>> I CAN TELL YOU, NO, THERE WAS
NO APOLOGY.
BUT WHAT I CAN ALSO TELL YOU IS
THIS WAS AN OPPORTUNITY THE
SPEAK VERY CHEERILY AND VERY --
CLEARLY AND VERY DIRECTLY ABOUT
THE FACT THAT CHINA SENT A
SURVEILLANCE BALLOON OVER OUR
TERRITORY, VIOLATING OUR
SOVEREIGNTY, VIOLATE ISING
INTERNATIONAL LAW.
AND I TOLL THEM QUITE SIMPLY
THAT THAT WAS UNACCEPTABLE AND
NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN.
WILL: CHINA OFFERING NO APOLOGY
FOR ITS SPY FLIGHT AS THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION SAYS THE RECOVERY
FOR DEBRIS IS OVER AND
OFFICIALLY ENDS THE SEARCH FOR
TWO UNIDENTIFIED OBJECTS SHOT
DOWN OVER ALASKA AND LAKE HURON.
JOINING US NOW WITH REACTION IS
REIRE THED AIR FORCE LIEUTENANT
GENERAL RICHARD NEWTON.
GENERAL, GREAT OF YOU ON THE
SHOW, GOOD MORNING.
>> GOOD MORNING, WILL.
WILL: WE WERE JUST TALKING, AND
I SAID TO YOU -- AND I’D LOVE
FOR YOU TO FILL ME IN AND
EDUCATE ME ON THIS.
I FIND IT UNBELIEVABLE THAT WE
WOULD SHOOT SOMETHING THAT WE
DON’T KNOW WHAT IT IS AND
UNBELIEVABLE THAT WE CAN’T FIND
THE DEBRIS.
>> WELL, IT IS UNBELIEVABLE.
BUT THE CHALLENGE IS, THE
SHOOTDOWNS OF THE LAST THREE
OBJECTS OVER ALASKA, YUKON AND
NOW LAKE HURON, THE OBJECTS WERE
SO SMALL IN SUCH REMOTE
LOCATIONS IT WILL LIKELY BE
VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE, MAYBE EVEN
FUTILE TO FIND THE OBJECTS.
BUT THE LARGER PICTURE HERE IS
THE FACT THAT THE, YOU KNOW, WE
HAVE A DOMAIN AWARENESS GAP OF
BEING ABLE TO CONCERN AND THAT’S
FROM THE COMMANDER OF NORTH
AMERICAN DEFENSE COMMAND, OF
ACTUALLY FINDING AND TARGETING
AND TRACKING THESE OBJECTS THAT
ARE PENETRATING AMERICAN AIR
SPACE SOMEHOW.
BACK TO THOSE THREE SMALL
OBJECT, I DON’T THINK WE’LL EVER
REALLY KNOW OR FIND THEM.
WILL: THAT MIGHT BE A SEPARATE
QUESTION OF WHETHER OR NOT WE
FIND THEM FROM WHETHER OR NOT WE
KNOW WHAT THEY WERE.
>> EXACTLY.
THE ATTRIBUTION PIECE IS
CRITICAL, AND THAT’S WHAT’S
HAPPENING NOW.
THEY’VE CLEANED UP ALL THE
DEBRIS WITH OFF THE OF SOUTH
CAROLINA COAST, THAT CHINESE SPY
BALLOON PIECES ARE NOW AT
QUANTICO, AND THE FBI
LABORATORY’S LOOKING REALLY HARD
TO REALLY PINPOINT THE FACT THAT
IT IS A CHINESE SPY BALLOON AND,
CERTAINLY, IN MY ESTIMATION AND
MY COLLEAGUES’ ESTIMATION.
BUT THE FACT IS, YOU KNOW,
WHAT’S ITS SOURCE?
IS IT THE CHINESE MILITARY?
WHAT WAS ITS USES?
WAS IT JUST SURVEILLANCE, OTHER
CAPABILITIES?
THAT’S REALLY, I THINK, THE KEY
POINT.
WILL: IN YOUR EXPERIENCE,
GENERAL, HOW COMMON IS THAT?
FOCUS ON THE FIRST BALLOON.
WE KNOW WHAT THAT WAS, CHINESE
BALLOON.
ALL REPORTS ARE THAT IT WAS A
SPY BALLOON, COMMONLY REFERENCED
EVEN AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL AS A
SPY BALLOON.
HOW COMMON IS THAT TO HAVE OUR
AIR SPACE INVADED BY A CHINESE
SPY BALLOON?
>>ST THE EXTRAORDINARILY
UNCOMMON.
IT IS A SERIOUS THREAT, IN MY
ESTIMATION.
