When a Chinese spy balloon floats across the entire continental U.S. and multiple defense agencies wait till its entire course is run before taking action, you have to wonder. And when that same balloon follows a path that puts it right over some of the most sensitive military sites in the nation, you start to get nervous.
Then you wake up to headlines that these spy balloons are all part of a larger, near-space operation that includes the “merciless” use of hypersonic missiles on the United States.
For context, a report written by the Chinese National University of Defense Technology has exposed that this spy balloon was part of a much larger plan to own near-space and attack missile sites in the US.
Did we mention the GOP is also deep in an impeachment inquiry over payments funneled through Hunter Biden's company direct to the bank account of our current president? Between the crack pipe and the prostitutes, Hunter also did a 1.5 billion dollar deal with the Chinese state to set up a private equity firm along with charging huge fees.
Remind us again: Why did we wait so long to shoot that balloon down?
Table of Contents
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01
Path of the Balloon
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02
The Merciless Attack
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03
What is China’s Near-Space Command?
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04
China Being China
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05
Remember Laughing at Space Force
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06
Spy Balloon in the Taiwan Strait
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07
Final Thoughts on China’s Merciless Hypersonic Missile Attack
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08
Frequently Asked Questions
Path of the Balloon
The path of the Chinese spy balloon in February. (Image courtesy of NBC News)
Time slowed in the U.S. when the first pictures out of Montana revealed the Chinese spy balloon. From that moment on, the nation was captivated, and we all watched with a mixture of intrigue and concern.
Was this some kind of slow motion attack? Was it a mistake? At the elbow-thrashing level of humanity, there was nothing but speculation. Why are we so bad about informing the public of preparedness steps and precautions?
In this way, the balloon became the drunk uncle at the party: totally out-of-control and making the partygoers nervous. We were watching this situation unfold, like children–our heads swiveling from the balloon to Big Daddy Joe Biden, waiting for him to reign this situation in.
As the balloon slunk across the midwest, no one did anything. Then, it traveled through Missouri and into Tennessee, and the best answer got was, "It's very clear to me that the intelligence value of this from a standpoint of what it was getting was not worth the risk of killing an American on the ground, and it's a substantial package in terms of its size.”
That was the word from Mike Mullen, anyway.
If the name doesn’t ring a bell, Mullen is a former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs who was basically replaying the line that the Defense Department touted during the event.
Of course, the American public and many talking heads took great issue with the balloon being allowed to fly over the entire nation without issue. There was even talk in prepper groups about the potential for a middle America EMP.
Note that a high altitude nuclear detonation and the resulting EMP, in theory, is capable of destroying all three major power grids in the nation: shutting the lights out on America until replacement parts and repairs could be all sorted out.
The major problem with those replacement parts is that they are made in–you guessed it–China.
Another concern was the large payload. If refined uranium was too heavy to carry by balloon, something like a nerve gas would be much lighter. What would have happened if the balloon started descending as it neared the East Coast? After all, a school bus sized payload filled with VX gas could kill a lot of people in a major metropolitan area.
No better time to don that MIRA mask than when a mysterious bus sized payload comes crashing down at the end of your block. To that end, our NBC-77 SOF filter will protect you against nerve agents.
The NBC-77 SOF filter.
The Merciless Attack
Chinese hypersonic used to attack aircraft carriers. (Image courtesy of The Sun)
This whole story is bananas because of one word, and it is not hypersonic. Rather, what does this arm of Chinese defense mean when they say “merciless”? Of course, the idea of waging a merciful war is flawed as is. Remember, for example, that we watched Obama-era “surgical drone strikes” kill nearly 4,000 people, and over 300 of them were civilians!
When you hear the word “merciless,” you cannot help but think of civilians. Does this mean that the Chinese are willing to kill as many women, men, and children as possible to achieve their aims militarily?
To find out, let’s take a closer look at the report:
"Hypersonic weapons can attack rocket launch sites, [destroying] the enemy’s ability to fire anti-satellite missiles on our civilian satellite networks... These attacks must be precise, overwhelming, and merciless. This could change the pace of battles and bring a major impact to how a war would end.”
