Chinese Spy Balloon Exposed Weaknesses In U.S. Ability To Detect Threats - Says NORAD Chief

NORAD and U.S. Northern Commands' commander, said in an interview with NBC that Chinese spy balloons flying over North America earlier this year exposed important gaps in the U.S. capability to ascertain menaces of aerial nature and encouraged the evolution of latest tech for surveillance. "We weren't looking for high-altitude balloons. Our radar was able to see it, but we filtered out that data," van Heek said.

Commander of NORAD and U.S. Northern Command: Glen David VanHerck

Since the discovery of the balloon off Alaska in late January, U.S. surveillance capabilities have been enhanced with new technology, Van Heek told NBC News . “Our focus was not on highly elevated balloons — 65,000 feet, extremely slow. Our radar was able to see it, but we filtered that data,” he said in a recent interview at NORAD headquarters .

Van Heek, like other U.S. officials said, we were certain that the balloon was being used for spying. He said that this incident shocked the United States and pushed US-China relations to a new low, but it was also a learning experience.

“We learned a lot — and I learned that I need to see farther, farther into the Pacific Ocean, farther into the Arctic and the Atlantic Ocean,” Van Heek noted. "That's what over-the-horizon radar can give us," he added, referring to systems that detect objects at very long distances. Van Heek said he first spotted the balloon on Jan. 27, and the next day his unit deployed F-22 and F-16 fighter jets to intercept it and determined the balloon was not a hostile threat.

On Feb. 2 , NBC News reported that the balloon was flying over the United States, and two days later it was shot down off the coast of South Carolina on the orders of President Joe Biden. Van Heck said the process of identifying and intercepting the balloon involved "exactly as expected."

Van Heek added that while he knew before the incident that China had a high-altitude balloon program, he was unaware that multiple balloons had flown over the United States. In addition to serving as NORAD commander, Van Heek was ultimately responsible for U.S. homeland and maritime defense, including defense against ballistic missiles, and providing support to civilian authorities in response to natural disasters such as hurricanes and wildfires.

Still, his job is to advise within twinkles, If the United States launches a ballistic bullet. The challenge of this work isn't only the vast geographic range that USNORTHCOM oversees from the Arctic to Central America, but also how the nature of the trouble is constantly evolving to a situation.

" For illustration, hypersonic dum dums, or truly low radar, slice passage dum dums, or truly quiet advanced submarines. These are delicate tasks that I have endured, not inevitably the size of the area of responsibility."

“Frankly, my biggest concern is the cyber domain and our ability to understand the threats in the cyber domain that affect our power projection,” van Heek said . He also told reporters in the interview that the current global security climate is the most challenging and dynamic he has seen in his 36 years in the military.

Van Heek mentioned that China and Russia are "two rivals with nuclear weapons". He pointed out that there are many other countries that are also a threat to the United States. Van Heek added that "violent extremists and an unstable world out there" and "the international norms that have served us well since the end of World War II are being challenged every day."

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