Chinese Balloon shot down after 3 days
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After the better part of a leisurely week of traversing the nation due to inaction by the executive branch, a Langley Air Force Base F-22 fighter jet shot down the Chinese surveillance balloon. The DoD reported that an F-22 Raptor fighter from the first Fighter Wing at Langley Air Force Base fired a single shot at the Chinese spy balloon.
The F-22 had support by F-15 Eagles flying from Barnes Air National Guard Base in Massachusetts and tankers from Oregon, Montana, South Carolina and North Carolina.
The DOD said the balloon didn’t pose a military or physical threat and that steps to protect sensitive information were taken. The mission is now in recovery phase. A number of navy and coast guard vessels are maintaining a perimeter during the search for debris. It was said that the balloon came down in a shallow area and that the recovery phase should be "fairly easy".
IMHO this remains a failure of the Biden administration to take prompt decisive action in the defense of the nation. Always a number of unanswered questions when it comes to the Biden administration.
Further, the country of China is doing some international whining about the act.