.
