China has sent a spy balloon soaring over the U.S., drawing sharp criticism from the Pentagon and prompting Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel his high-stakes Beijing trip. This chilling foreshadowing acts as a stark reminder of the fragility of U.S. airspace and American sovereignty.

At the heart of this issue is China’s long-held belief that it should have greater control over the Pacific region. The balloon, which China claims is a weather "airship" that went off course, is likely part of a larger political agenda for China to gain regional dominance. Even if the balloon is collecting meteorological information, the fact that it was detected over U.S. military sites implicates a more nefarious aim—gathering intelligence for China’s political warfare campaign.

The balloon incident is yet another stark reminder of our fragility to attack. In World War II, Japan launched