On Sunday, an object was shot down in Michigan in the USA. It is the third object shot down in three days.
At the beginning of February, a large Chinese balloon was shot down off the coast of South Carolina.
The US version is that this was a spy balloon, while China claims that it was a stray weather balloon.
However, the US has not been as clear as to what the last three objects are. The flying objects were much smaller than the balloon, and it is still not known whether they are related or whether they are Chinese.
China claims on Monday that it has no information about these objects.
– In the air for a while
– One has been confirmed to be Chinese, so it remains to be seen about the other three. China wants to gather intelligence and possibly test the Americans, says Tom Røseth, associate professor and main teacher of intelligence at the Norwegian Armed Forces Staff School.
NOT NEW: Tom Røseth, Head Teacher at the Norwegian Armed Forces College, believes the flying objects have been in the air for a while. Photo: Jonas Been Henriksen / TV 2
Although the objects were discovered and shot down at the weekend, Røseth believes that they have been in the air for a while.
– I think many of these balloons were sent out in an early phase, in the same group, and therefore these are not new balloons. They have been in the air for a while.
FOUR SHOOTINGS: One balloon and three objects have been shot down in February. Photo: Datawrapper
Used for a long time
One therefore knows far less about the last three objects than about the first balloon.
Former head of intelligence section E-14, Ola Kaldager believes that these were also spy balloons, and that will be confirmed when the US gets to examine the remains of the objects that were shot down.
Although few people may have heard of spy balloons, it is not as unusual as one might think, says Kaldager.
– Balloons are quite common. They have been used almost before airplanes were invented, says Kaldager.
He is still stumped on using balloons for espionage.
– It’s a bit strange to use balloons, because we have satellites and such.
We know this
- On 4 February, a Chinese balloon is shot down over South Carolina in the USA. US authorities claim it was a Chinese spy balloon. China claims it was a stray weather balloon.
- On February 10, a flying object is shot down over Alaska. This was far smaller than the Chinese balloon.
- On 11 February, another flying object is shot down over Canada. This too was much smaller than the balloon.
- On February 12, the third object in three days is shot down over Michigan.
There are still several advantages to using balloons to collect information, says Kaldager.
– The balloons move quite quickly and can probably be controlled to a certain extent. They don’t require fuel, but just follow the air currents, he says and continues:
– It is possible to conduct intelligence by listening to the radio and flying drones, but with balloons you get closer. We also have to count on them bringing in pictures.
SPY EXPERT: Ola Kaldager says that it is not at all unusual to use balloons for intelligence. Photo: Terje Pedersen
On Monday, China made balloon accusations against the United States. They claim that US high-flying balloons have flown over Chinese airspace without permission at least ten times since 2022.
– It is probably not inconceivable that the USA has flown balloons over China and. Now China has been taken and then they will show that they are no worse than the rest of the world’s countries, Kaldager believes.
What happens next?
The US and China have long had a strained relationship and there is much that is unclear after the three latest shootings.
THE WAY FORWARD: Senior researcher at NUPI, Hans Jørgen Gåsemyr, is excited to see how the US and China will continue to communicate. Photo: NUPI
– All countries are familiar with espionage against each other, and even if there are many conflicts now, you must have a constructive relationship around issues of common interest, says China expert and senior researcher at the Norwegian Foreign Policy Institute (NUPI, Hans Jørgen Gåsemyr .
– Nobody is interested in a full clinch.
He is excited about how China and the US will choose to communicate in the next period.
– It will be interesting to see if they choose to use it as an active marker and have a sharp conflict, or if they bring it down to a constructive dialogue track. This is happening in a period where both countries have shown more willingness to communicate.