IT IS A SIGNIFICANT THREAT TO
THE UNITED STATES.
JUST VIOLATING U.S. SOVEREIGN I
THE, U.S. AIR SPACE, THE FACT
THAT THEY’VE HAD THIS CHINESE
SPY BALLOON CAPABILITY FOR
YEARS, THEY’VE COVERED 40
NATIONS AND 5 CONTINENTS OVER
THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS.
SO IT’S A WAKE-UP CALL FOR THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE, THE FACT THAT
THE CHINESE NOW ARE REALLY NOT
NECESSARILY -- THEY’RE
PENETRATING OUR AIR SPACE WITH
THESE BALLOONS, BUT I IT’S
LARGER THAN THAT.
THEY MAY BE TRYING TO HUMILIATE
THE UNITED STATES AND/OR THE
ADMINISTRATION.
SO THIS IS SIGNIFICANT.
IT’S NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE
CERTAINLY ON MY WATCH.
AND THE FACT THAT WE’VE ACTUALLY
HAD FOUR KINETIC KILLS OF LOW OR
SLOW MOVING OBJECTS, IT’S NEVER
BEEN -- NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE
WITH NORTH AMERICAN SPACE --
WILL: CHINESE ARE SAYING IN
RETURN THAT NATO IS
INTENTIONALLY CREATING
CONFRONTATIONS WITH CHINA.
>> YEAH.
THEIR MINISTER OF FOREIGN
AFFAIRS WAS YESTERDAY AT MUNICH
DURING A SECURITY SUMMIT, AND
REALLY THAT’S ALL PROPAGANDA,
WILL, AND IT’S THEIR WHAT I
WOULD CALL BROADER INFORMATION
CAMPAIGN TO DISCREDIT THE UNITED
STATES TO NOW USHER THEM IN ON
THE WORLD STAGE THE, YOU KNOW,
AS NOT A STRATEGIC PARTNER, BUT
TRYING TO TAKE OVER AS A
SUPERPOWER.
THEY’RE NOT NECESSARILY JUST
FOCUSED ON THEIR REGION IN THE
ASIA-PACIFIC.
THEY’RE NOW FOCUSED ON THE REST
OF THE GLOBE.
OTHER -- ALSO THEY’RE
SIGNIFICANTLY MODERNIZING THEIR
MILITARY THE.
THEIR NUCLEAR CAPABILITIES IN
AIR AND LAND AND SEA-BASED
CAPABILITIES, I WOULD CALL IT
BREATHTAKING.
IT’S EXTRAORDINARY.
THE OTHER ASPECT OF THIS THOUGH,
IT’S NOT JUST IN MILITARY
CAPABILITIES, IT’S IN THEIR
INFORMATION OPERATIONS
CAPABILITIES, IT’S IN THEIR
CYBER, IT’S IN THEIR ECONOMIC
AND FINANCIAL AREAS, AND THEY’RE
ALSO TRYING TO BE ON THE WORLD
STAGE AS HAIR MINISTER OF
FOREIGN AFFAIRED DID YET IN --
AFFAIRS DID YESTERDAY IN
MUNICH --
WILL: THE WAY YOU JUST DESCRIBED
CHINESE ADVANCEMENTS IN MILITARY
CAPABILITIES AND THE WAY THAT
THIS IS CERTAINLY INVOLVING INTO
A COLD WAR THAT IS INCHING
CLOSER TOWARD I DON’T KNOW THAT
IT WILL END UP IN A KINETIC
CONFRONTATION, BUT IT’S GETTING
MORE TENSE.
>> IT COULD.
IT COULD.
WILL: DO YOU THINK WE ARE
PREPARED MILITARILY AS THE
UNITED STATES?
>> WE ARE PREPARED.
WE STILL ARE THE, YOU KNOW, THE
GREATEST MILITARY ON THE FACE OF
THE EARTH LARGELY, FRANKLY, DUE
TO OUR MEN AND WOMEN IN UNIFORM,
ACTIVE DUTY, FORWARD AND
RESERVE.
BUT WE’VE GOT TO THE MODERNIZE
OUR FORCE.
ONE CASE IN POINT BEFORE WE GO.
THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE,
CREATED IN 1947, WE’RE THE
SMALLEST AND THE OLDEST AIR
FORCE WE’VE EVER BEEN.
WE NEED TO MODERNIZE NOT ONLY
OUR AIR FORCE, BUT OUR OTHER
CAPABILITIES INCLUDING AIR AND
SPACE AND SEA-BASED AS WELL AS
CYBER.
BUT IT’S -- WE CANNOT TAKE
ANYTHING FOR GRANTED FROM THIS