WWTBAM Bored

You were needed on a recent Air Force consulting project.

A Chinese company wanted to build a "Corn Milling Plant" very near the Grand Forks Air Force Base.

However, the Air Force has requested that it not be allowed to go forward due to security concerns and I think it has been stopped.

However, as you so eloquently argued in the "Balloon" thread-the only spy platforms that matter are satellites.

You could have helped show the Air Force how quaint any non-satellite related spying concerns are.

I mean my god how stupid and outdated is the Air Force. What good could a permanent, spy platform located close to an Air Force Base do that satellites can't do better?

Spock wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 07, 2023 6:02 pm

I mean my god how stupid and outdated is the Air Force. What good could a permanent, spy platform located close to an Air Force Base do that satellites can't do better?

Let's review exactly what I said: "You do realize they've had spy satellites in place for years (as do we) with much more equipment onboard than the balloon did."

My comment was that spy satellites were better equipped for that purpose than the balloon was. I did not say that all other intelligence gathering mechanisms are useless because we and the Chinese have spy satellites. By the way, spy satellites fly at an orbit of around 100 miles to get more accurate information. Many of them do have rockets to boost them up in a higher orbit as their original orbit degrades due to friction from the earth's atmosphere.

Since our government knew since at least Tuesday that the satellite was headed to the U.S., don't you think that any military base within its path would make sure not to reveal sensitive materials at that time? We undoubtedly got more usable intelligence from this affair courtesy of the recovered wreckage than the Chinese did from any information they got. That's one reason the Chinese view this as a complete fiasco on their part.

silverscreenselect wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 07, 2023 10:37 pm

That's one reason the Chinese view this as a complete fiasco on their part.

You think the Chinese view this as a fiasco because.....? Their official statement indicates that? Regardless of what they may or have may not gathered intellegencewise, the offical line from them would be "Oops, our bad."

If they were able to obtain the nuclear codes from a mole working at one of the silos who was able to transmit them via his Chinese made cellphone once the baloon got within range they would still act as if the entire thing was a loss. They wouldn't chest bump and brag about the intelligence they obtained.

BackInTex wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 08, 2023 7:33 am

If they were able to obtain the nuclear codes from a mole working at one of the silos who was able to transmit them via his Chinese made cellphone once the baloon got within range they would still act as if the entire thing was a loss.

I'm sure the Chinese have far more effective ways of transmitting secret data back to their home country than to wait for a spy balloon to show up overhead.

Like Tik-Tok for instance.

BackInTex wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 08, 2023 7:33 am

silverscreenselect wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 07, 2023 10:37 pm

That's one reason the Chinese view this as a complete fiasco on their part.

You think the Chinese view this as a fiasco because.....? Their official statement indicates that? Regardless of what they may or have may not gathered intellegencewise, the offical line from them would be "Oops, our bad."

If they were able to obtain the nuclear codes from a mole working at one of the silos who was able to transmit them via his Chinese made cellphone once the baloon got within range they would still act as if the entire thing was a loss. They wouldn't chest bump and brag about the intelligence they obtained.

No one in a silo has nuclear codes.

Bob Juch wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 08, 2023 12:31 pm

BackInTex wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 08, 2023 7:33 am

silverscreenselect wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 07, 2023 10:37 pm

That's one reason the Chinese view this as a complete fiasco on their part.

You think the Chinese view this as a fiasco because.....? Their official statement indicates that? Regardless of what they may or have may not gathered intellegencewise, the offical line from them would be "Oops, our bad."

If they were able to obtain the nuclear codes from a mole working at one of the silos who was able to transmit them via his Chinese made cellphone once the baloon got within range they would still act as if the entire thing was a loss. They wouldn't chest bump and brag about the intelligence they obtained.

No one in a silo has nuclear codes.

Both you and SSS missed, or ignored, the point. As usual.