Chinese Spy Balloon Did Not Gather Data Over US: Pentagon

Channel News Asia ^ | 30 Jun 2023

[nickcarraway]

The Chinese spy balloon shot down by a US fighter jet over the Atlantic in February did not collect intelligence as it flew across the United States, the Pentagon said on Thursday (Jun 29).

"It's been our assessment now that it did not collect while it was transiting the United States or overflying the United States," said Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder.

Ryder said the US "took steps to mitigate" intelligence collection by the balloon. "Certainly the efforts we made contributed" to that, Ryder said, without further explanation.

[Jonty30]

Nothing is to be believed by them.

[Dilbert San Diego]

If the balloon was not Gathering sensitive data , then why did we shoot it down?

Once it had floated out of American air space, why didn’t we just let it go on its way, if it wasn’t gathering information?

[frank ballenger]

Can you imagine the laughter in China now?
Nothing gathered while drifting for days over high security locations much of which time the US was totally unaware of what was happening?

Some balloons are so pretty. All those colors.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-UQ0-8ktAM

[Red6]

Yup-

[nickcarraway]

The balloon wasn’t gathering data, it was just grooming data, for when there was more of it.

[nickcarraway]

They look like Ray Liotta now.

[NWFree]

They didn’t even know what it was much less what it was doing

[Chode]

it only went over 20 installations... but who’s counting

[hanamizu]

“If the balloon was not Gathering sensitive data , then why did we shoot it down?”

---

Because it embarrassed Brandon; made him look weak and incompetent. Made people question his leadership. This is not to say that it didn’t gather intelligence info.

[frank ballenger]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdJ8x6lyrfo

[metmom]

First, you’re lying.

Second, how would you know?

[Trumpette1954]

And who here believes this? They’re lying because their lips are moving.

[\/\/ayne]

[Bookshelf]

Can the Pentagon do anything right? In a race to the bottom, who wins? The FBI or the Pentagon?

[Jyotishi]

“did not collect intelligence as it flew”

So they were trial balloons.

[PIF]

DOJ runs the FBI so its between the DOJ, Pentagon and Dept of State who brought us Afghanistan.

[TribalPrincess2U]

To get attention away from something else?

[plain talk]

“”It’s been our assessment now that it did not collect while it was transiting the United States or overflying the United States,” said Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder.”

One has to parse liberal-speak carefully. Depends on what is meant by “collect”. Maybe it didn’t collect and store data but simply transmitted it in real-time to China.

[Larry Lucido]

So it didn’t pick up any Chuck Berry. I’ll bet it took a lot of photos.

[rktman]

Thanks ‘pantygone’. I feel assured now.