China is sending a message to the rest of the sector

Chinese spy balloon shot down off the coast of South Carolina yesterday only Fox News cameras captured it crews are now working to collect the debris as China calls the move a quote clear overreaction here discussed former Special Operations Intel analyst and drone expert Brett velikovich and gayestone Institute Institute senior.

Fellow author of The Coming collapse of China and the great U.S China Tech War Gordon Chang gentlemen great to have you with us this morning Brett I'd love to start with you we've talked throughout the morning about what in the continental United States this balloon could have surveilled what I'm curious your perspective on is do you think that.

Information was already transmitted back to China electronically therefore it doesn't matter that we shot it down over the Atlantic the information's already been shared or do you think we have the capabilities and probably executed blocking those Transmissions from going back to China well good to see you this morning look.

No I don't think even if we use the best electronic warfare systems out there that we really know for sure information was not transmitted back unless you're sitting in that intelligence operations center on the Chinese side and seeing what's coming through and my main concern here is we really don't know what was collected and what data was.

Transmitted back while over top of our airspace and to also say they waited to shoot it down because it didn't pose a real threat it's just disingenuous the point of intelligence collection the point of surveillance just like this on your adversaries is to cause damage to them that's why the U.S government conducts surveillance to eventually.

Strike at perceived threats and so whether that damage is immediate or years down the road is irrelevant significant damage has been done by this information has been collected the administration's initial response to try and whistle past this threat just tells me that they're not prepared to defend this I used to do a lot of surveillance.

Like this and people don't really understand the amount of data that can be captured from that height we're talking about over 60 000 feet in the air this is the altitude we put a lot of our own surveillance aircraft you might be you know looking to think you're staring at one small point in the ground but you're actually able to collect a.

Massive amount of area surface I mean you're you're sitting over Montana but you could be collecting in California or Idaho and so that's the danger here is that this is a bigger problem that people realize uh Gordon uh great to see this morning as well I want to read you something from the Chinese and get your response they said the U.S used Force to.

Attack a civilian unmanned Airship that's what they've maintained all along which is an obvious overreaction they say we express solemn protests against the move by the U.S side China reserves the right to use necessary means to deal with similar situations that's some saber rattling Gordon what do you think will be the response from the Chinese.

Well the response so far although those words are tough um was milder than I thought they would be we have comments from the foreign Ministry from the defense Ministry and their social media postings and they really seemed I think to try to underplay this which shows some embarrassment inside the regime now they can get tougher in comments as time.

Goes on because we have seen that before in the past will um and so we should be on the lookout for that as well but at least for the moment they're trying to keep it quiet so Brett I want to go back to you on the Intel for just a moment um follow-up to what you just said so you don't feel confident that we would have been able.

To completely block any transmission back to China so I'm going to ask you a quick two-part question here you said we don't realize what can be captured from sixty thousand feet it may be over Montana but you could be seeing stuff in California so what detail could you get from a um a craft at 60 000 feet like this over say drone or satellite.

Technology how much how much um how unique would that information be that's one and real quick Brett two do you give any weight to the argument being made no we were collecting Intel we were watching how this operated and we were collecting Intel on Chinese techniques no I don't give credits to that I mean look typically these surveillance.

Systems like these balloons they're part of a layered interconnected surveillance system satellites drones they're all connected they're all sharing data this is a layered surveillance system that could easily be transmitting much more than photographs or or things like that it could be transmitting signals information there's so much that can be.

Collected from that altitude and that's why this warrants a response whether that's some sort of covert action or a more public response I'm waiting to see what the Biden Administration is going to do here because it weren't something more than just you know secretary blinken canceling a couple meetings or summoning the Chinese Ambassador because.

We look weak here and I really hope these reports of the administration knowing about this and keeping it secret for over a week from the public aren't true why does it take an uproar from the public before the administration is going to take decisive action I mean this this was a test and we played right into the Chinese long-term strategy or.

Publicly highlighting how weak our response is they wanted us to find this the intent of this balloon was so much more than just surveillance it was about instilling a sense of fear it was about showing our defenses are vulnerable and the way this Administration responded China's government has proven just how vulnerable we really are Gordon do you.

Agree uh you you're certainly an astute uh Watcher of China do you agree that that was the motivation of China I think that certainly was at the top of my list because really what Xi Jinping the Chinese ruler was doing was saying you don't control your own airspace and what he was also saying to the rest of the world is that the United States is.

Incapable of Defending itself that has been a main propaganda narrative about the U.S for more than two years this is essentially started with the Biden Administration where the Chinese were saying you can't deter us you can't talk to us from a position of strength and your military doesn't work very well so I think that that's absolutely right.

That Brett talks about it was an intimidation and it certainly was a message to the rest of the world abandoned the U.S work with China all right Brett velikovich Gordon Chang fascinating Insight this morning thank you both I'm Steve Ducey I'm Brian Kilmeade and I'm Ainsley Earhart and click here to.

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