RELATIVE DOUBT.
OF COURSE LET’S GO TO DAVE SEARS
THE RETIRED NAVY COMMANDER SEAL,
SIX MEMBER AUTHOR OF "SMARTER
NOT HARDER."
DAVE, A LOT OF THIS DOESN’T ADD
UP.
AS I SAID THIS THING IS PRETTY
BIG AND YOU’RE MORE FAMILIAR
WITH THIS TECHNOLOGY IF YOU CALL
IT TECHNOLOGY ALTHOUGH THIS SEEM
S TO BE VERY
SOPHISTICATED TECHNOLOGY.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
>> I THINK IT’S EXACTLY AS YOU
SAID.
A LOT OF THIS DOESN’T ADD UP,
AND RIGHT NOW, THE DEPARTMENT OF
DEFENSE, THEIR SPOKESMAN AND
OTHER SENIOR OFFICERS IN THERE
ARE NOT INSTILLING CONFIDENCE AT
ALL IN ME AND THE THOUGHT OF
THEIR ABILITY TO HANDLE THIS.
I MEAN, HOW IS IT NOT DETECTED
EARLIER?
WAS IT A CIVILIAN WHO DETECTED
THIS THING?
WHY DIDN’T THEY SHOOT IT DOWN?
YOU CAN’T ALLOW FOREIGN, I DON’T
CARE IF IT’S A WEATHER BALLOON,
YOU DON’T CROSS INTO SOVEREIGN
U.S. AIR SPACE AND IT IS A
THREAT.
YOU KNOW, THERE IS A POTENTIAL
FOR A THREAT THERE.
YOU COULD JUST DROP SOMETHING
OUT OF THIS.
RIGHT NOW, A LOT OF THIS DOESN’T
ADD UP AND, YOU KNOW, BRINGS TO
MIND SIGNIFICANT CONCERNS.
NEIL: YOU KNOW, THE CHINESE
FOREIGN MINISTRY, DAVID, PUT OUT
A STATEMENT IF I CAN QUOTE HERE.
"THE CHINESE SIDE REGRETS THE UN
INTENDED ENTRY OF THE
AIRSHIP INTO U.S. AIR SPACE"
AND IN OTHER WORDS MATTERS
BEYOND ITS CONTROL.
THE CHINESE SIDE WILL CONTINUE
COMMUNICATING WITH THE U.S. SIDE
AND PROPERLY HANDLE THIS
UNEXPECTED SITUATION CAUSED
BY SAID FORCE MAJURE.
HOW DO WE KNOW THAT IT’S NOT
THEM TARGETING EXACTLY WHERE
THIS THING IS GOING, AND
POSSIBLY, CONTINUING TO DO SO
EVEN NOW?
>> YEAH, EXACTLY.
THE GENERAL DID SORT OF BEGRUDG
INGLY ADMIT THIS IS A
MANEUVERABLE BALLOON, SO FORCE M
AJURE, COULD YOU NOT
BRING IT DOWN AUTOMATICALLY AND
SAY WE’RE GOING TO CROSS INTO
YOUR AIR SPACE, WE’RE BRINGING
THIS THING DOWN?
WE’RE GOING TO BRING IT DOWN IN
INTERNATIONAL WATERS OR
SOMEWHERE ELSE AND WE’LL
RECOVER IT FROM THERE SO THEY
ARE CONTROLLING IT.
MY OTHER QUESTIONS BE I THINK IT
WAS JENNIFER WHO ASKED A VERY
GOOD QUESTION OF HOW WOULD YOU
REACT IF THIS WAS GOING OVER THE
WHITE HOUSE OR WASHINGTON
D.C.?
IS IT A DIFFERENT REACTION THEN?
WHAT ARE WE GOING TO SEE AT THAT
POINT?
YOU CAN ALSO TAKE EXTEND THAT
FARTHER.
WHAT IF THIS IS A RUSSIAN
BALLOON?
HOW ARE WE GOING TO REACT TO
THAT?
WHAT IF IT’S A RUSSIAN BALLOON
OVER NATO?
THE THINGS DO NOT ADD UP TO ME
AT ALL, AND SO WE’RE NOT BEING
TOLD NEARLY THE ENTIRE STORY AND
NOT GETTING GREAT CONFIDENCE IN
OUR ABILITY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF
DEFENSE OR THIS ADMINISTRATION
TO HANDLE THIS RIGHT NOW.
NEIL: YOU HIT ON A KEY POINT,
DAVE, BUT AS THIS MOVES OVER TO
THE MID PART OF THE CONTINENTAL
UNITED STATES AND AGAIN IT’S A
BROAD REGION BUT YOU’RE GOING
INTO BY DEFINITION MORE
POPULATED AREAS AND CERTAINLY
YOU WERE SEEING WHEN IT WAS OVER
OVER THE SKIES OF IDAHO OR
MONTANA BUT WHAT I FIND VERY
VERY INTERESTING IS HOW WE HAVE
OFFICIALLY RESPONDED THIS ,
ACKNOWLEDGING I GUESS THAT WE
HAVE BEEN SPYING OFF THE CHINESE
COAST FOR MANY MANY YEARS, NOT
NECESSARILY WITH THIS TYPE OF
TECHNOLOGY, USUALLY USING SPY
PLANES AND THE LIKE, BUT THIS IS
A VERY DIFFERENT TYPE OF
TECHNOLOGY WHEN IT COMES TO
BALLOON, FROM WHAT I’M TOLD, AND
YOU MOO IT KNOW, IN FACT I
GUARANTEE YOU KNOW FAR MORE THAN
I BUT SOMETHING THIS BIG, THIS
MASSIVE , AND THAT IS ABLE
TO FLY THIS HIGH IS BEING
PROPELLED, YOU KNOW, BY THINGS
DIFFERENT THAN YOUR TYPICAL
WEATHER BALLOON OR FOR THAT
MATTER, A HOT AIR BALLOON SO
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THAT?
