New Delhi: In a statement addressing the shooting down of the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon by United States authorities on Saturday, the US Department of Defense has confirmed that three more such balloons entered continental US airspace during the tenure of the previous administration, headed by former president Donald Trump.
"... Chinese balloons briefly transited the continental United States at least three times during the prior administration" the release noted. A similar balloon, however, had entered the US mainland previously during the Biden administration. Meanwhile, the DoD statement quoted a US official as saying that the debris was being probed and that it was of "intelligence value."
Also read: Serious violation of international practice: China on US shooting down balloon
"I would also note that while we took all necessary steps to protect against the PRC surveillance balloon's collection of sensitive information, the surveillance balloon's overflight of U.S. territory was of intelligence value to us. I can't go into more detail, but we were able to study and scrutinize the balloon and its equipment, which has been valuable" the official further said.
Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers expressed surprise over the government release. Taking to Twitter, Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene said former president Trump "would never allow" such an incident to take place. "I just spoke with our GREAT America First President Trump. He would have never allowed China to fly a spy balloon over our country and our military bases and assets. Pres Trump would have shot it down before it entered the US. And so would I." she said in a tweet.
Reports, meanwhile, cited former Defense Secretary Mark Esper saying he was 'surprised' over the revelation, adding he does not remember anyone entering his office or informing him via reports, during his time in office between July 2019 and November 2020, that a Chinese balloon had entered the United States.
