Um you don’t think a spy balloon flying openly accords the United States is a big deal?
Wow you demafasict cult is weird
No, honestly, I don't.
What are they going to find out with a balloon that they can't already figure out with spy satellites?
Oh, it doesn't even help that a forensic investigation of the balloon showed it wasn't actually spying.
en.wikipedia.org
Forensics of the wreckage have confirmed that the balloon's sensors had never been activated while it was flying over the continental US, and so it didn't transmit any intelligence back to China.
[16] In December 2023, NBC news reported that according to US intelligence officials, the balloon had made use of a commercially available American internet service provider to communicate, and that it was "primarily for navigation".
[17]
In June, preliminary investigation by the U.S. reported the presence of reconnaissance equipment on board the balloon downed in February. There were conflicting reports on whether it had collected any intelligence during its flight.
[201][202] It does not appear to have sent anything back to China.
The Wall Street Journal said the balloon
carried off-the-shelf U.S. gear.
[4] Pentagon spokesperson Brigadier General
Patrick S. Ryder did not confirm that information but said that Chinese drones in the past have utilized off-the-shelf U.S. equipment.
[4] He also said that mitigation efforts "contributed" to the balloon not collecting any intelligence while transiting or overflying the United States.
[203]
On September 17, 2023, in an interview with CBS news, General Mark Milley, the retiring 20th US chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated “I would say it was a spy balloon that we know with high degree of certainty got no intelligence, and didn't transmit any intelligence back to China." Technical experts had also found that the balloon's sensors had never been activated while it was travelling over the Continental United States. The general also touched on a leading theory that the reason that it was flying over the United States, was probably because it was blown off-track, where the balloon had been heading towards Hawaii however winds at 60,000 feet simply came into the equation. Milley said, "those winds are very high.. the particular motor on that aircraft can't go against those winds at that altitude."
[204][205]