The Chinese spy balloon that transited the continental U.S. in February succeeded in gathering information from U.S. military sites, despite repeated assurances from U.S. officials the balloon did not provide any additive surveillance value, NBC News reported, citing officials.
Biden administration officials in the National Security Council and Department of Defense said they had taken steps to protect sensitive installations from the spying capabilities of the Chinese balloon. However, the balloon picked up electronic signals, potentially those emitted from weapons systems and communications between base personnel, and transmitted data in real time back to Beijing, two current senior U.S. officials and one former senior administration official told NBC.
The Biden administration first revealed it was tracking the spy balloon after it had flown over Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana, which houses a key pillar of the U.S. nuclear arsenal, on Feb. 2.
