U.S. sailors from Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 successfully recovered a high-altitude surveillance balloon near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Official investigations by the Biden administration revealed the Chinese-tied technology found on the balloon was capable of monitoring American communications.

Senior State Department officials declared the unmanned balloon was part of a fleet of Chinese signals intelligence balloons that had conducted spying activities in 40 countries worldwide. The officials added the U.S. government will explore taking action against Chinese People's Liberation Army entities associated with the balloon's airborne incursion. High-resolution imagery from U-2 reconnaissance photographs revealed the balloon had multiple antennas and solar panels large enough to run multi-sensor operations.

U.S. Representative Mike Turner (R-Ohio) deemed the balloon incident a "crisis" on national security, while Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) used a