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☆ The 3 Chinese spy balloons spotted during the Trump administration were initially classified as UFOs
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A Chinese spy balloon seen floating over the United States was shot down on Saturday. Three spy balloons were seen during the Trump administration and were initially classified as UFOs. Trump, however, denies the balloons ever existedIn a Sunday interview with Fox News, Trump said the Biden administration lied about Chinese balloons being seen during his term because "they look so bad." It is unclear if the spy balloons seen during the Trump administration were shot down, as limited details about the incidents were only made public this week. Balloon surveillance has been utilized as far back as the 1800s, according to Al Jazeera, and was popularized during the first World War.

☆ U.S.-China relations just got more fragile
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken indefinitely postponed his visit to Beijing due to a Chinese surveillance balloon flying over the United States. Brown | AFP | Getty ImagesBEIJING — U.S.-China relations look increasingly fragile, analysts say, after a now-downed Chinese balloon forced U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to indefinitely postpone his trip to Beijing. "A key question is why the Biden administration decided to publicize this balloon but not previous [reported] ones," Wildau said. While discussion of the balloon — including memes — circulated on Chinese social media, China's official Chinese-language mouthpieces have been more muted so far. "That alone would mean the Chinese leadership would be more restrained and would not want to let this balloon situation blow out of proportion."

☆ Beijing's response to the US shooting down its balloon has been muted. It might be China's way of preparing for a future in which the roles are reversed, says international law expert.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

China has to consider what it will do if the US sends balloons into Chinese airspace, a legal expert said. If Beijing pushes too hard on its response, its own rhetoric may backfire later, Julian Ku told NYT. In a statement on Sunday, China condemned the Department of Defense for destroying the balloon, saying the Pentagon "obviously overreacted" and "seriously violated international practices." "Moreover, they need to think about their own rights in case the US starts sending balloons or drones into China," Ku told the outlet. "We treat our enemies with fine wine, but for our enemies we got shotguns," China's ambassador to Sweden infamously said on radio in 2019.

☆ The stealth F-22, the top US air superiority fighter, just got its first known air-to-air kill taking out a Chinese balloon.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The F-22 secured its first air-to-air kill by downing the Chinese surveillance balloon on Saturday. The Raptor fired "one AIM-9X Sidewinder missile," bringing the balloon down off the South Carolina coast. "This was a PRC surveillance balloon. The F-22 fired the missile at an altitude of 58,000 feet while the surveillance balloon was between 60,000 and 65,000 feet, per the DOD. "F-15 Eagles flying from Barnes Air National Guard Base, Massachusetts, supported the F-22, as did tankers from multiple states," the Defense Department stated in its release.

☆ A second 'Chinese surveillance balloon' has been spotted over Latin America, according to Pentagon officials
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Pentagon officials on Thursday identified the balloon as a "Chinese surveillance" device. On Friday, a second surveillance balloon was identified flying above Latin America. "We now assess it is another Chinese surveillance balloon," AP reported Brigadier General Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said. Ryder declined to give additional details, such as where the second balloon was spotted. US Pentagon officials have declared the balloons surveillance devices.

☆ U.S. military shoots down suspected Chinese surveillance balloon
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The U.S. military on Saturday shot down a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that had been transiting across the country for several days, according to NBC News. Department of Defense officials have not yet confirmed the balloon being shot down. Defense officials said the Pentagon considered shooting down the balloon earlier this week but decided against it after briefing Biden. Biden concluded that the U.S. would not shoot down the balloon because debris from it could cause damage on the ground, a Pentagon official said. A senior Pentagon official told reporters Thursday night that the object was clearly a surveillance balloon that was flying over sensitive sites to collect intelligence.

☆ 3 spy aircraft that were also 'weather balloons'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Blake Stilwell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

China has said that it is a weather balloon that has gone off-course. It wouldn't be the first time that a spy balloon has been described as a weather balloon. China is probably just taking a page out of the US government 1960s-era cover-up playbook that we'll call: The ol' "Weather Balloon Dodge." Thomson ReutersThere's a reason the Department of Defense believes China's weather balloon is actually a reconnaissance balloon: The DoD is developing reconnaissance balloons of its own. If any of the massive balloons get forced down, they'd just be another weather balloon, which the National Weather Service still uses.

☆ When a weather balloon went rogue almost 25 years ago, fighter jets fired 1,000 rounds at it and couldn't bring it down
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

About 25 years ago, a rogue weather balloon wouldn't come down after over 1,000 rounds were fired at it. Balloons, like the suspected Chinese "spy balloon" over the US, don't always pop or explode when shot. Two Royal Canadian Air Force CF-18 fighter aircraft spotted the balloon over Newfoundland and fired more than 1,000 rounds at it. The balloon, BBC reported, also survived encounters with British and American aircraft. According to BBC reports from the time of the incident, the 300-ft helium balloon prompted air traffic controllers to divert and delay transatlantic flights.

