(IntegrityPress.org) – Two Republican senators, Josh Hawley of Missouri and Dan Sullivan of Alaska, reported that there was no clear response to the question of whether U.S. manufacturing played a role in constructing the Chinese surveillance balloon that was shot down over the east coast recently during a classified briefing on Thursday. The briefing was led by officials from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Department of Defense, and the State Department.
Senator Sullivan expressed his concern, implying that it is not a good thing if American companies are taking part in the construction of surveillance machines, especially ones that can be sold and then turned and used against the United States. He went on to say that the nobody in the administration was prepared for such a situation, and that the Pentagon had major lapses in judgment.
Similar sentiments were expressed by Senator Hawley, saying that he was disturbed and frightened by the possibility of U.S. companies being involved in the construction of the balloon. He also emphasized the lack of planning and preparation by the administration and the Pentagon in dealing with the situation, especially given the fact that this is apparently not the first balloon of its kind to exist, and more than likely not the first one to enter US airspace.
According to Fox News, the Chinese balloon contained western-made parts with English writing and instructions, but the State Department has confirmed that the manufacturer has a direct relationship with military of the Peoples Republic of China.
Senator Sullivan is encouraging officials to make the briefings on the spy balloon public in order to inform the American people about the extent of the challenges and the previous occurrences of similar events. However, the decision to make the information public lies with the executive branch. The officials who led the briefing included representatives from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Department of Defense, and the State Department.
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