TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Seven months after an alleged Chinese spy balloon caused a diplomatic crisis between the U.S. and China, the highest-ranking U.S. military officer said it was not collecting intelligence and was blown off course to arrive in U.S. airspace.

"I would say it was a spy balloon that we know with high degree of certainty got no intelligence, and didn't transmit any intelligence back to China," the Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley told CBS News on Sunday (Sept. 17). The assessment was made by the U.S. intelligence community, he said.

Milley said the balloon was likely caught in high winds its motors were unable to fly against. The balloon was reportedly headed directly east, but winds at 18,288 meters proved too strong and dragged it off course.

"Those winds are very high," Milley said. "The particular motor on that aircraft can't go against those winds at that altitude."

Amid the frenzy that accompanied the balloon’s transit across the U.S., multiple news websites reported that it was gathering “sensitive information” from military sites. After the balloon was shot down, U.S. government officials said the balloon was capable of collecting signals intelligence.

This is consistent with what the Pentagon said after recovering the remains of the craft. However, it is now known that none of the intelligence equipment on board the balloon was functioning while it was flying over the U.S.

The incident caused U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to delay a trip to China for talks that were expected to reduce growing tensions between the two superpowers. "China's decision to fly a surveillance balloon over the continental United States is both unacceptable and irresponsible,” Blinken said at the time.

 

https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/5002768