☆ A suspected Chinese spy balloon was seen operating near a US nuclear base housing 150 Minuteman ICBMs
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The US is tracking a suspected Chinese spy balloon, which has been hovering over Montana. Montana Senator Steve Daines said he feared it was targeting the state's nuclear missile base. Montana is home to the sprawling Malmstrom Air Force Base, which stores nuclear weapons. Malmstrom Air Force Base is one of three such bases in the US to contain Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles, a strategic nuclear weapon. Malmstrom maintains 150 intercontinental ballistic missile silos across its 13,800-square-mile complex, according to The Telegraph.

☆ China might have sent a spy balloon over the US as a power play to prove it can do what it wants, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A Chinese spy balloon was detected over the US, the Department of Defense said. Experts say spy balloons can do things satellites can't, and China may have wanted to get caught. The balloon, the Pentagon said, was "most certainly" sent by China to spy on the US. What is the Chinese spy balloon? A spy balloon is a balloon with any kind of surveillance equipment is attached.

☆ U.S., Philippines Strike Military-Base Deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Feliz Solomon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The U.S. reached an agreement that gives it access to four more military bases in the Philippines, broadening Washington’s efforts to counter China’s influence and strengthening an alliance that a few years ago appeared in danger of collapse. The deal was announced Thursday during a visit to the Philippines by U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin . The U.S. Department of Defense said the expanded access will strengthen the alliance and accelerate modernization of combined military capabilities.

☆ Boeing gets $1.62 bln contract to provide support for Minuteman III missile
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Feb 1 (Reuters) - Boeing Co (BA.N) has been awarded a $1.62 billion U.S. Air Force contract to provide guidance subsystem support for Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, the U.S. Department of Defense said on Thursday. The work under the contract would be performed at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, and is expected to be completed by Feb. 1, 2039, the statement said. Reporting by Deborah Sophia in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh KuberOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Federal agencies had intel that could have prevented Jan. 6 attack but they failed to act on it, committee investigator tells NBC
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Law enforcement agencies could have prevented the Jan. 6 attack, a committee investigator said. Tim Heaphy told NBC News that the FBI and DHS had important intel but failed to act on it. The committee encountered "numerous" examples of legitimate intelligence that were either ignored or downplayed ahead of the attack, Heaphy said. "There's no question that this was relatively unprecedented," Heaphy told NBC. "That said, there were plenty of indications that there could be violence, and law enforcement could have and should have done a better job of anticipating that."

☆ Fact Check-Clip of tanks transported by railway was filmed in Kansas, not Poland
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A video of tanks being carried by railway in a snowy landscape was recorded in central Kansas. Reuters could not independently confirm when the footage was recorded, but it does not depict tanks in Poland. The Jan. 26 post’s description states the clip was filmed on Jan. 24 in Kansas, “approximately one mile west of Gorham on Highway 40”. The user also shared another clip further showing a line of tanks in what appears to be the same road (here). This clip was filmed in Kansas, not Poland, and has been described in media reports as filmed on Jan. 24, 2023.

☆ Google's ex-CEO Eric Schmidt tapped for federal biotech commission that allows members to keep biotech investments
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Eamon Javers | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

On Dec. 30, leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services committees announced the selection of former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and 11 others to serve on a new federal commission on biotechnology. The appointment, however, doesn't require commission members to divest their own personal biotech investments — even as they help shape U.S. policy overseeing the industry. The person didn't say when Schmidt made the decision to donate profits, adding that he hasn't yet named any recipient charities. The new federal commission will likely have a say in steering such investments over the two years of its lifetime. Schmidt's biotech investments are relatively recent.

☆ Worried about World War III, Trump says he wants an 'impenetrable' shield like Iron Dome to protect the US from hypersonic weapons. A missile defense expert says it's a long shot.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Trump recently said the US should build a nationwide missile defense shield like Israel's Iron Dome. It is unclear if Trump wants the Iron Dome system defending American cities or if he wants a new shield specifically designed for hypersonic threats. Either way, his plan for an "impenetrable" defense is unrealistic, a missile defense expert told Insider. 'There's always some way to get through'Right now, the US has a homeland missile defense system called the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD). While Trump appears to be questionably framing the missile defense situation, there are still certain things that the US can do to strengthen its homeland missile defense, Williams noted.

☆ Ukrainian troops are calling the US military in the middle of shootouts with Russia for help fixing their artillery
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The US military is leading a team that is helping to repair Ukraine's military hardware over the phone. Ukrainian troops, meanwhile, are pushing artillery systems to the limits to keep Russia at bay. According to the report, Ukrainian troops have been firing their heavy artillery pieces past when they would typically be due for a repair, and at unprecedented rates to keep Russian forces at bay. Because of this, the support team is learning the limits of these systems and where they might have a breaking point. In finally securing the Western-made tanks, which were much-sought-after by Ukraine, the country has now set its ambitions on acquiring fighter jets.

