After a week of international drama, Navy divers are working to recover pieces of the Chinese spy balloon shot down by U.S. forces off the coast of South Carolina. Under orders of President Biden, Pentagon officials took the decisive action to protect American military installations from espionage. Intelligence analysts speculate the balloon was intended to test the limits of U.S. radar or warfare capabilities.

The incident has reignited tensions between the two countries, but it has also provided an unexpected intelligence opportunity for the United States. An authoritative Pentagon official confirmed five Chinese balloons have circumnavigated the globe and China conducted 20-30 balloon missions worldwide in the last decade.

The true secrets and capabilities of the spy balloon are still unknown, with speculation the balloon was dispersing smaller spy devices to try to observe clandestine targets. But military officials believe any such data will be limited and not advantageously different compared to what China could get from a satellite.