On January 28th, 2023, a balloon was detected in US airspace by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), 60,000 feet above Alaska, north of the Aleutian Islands. As it moved over Canada, NORAD determined that not only it had spy equipment onboard, but it also had small motors and propellers, indicating that it could be maneuvered to specific locations.
As the balloon re-enters US airspace over northern Idaho, President Biden asks for military options to shoot it down, and the Pentagon begins efforts to stop it from collecting sensitive information.
On February 2nd, reports began coming in of a second balloon coming in over Central/South America. US officials begin plans to shoot down the balloon, and China addresses the balloon, claiming that it’s merely a civilian weather balloon that wandered into US airspace. The US calls their bluff, however, pointing to the spy equipment, and President Biden is briefed on the plan to shoot it down.
On February 4th, at 2:39 pm, an F-22 Raptor destroyed the balloon off the coast of South Carolina, wrapping the situation up… well, it would, if there wasn’t another balloon confirmed over Central America and another one rumored near US airspace.

So what does all of this mean, and why does it matter? What it means is that the CCP is beginning to gather information on the US, and likely the US military, as it approached and flew across the entirety of the continental US, including Malmstrom Air Force Base, home to one of the country’s ICBM silos.
All of this is, of course, in response to further eastern aggression from Russia, who has recently claimed they are willing to “escalate the conflict,” after Germany has sent tanks to Ukraine, and claims that the use of depleted uranium tipped rounds is a nuclear assault against Russia.
The future is uncertain, and we rely on our politicians to navigate this with grace and wisdom. Until more arises, stay safe, stay posted, and keep moving.