>> THE CHINESE HAVE BEEN USING
BALLOONS FOR YEARS, SO THEY HAVE
BEEN USING THEM, YOU CAN GO BACK
TO THE MID-2000 DEFINITELY OVER
INDIA LAUNCHING THEM OUT OF TIBE
T, TO MONITOR INDIA PIECE
S.
THEY’VE MONITORED GUAM WITH THEM
THEY’VE PUT THEM UP THERE, THEY
GO BACK TO ACTUALLY THOUSANDS OF
YEARS THAT THE CHINESE INITIALLY
WERE USING BALLOONS.
WE USED THEM IN THE CIVIL WAR.
IT’S NOT ALWAYS, TO YOUR ADVANCE
, TO HAVE SUPER HIGH
TECHNOLOGY.
SATELLITES CAN’T SIT IN A
STATIONARY SPOT.
THEY’RE IN AN ORBIT THAT IS SEMI
-PREDICTABLE IF NOT CONCEAL
ABLE.
BALLOONS CAN STAY ON STATION FOR
A LONG TIME AND IF YOU’RE
GOING TO ALLOW THIS TO ENTER AND
COLLECT INFORMATION DIRECTLY
ABOVE REGIONS, IT BE VERY
EFFECTIVE.
NEIL: YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE
ACKNOWLEDGED THAT IT IS THE
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT THAT IT
IS IN THE ATMOSPHERE.
IT IS OVER U.S. AIR SPACE.
IT IS NOT IN OUTER SPACE.
I DON’T KNOW WHAT DELINEATES
EACH LEVEL, BUT I DO KNOW AT A
HEIGHT OF THAT NATURE, YOU
WOULDN’T BE ABLE TO TRADITIONAL
LY CATCH IT BY THE
NAKED EYE OR OTHER SOURCES,
AND I DON’T KNOW HOW THIS CAME
TO THE DEFENSE DEPARTMENT’S
ATTENTION, BUT IT DID, BUT THE
ISSUE BE WHEN IT DID, RIGHT?
IF THEY KNEW ABOUT THIS FOR A
NUMBER OF DAYS OR WERE IN
COMMUNICATION WITH CHINA OR NOT
IN COMMUNICATION WITH CHINA, SO
MUCH WE DON’T KNOW, YOU WOULD
THINK THAT THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN
OVER DAYS AND NOT JUST NOW.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
IF THEY HAD BEEN ABLE TO TRACK
IT, AND CROSS THE ALUSIAN
ISLANDS OVER ALASKA
THEN IT CROSSES OPEN WATER FOR A
WHILE SO YOU HAVE TIME TO FIGURE
OUT A RESPONSE TO THIS.
IT DOES BRING UP LIKE YOU SAID A
LOT OF UNANSWERED QUESTIONS THAT
IT SEEMS THE PENTAGON SHOULD BE
ABLE TO ANSWER WITHOUT GOING
INTO THIS MONTRA OF THIS IS
CLASSIFIED DETAILS.
WE CAN’T TELL YOU THIS.
WE’RE CONCERNED ABOUT SHOOTING
IT DOWN TO CIVILIANS BUT WE’RE
EXTREMELY CONFIDENT ON THE PAY
LOAD AND PACKAGE ON THIS THAT
IT’S NOT A THREAT.
THOSE TWO THINGS TO ME DON’T
JIVE, AT ALL.
NEIL: YEAH, BUT YOU KNOW, DAVE,
I WAS WONDERING.
WE CLEARLY DON’T WANT TO SHOOT
IT DOWN YET.
THAT MIGHT BE CONSIDERED, LIKE
YOU SAID IF WE GET A VERY
POPULATED AREAS, BUT THEY
CLEARLY WANT TO TAKE A LOOK AT
THIS THING, DON’T THEY?
SO THAT’S WHAT YOU’VE GOT TO
JUGGLE.
>> SURE, ABSOLUTELY, AND YOU DO
IT’S CALLED INTELLIGENCE GAIN-
LOSS.
YOU WANT TO FIGURE OUT WHAT
INTELLIGENCE CAN I GLEAN FROM
THIS THING BUT WE HAVE AIRCRAFT.
WE ARE PRETTY MODERN THAT CAN
FLY OVER THE WATER SO IF THIS IS
CROSSING FROM THE ALUTIANS YOU
CAN FLY AROUND IT AND GAIN A LOT
OF INTELLIGENCE FROM IT WITHOUT
LETTING IT TRANSIT THE ENTIRE
CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES ON A
TRAJECTORY AND PATH THAT YOU
DON’T KNOW WITH A PAY LOAD THAT
YOU CANNOT BE CERTAIN OF.
IT MAKES NO SENSE TO ME AT ALL.
NEIL: YEAH, IT DOESN’T ADD UP
HERE.
DAVE, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MY
FRIEND, SO GOOD SEEING YOU AGAIN
THANK YOU AS WELL, DAVE FOR YOUR