Biden to ‘reference’ to Chinese spy flights in State of the Union address: official
President Biden will reference the Chinese surveillance craft that swept across the continental United States in his State of the Union address on Tuesday, a senior administration official told Fox News.
The “reference” to the Chinese spy balloon that carried sensors and surveillance equipment should be brief, although Fox News has learned that Biden was still making changes to the speech on Tuesday.
US ARMY CAUTIOUS CHINESE SPY FLIGHT HAD ‘POTENTIAL FOR EXPLOSIVES TO DETONATE AND DESTROY’ BALLOON
A large balloon drifts over the Atlantic Ocean just off the coast of South Carolina, with a fighter jet and its contrail below, Saturday, February 4. (Chad Fish via AP)
The surveillance flight first crossed the Aleutian Islands in Alaska on January 28, but the North American Aerospace Defense Command took no immediate action because the balloon “did not manifest any act hostile or of hostile intent,” Air Force Gen. Glen VanHerck said.
The airship was spotted on February 1 over Montanawhich houses nuclear missile silo fields at Malmstrom Air Force Base, then crossed the continental United States before being shot down on Saturday.
AIR FORCE WARNS CHINESE COMPANY’S NORTH DAKOTA PLANT WILL BE A ‘SIGNIFICANT’ THREAT TO NATIONAL SECURITY
President Biden salutes as he boards Air Force One at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse, New York on Feb. 4, 2023. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
Republican lawmakers have harshly criticized Biden for waiting days to bring the ball down. The president said he wanted to knock the ball down last Wednesday, but the military warned him he wasn’t sure at the time.
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A Coast Guard helicopter assists in recovery efforts after the United States shoots down a Chinese surveillance balloon. (US Navy photo by Lt. jg Jerry Ireland)
A debris field approximately 1,500 meters by 1,500 meters now lies in shallow water six miles offshore. The USS Carter Hall is on hand to categorize the wreckage, as well as the USNS Pathfindera vessel capable of conducting oceanographic, hydrographic and bathymetric surveys of the ocean floor.
Fox News’ Paul Best contributed to this report.
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