The US Navy collects the wreckage of a Chinese reconnaissance balloon

Feb. 6 (UPI) — The US Navy has begun collecting what’s left of a Chinese high-altitude observation balloon after an Air Force fighter jet shot it down over the weekend.

The Department of Defense announced recovery efforts On Monday, saying it was about 6 miles off the coast of South Carolina in about 50 feet of water, after rough seas prevented a safe recovery on Sunday.

On Saturday, the US Air Force shot down a suspected spy balloon over the Atlantic Ocean after it flew southeast over the United States. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said the mission to shoot down the balloon was carried out in consultation with the Canadian government.

USS Carter Hall has begun collecting debris near the splashdown site, while USNS Pathfinder is mapping the ocean floor with sonar, the Department of Defense said Monday during a briefing.

Air Force General Glen VanHerk, commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command and US Northern Command, said ocean currents could make it impossible to collect all of the debris and warned the public against collecting beached balloon fragments.

“I would like to remind you that ocean currents can cause some debris to come ashore.” – VanHerke said at a briefing on Monday. “And so we ask the public, and you can help me with this, to avoid contact. Contact local law enforcement immediately to take care of this trash.”

The Department of Defense also announced that the Navy is working on a map showing the complete debris field.

“We expect the debris field to be about 1,500 meters by 1,500 meters, which is, you know, more than 15 football fields by 15 football fields,” VanHerke said, adding that the Navy will also determine if the stage is safe.

They will use “unmanned underwater vehicles with side-scan sonar to further locate the sunken wreckage. And so we’re expecting them to get there and do further categorization of potential threats, like explosives that could be included, hazardous materials that could be in batteries, and so on, so we’re working very hard,” added VanHerck.

The destruction of an observation balloon spotted over the United States last week has complicated an already strained relationship between the United States and China, delaying US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s planned visit to Beijing.

“The discovery of this high-altitude observation balloon in the days leading up to the Secretary of State’s visit certainly undermined the purpose of this visit,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said. during the briefing Monday. “In this context, we would not be able to handle the important business that Secretary Blinken was looking forward to in Beijing.”

“We will determine when it is appropriate to potentially go to the PRC to discuss the type of discussion that we believe is mandatory for our countries,” Price added, referring to China by the initials of its official name, the People’s Republic of China.

This was announced on Monday by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning. urged both sides“especially the US” to “keep calm”.

“The entry of a stray balloon into US airspace was purely unintentional“This is an unexpected and isolated incident,” Mao said. “However, he is testing whether the United States is sincere about stabilizing and improving its relationship with China and whether it can handle the crisis properly.”

The entry of the stray balloon into US airspace was a purely unintentional, unexpected, and isolated incident. However, it tests whether the US sincerely wants to stabilize and improve its relationship with China and whether it can handle the crisis properly. pic.twitter.com/NZY1hQFCdB— Spokesman 发言人办公室 (@MFA_China) February 6, 2023

As the Navy works to collect as much of the balloon’s debris as possible, the Defense Department said on Monday it is still deciding where it will be sent for study.

“I don’t know where the wreckage will be sent for final analysis, but I will tell you that the intelligence community, as well as the law enforcement agencies that are working on this under counterintelligence, will definitely take a close look at it.” VanHerk said. “So we look forward to moving forward.”

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