NATO Chief: China, Russia May Be ‘Increasing Surveillance’ With Balloon Incidents

NATO Chief: China, Russia May Be ‘Increasing Surveillance’ With Balloon Incidents
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg (Front), followed by NATO Spokeswoman Oana Lungescu, leaves after a press conference at the NATO headquarters in Brussels on Nov. 16, 2022. Olivier Matthys/AP Photo
Jack Phillips
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The head of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) said Monday that recent balloon incidents are part of a pattern suggesting that the Chinese regime and Russia are increasing surveillance of U.S. territory.

“What we saw over the United States is part of a pattern where China and also Russia are increasing surveillance activities on NATO allies,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters on Monday.

Earlier this month, a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon traveled over much of the United States before it was shot down by a fighter jet off the coast of South Carolina. On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (Feb. 10, 11, and 12), U.S. military jets downed three objects over North America: one was shot down in northern Alaska, one in Canada’s Yukon Territory, and one was shot down near Lake Huron, Michigan.

In Sunday’s incident over Lake Huron, U.S. military fighter jets downed an object that was described as “octagonal” in shape, according to Rep. Jack Bergman (R-Mich.) and alleged unnamed U.S. officials.  Few details have been provided about that object, and the Pentagon has not directly responded to The Epoch Times’ questions about the shape of the Lake Huron object.

China’s foreign ministry told news outlets that it had no information on the latest three flying objects that were shot down.

Last week, Stoltenberg asserted that the surveillance balloon “confirms a pattern of Chinese behavior” and shows the U.S. military should be more aware of the Chinese regime’s intelligence-gathering efforts.
A U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter, taking part in the U.S.-led Saber Strike exercise, flies over Estonia on June 6, 2018. (Ints Kalnins/Reuters)
A U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter, taking part in the U.S.-led Saber Strike exercise, flies over Estonia on June 6, 2018. Ints Kalnins/Reuters

“And we’ve also seen increased Chinese intelligence activities in Europe—again, different platforms. They use satellites, they use cyber, and as we’ve seen over the United States, also balloons,” Stoltenberg said.

He added: “So, we just have to be vigilant. We need to be aware of the constant risk of Chinese intelligence, and then step up what we do to protect ourselves. And we need also to react in a prudent, responsible, and vigilant way, as we have seen the United States has reacted to this specific balloon over North America and the United States.”

Adversaries ‘Testing US Systems’

A former North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) official, Retired Maj. Gen. Scott Clancy, told CNN on Monday that it’s possible the object fly-bys are attempts by adversaries such as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) or Russia to test U.S. radar systems.

“The first thing is what Gen. VanHerck, my old commander, referred to as intelligence gaps that exist with our systems of detection across North America. As he said in his briefing after the initial shootdown of the Chinese-attributed balloon, that they have since closed those gaps … I think there’s maybe a little bit more to that, but what it does is it allows these systems to be seen more often,” Clancy told the outlet.

He added that based on his opinion, “I think you’re also seeing the confluence of distinctive activity by our adversaries to test our systems.”

‘Heightened Alert’

Part of the reason for the repeated shootdowns is a “heightened alert” following a spy balloon from China that emerged over U.S. airspace in late January, U.S. Gen. Glen VanHerck, head of NORAD and U.S. Northern Command, said in a briefing with reporters Sunday.

Since then, fighter jets last week also shot down objects over Canada and Alaska. Pentagon officials said they posed no security threats, but so little was known about them that Pentagon officials were ruling nothing out—not even UFOs.

“We have been more closely scrutinizing our airspace at these altitudes, including enhancing our radar, which may at least partly explain the increase,” said Melissa Dalton, assistant defense secretary for homeland defense.

VanHerck said the U.S. adjusted its radar so it could track slower objects. “With some adjustments, we’ve been able to get a better categorization of radar tracks now,” he said, “and that’s why I think you’re seeing these, plus there’s a heightened alert to look for this information.”

He added: “I believe this is the first time within United States or American airspace that NORAD or United States Northern Command has taken kinetic action against an airborne object.”

The Pentagon officials said they were still trying to determine what exactly the objects were and said they had considered using the jets’ guns instead of missiles, but it proved to be too difficult. They drew a strong distinction between the three objects shot down over this weekend and the balloon from China.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Jack Phillips
Jack Phillips
Breaking News Reporter
Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter with 15 years experience who started as a local New York City reporter. Having joined The Epoch Times' news team in 2009, Jack was born and raised near Modesto in California's Central Valley. Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/jackphillips5
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