In a damning new report, it has been revealed that the Biden administration had planned to keep the presence of a Chinese spy balloon traveling across North America a secret from the public and even from Congress. The intentions were only made public after civilians spotted the massive white orb over Montana. According to a former senior US official, there was a plan to study the balloon and let it pass over without informing anyone about it. However, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) spotted the spycraft entering US airspace over Alaska on January 27th, prompting Commander Gen. Glen VanHerck to inform Gen. Mark Milley, President Biden's top military adviser.

Shockingly, President Biden himself was not informed until January 31st, and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was too focused on a diplomatic trip to Asia to pay attention to the alarming intrusion. Multiple officials in the administration and Congress admitted that they weren't paying attention to the situation. By the time the balloon re-entered the US over Montana, it had already traversed half of Canada and transmitted data collected from military sites back to Beijing. The administration chose to remain silent until several Americans spotted the orb overhead. It was only on February 2nd, when the Billings Gazette published photos of the strange craft, that the story sparked national outrage.

US Air Force jets eventually shot down the balloon over the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Carolina on February 4th, after it had floated across the continent. Members of Congress were finally briefed on the incident days later. The incident exposed significant gaps in US intelligence, according to VanHerck. Despite the Biden administration's assurance that the spy balloon did not collect and transmit data, a previously unreported phone call between Gen. Milley and Gen. VanHerck sheds light on top officials hiding information about the balloon.

During the January 27th call, Milley informed VanHerck that the Pentagon planned to send up F-22 jets and other aircraft to investigate the object. Soon after the call, US military jets used targeting pods to determine that the object was a balloon the size of three school buses, equipped with a massive surveillance payload but no offensive capabilities. President Biden was not briefed on the balloon until February.

VanHerck warned that the Chinese balloon program remains active, and the US has failed to develop systems to detect and track such craft. He expressed concern about significant gaps in the US's ability to see potential threats to the homeland. The incident has opened the eyes of many, highlighting the need for better deterrence and defense options.

According to reports, Biden administration officials privately lamented the public outcry and consequences of the spy balloon's reveal. They believed that the reputational consequences for China and US relations posed a far graver threat than the balloon entering US airspace. The delay in shooting down the surveillance craft was attributed to safety precautions, as the balloon was carrying several thousand pounds of equipment. The administration eventually shot down the craft over open water off the coast of South Carolina, leading to questions about why the same action wasn't taken when it crossed water near Alaska.