Ugh…long week.
One of the more notable events this week was the Chinese taking an aerial tour of Montana, and our missile fields, with a rather large balloon.
The interesting thing about the Chinese is that they think long-term. In this country, and many Western ones, we make policy and plans that are, perhaps, one or two political terms in the future. For example, we have a four-year term for president, so a lot of plans are on a four or eight year timetable. The Chinese don’t limit themselves like that. They plan for fifty years, or more, out there.
This is most evident in their Belt And Road Initiative to create streamlined lines of travel for commerce (and, no doubt, military equipment) across a good chunk of Asia and into Europe.
Africa is a special case to the Chinese. They’ve been investing heavily in infrastructure projects…building massive airports in tiny countries that never see a 747 but will see plenty of Chinese military transports. Large swaths of land are leased or purchased by China for their ‘food security’ program. It’s only a matter of time before, at some point, they decide to ‘take Africa private’ and simply nudge out the local governments and install their own
Long before that happens, though, China will flex it’s biggest muscle – its economic one. When your economy is dependent on Chinese goods and Chinese debt purchases, you’ve gone from being equals to being beholding to a patron.
Of course, things might be different with the whole Russian situation these days. The Russians and the Chinese had a big dustup about 60 years ago in a case of ‘my Communism is better than your Communism’ and it looked like the two of them might start lobbing canned sunshine at each other.
The Russians kicking of a war in Europe would, no doubt, put a crimp in those Chinese plans for economic domination although I’ve no doubt they have various contingency plans to make such an event work for them.
And, of course, lets not forget these are the same folks that let loose a virus that killed a buncha people and they have yet to have their feet held to the fire about it.
So that ballon episode? Thats just a visible part of China’s plan to get its Peking ducks in a row for when it decides to really start applying the pressure to the international, and American, community.
and a pretty effective distraction from the semi-trailer load of classified docs brandon had moved from the chinese funded u of de annex, 1800 boxes worth. not a peep now. maybe china joe gave a shout out to xi for some help?
Everyone should remember that all of our economic, manufacturing and financial assets were move to the chicoms by corporate CEO’s who value profit more than they love America.
Have you ever listened to Peter Zeihan? He makes some points about China that make me considerably less worried about them. China is falling apart. Their economy is based on constant free flow of goods which is falling apart. They import materials and export cheap non value added consumer goods. Their primary benefit was cheap labor but they are out of 20-30 year olds.
They import basically all of their food and fuel through the South China Sea, which we can shut down at any time.
https://youtube.com/@ZeihanonGeopolitics
Yep, all true. The chinks know that, and are working on those problems. For example, they got their puppets in DC to force Russia into alliance with them, by having USA take over Ukraine and start shelling Russians. They have developed ship killer missiles to try to safeguard their shipping routes. They aren’t ready to move openly, bit as long as they own the White House, they don’t have to.
Ryan:
Yes – America has the tools to “Close” the South China Sea.
Do you think ANY of our politicians have the stones to do so?
I don’t…
Ceejay
I have it on good authority that they were actually doing recon on CZ’s bunker. The missile fields were the cover story if caught.
It’s been a loooong while since I was involved with ELINT & related, but from the close up photos of the balloon antennae array I’ve seen, my swag is they were mapping cellphone towers & repeaters. Likely looking for ones not on published FCC lists.
Guys don’t think that the Chicoms are on a deliberate path one way or another. If in fact their economic dominion ( low labor rates and cheap manufacturing) are diminishing that the military pundits are accelerating a showdown with the US and Taiwan as a now or never scenario. We are sending a lot of shit to Ukraine so they view that as less assets the US can devote to a Sino/Taiwanese conflict especially if the Russians dominate shortly in the current Ukraine conflict. We are far less prepared to fight a 2 front war than at any time since our post WW2 history frankly.
Who do all those commies hate? The US of A. What if Russia expands the war in Ukraine, perhaps to the Baltic states, while China invades Taiwan and N. Korea attacks S. Korea? With our depleted stocks of conventional ammunition (given to Ukraine) we would have two choices: A. go nuclear, or B. give up. With Biden I’m bettin’ it’s B.
Cheaper to buy a few American Politicians and Career Generals (OH! Did I repeat myself?) than to get kinetic and loose a few warships and aircraft.
Personally, given the trouble with “Bought” Politicians I think that balloon was a test. Like when you train a dog to only accept food from Your hand and then you have a second person offer a treat.
Slow Joe and Gen Milley passed sad to say.
“In a Chinese accent” Today special espionage, tomorrow’s payload a surprise.
So tell me CZ. NORAD has shut down the air space over Montana. You see any little green men. These craft are sneaking in and are undetectable to radar. Until somebody notices them.
I checked NORADs website. Nothing much except what we’ve already been told.
I have my own therories. Especially in light of the Deep space radio signals we’ve been intercepting for the last thirty years. A recent intercept was from a galaxy 30 light years away was sent by radio burst technology. That was received in November of last year.
Who knows. Maybe the aliens wanted to attend the Super Bowl.
There are no galaxies within 30 light years of Earth, so I am assuming you meant to say a star system 30 light years away.
And now we are at three downed and one more being watched, The one being watched is over Montana again, As speculated in an earlier comment, maybe they are looking for cell phone towers. But maybe this time they are looking for ones not equipped with Huawei equipment.
Their are certain things and atmospheric sensor can measure that an exoatmospheric one can’t, particularly emissions and air quality.
They could be looking for certain chemical or biological signatures and how they spread on the Jetstream – if they get it right, they could release a chem or bio weapon and have the wind carry it.
It doesn’t have to be a direct weapon; China routinely used cloud seeding to control weather for important events – they could arrange a drought or flood.
Silicone Gray Beard has a good article on why Balloons are often cheaper than satellites.
Also, some ideas of other payloads. Some are very deniable sad to say.
Just how sold out to China is our politicians and career Generals (did I repeat myself?).
In history traitors are often betrayed by their paymasters. Chinese history is full of it as well as Machiavelli’s the Prince sort of thing.
Protect your family. Real Trouble will not be reported upon by Mass Media until “The Narrative NEEDS it”.
“Cheaper” only matters if effectiveness is equal.
Which assumes facts not in evidence.
Did you bother to read the article Aesop?
Yes.
You can always have: Better. Faster. Cheaper.
But you can only pick any two.
That’s immutable truth.
Something else worth reading.
https://areaocho.com/balloons/
Gives an interesting viewpoint about planning and recon.
Look Balloon!,what are they trying to distract from? Loosing in Nazikraine(with chemical weapons and long list of war crimes),twitter files with massive corruption/conspiracy, more out of control police abuses, Dutch farmers and planned starvation, open invasion on our southern border, environmental disaster trainwreck,election fraud ongoing,Project Veritas revelations, Republican politicans being murdered or name dozens of other real threats to the Uniparty/wef overlord wannabes. Don’t forget the balloons were happening during Trump we just didn’t notice,if you believe anything being put out. It all makes sense if they want you dead.
Military Balloon Use goes back to, well, the invention of the Balloon. The U.S. Air Force used this exact technique against the Soviets- Launch Balloon from Germany or Turkey, hope it Floats over something Interesting, then Recover off the East Coast of Asia. This is what Chinamart is doing, Satellite Relay of the Data collected eliminates the need to “Recover” the Balloon Payload.
And Contrary to what a certain Bedpan Commando believes, “Cheaper” by several Orders of Magnitude, for Greater Effectiveness in Certain Aspects of Surveillance is a Feature, not a Bug.