☆ A Chinese invasion of Taiwan is a real and dangerous possibility that could wreck armies and ruin the global economy worse than the 1929 stock market crash
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Experts say the military and economic impacts for could be catastrophic, and not just for China and Taiwan. Whether it's 2030, 2027, 2025, or even this year, experts say it could wreak havoc on the global economy and take a devastating toll on the militaries involved. CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty ImagesThough China's actions have stirred fears of a possible Chinese attack, the US military assesses that an invasion of Taiwan would prove extremely difficult for the Chinese military. Threats to one company could spell catastropheLooking at this situation from an economic perspective, a Chinese invasion of Taiwan could mean trillions of dollars in losses and a serious global recession. Others have argued it's in the self interest of both China and the United State to overplay the likelihood of a Taiwan invasion.

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☆ Mike Pompeo says Trump had a 'nutty' plan for him to serve as both secretary of defense and secretary of state simultaneously: book
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Pompeo said Trump floated the idea of him serving as secretary of state and defense secretary, per his new memoir. In July 2020, Trump told Mark Meadows that he wanted his secretary of state to have a "dual hat," per Pompeo. Pompeo made the revelation as he explores a potential 2024 White House campaign against his ex-boss. According to Pompeo's book, Trump told Meadows that Esper was "not going to make it" for much longer while helming the Defense Department. That July, Trump told Meadows that he wanted his secretary of state to have a "dual hat" and "take on leading the department of defense as an additional duty," per Pompeo.

☆ Marines fooled a DARPA robot by hiding in a cardboard box while giggling and pretending to be trees
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Former Pentagon policy analyst Paul Scharre discusses global power and AI in his upcoming book. He writes that Marines trained the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's robots. The robots, trained to identify humans, were fooled by Marines doing somersaults and hiding in boxes. In the passages, Scharre details how, at the end of their training course, the Marines devised a game to test the DARPA robot's intelligence. Another took branches from a fir tree and walked along, grinning from ear to ear while pretending to be a tree, according to sources from Scharre's book.

☆ Factbox: Ukraine's military supplies: What ground vehicles are Kyiv's allies sending?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

THE UNITED STATES:Bradley Fighting Vehicle: a tracked, armoured vehicle with a turret-mounted 25-mm gun that can carry up to seven soldiers in addition to three crew. M109A6 Paladin self-propelled howitzer: a tracked, armoured vehicle with a 155 mm gun. Stryker armoured personnel carrier: a wheeled armoured vehicle that can be configured to handle anything from carrying infantry to medical evacuations. M1117 armoured security vehicle: a wheeled vehicle with a mine-resistant hull. SWEDENArcher Artillery System: a wheeled, self-propelled gun.

☆ Pentagon asks U.S. forces in South Korea to provide equipment for Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Forces Korea (USFK), which has some 28,500 troops in South Korea, said the move is part of U.S. efforts to help Ukraine with its inventories. USFK declined to provide further details, including what types of equipment and how much has been requested or already transferred. The statement comes after the New York times reported earlier this week the United States was diverting munitions in Israel and South Korea to Ukraine for use in the war against Russia. Asked about the report, Seoul's defence ministry said it was closely coordinating with the United states to maintain readiness posture. A U.S. official said in November Washington was in talks with South Korea to buy artillery shells to send to Ukraine, though Seoul insisted that the United States must be the ammunition's end-user.

☆ A Russian ship that's been off the coast of Hawaii for weeks is believed to be gathering intelligence, the US Coast Guard says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The US Coast Guard said Wednesday it is monitoring a Russian ship near Hawaii. The Coast Guard said the ship is believed to be gathering intelligence. "The Coast Guard operates in accordance with international laws of the sea to ensure all nations can do the same without fear or contest. The Coast Guard said it was coordinating with the Department of Defense to provide updates on the movement of the foreign ships. In May, the US Indo-Pacific Command said it was monitoring a Russian vessel near Hawaii.

☆ The US military received hundreds of new UFO reports, but half are suspected to be balloons, drones, and random clutter
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The US military has received hundreds of new UFO reports in recent years, a new intelligence report reveals. Half of the new reported incidents are suspected to be balloons, drones, and random clutter. American officials have attributed a number of UFO incidents to foreign drones engaged in spying or airborne trash, The New York Times reported last October. Although the UAPs can potentially pose a safety hazard for aircraft, there have been no reported incidents between US planes and the UAPs. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a Thursday statement about the new ODNI analysis.

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