By now, it’s clear that the opening chapters of the next big war will be dominated by attacks on satellite networks to debilitate things like GPS and satellite communications. This sets off serious alarms for people who have considered satellite phones as part of their emergency communications plan.
Remember: Everything that navigates uses GPS. That includes all deliveries, all flights, all transport. Should a “merciless” Chinese hypersonic missile attack devastate American satellites, our way of life would be up ended.
There is another word that comes to mind when we think of the word merciless in warfare: nuke.
That’s because China’s hypersonics can also be topped with nuclear warheads, raising the question: Do you have a nuclear survival kit should you need to bug out of an affected area?
A diet high in nuclear fallout, after all, is not going to take you very far.
What is China’s Near-Space Command?
One of China’s solar powered space drones. (Image courtesy of BNN)
In short, China has created its own space force and is all-in on using hypersonic missiles to evade missile defense systems. Its primary targets are satellites and rocket launch sites that could target China’s own satellites. This is because a hypersonic missile requires satellite guidance to reach its target.
Note that 20 km-100 km above ground is the area designated as near-space. At this elevation, the air is too thin to support planes, but hypersonic missiles travel at five times the speed of sound. China is banking on missiles so fast they will be impossible to counter with traditional missile defense systems.
Though China’s Near-Space Command is not fully developed, the balloon that was allowed to coast over the lower forty-eight and Alaska was certainly part of their program. Spy balloons, solar powered drones, and other supporting craft are all on the menu for China’s Near-Space Command.
Could all of this lay the groundwork for an invasion? Are you prepared for warfare on the streets of the U.S.?
China Being China
China wants to treat near-space the same way we look at international waters. Just as they decided to build islands in the South China sea and call them territory, they are likewise going to fill the near-space sky with spy balloons.
From the report:
"The understanding of near-space combat command needs to be deepened... It is necessary to adjust the hierarchy of command and control powers, selection of command methods, implementation of executive orders, and support for command communication.”
China must be hungry for the potential supremacy that could be achieved in near-space. Of course, it will not be an easy feat. That’s because they will have to stay neck and neck with the U.S.’ 816.7 billion dollar defense budget. If you are keeping score, that is almost four times the size of China’s defense budget!
The world’s big spenders in terms of military. (Image courtesy of Statista)
Not to mention the fact that coasting balloons and drones all over the world is likely to piss off more people than just the United States, Australia, and Taiwan. Should we all be prepping for World War III or what?
In the end, no one wants to wake up to an ominous white balloon afloat over their house. So what happens when nations get fed up with this intrusive global surveillance poorly disguised as near-space operations?
Remember Laughing at Space Force...
Think back to the founding of the Space Force, December 20th, 2019. To set the scene: The nation was only a few months away from standing on dots, putting on masks, social distancing, and deep depression. In many ways, 2020 was our “locked in the bedroom goth phase” where we were instructed to isolate ourselves by the government–and many people really ran with that idea!
Well, right before all that SHTF, President Trump’s 2018 announcement of the Space Force raised eyebrows all over the world. Because one half of the nation was so in love with making fun of Trump at every turn, the development of Space Force turned into a tsunami of memes.
Hilarious Dr. Evil meme about Trump’s creation of the Space Force. (Image courtesy of social news daily)
Truth is, the U.S. Air Force launched SkySat, which was our first surveillance balloon in near-space back, in 2012. This was a 2005 recommendation that largely started the U.S. military on the course to Space Force.
SkySat balloon being launched by an officer. (Image courtesy of www.army.mil)
Make no mistake: Near-space dominance will be achieved. This is a point that seems to be lost on the American people lately. America’s enemies are not pumping the breaks when we do it. In fact, they are flooring the pedal!
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter how many X accounts post about space debris or pollution; the Chinese will keep shooting up satellites. Likewise, it doesn’t matter how many coal plants we close in America–China is gonna be building them.
So, what is the American near-space program working with? Enter the X-37B space plane.
🔶 The Secretive X-37B 🔶
It looks like a mini space shuttle and rides on the back of Elon Musk’s Falcon 9 into orbit. The X-37B has spent thousands of days in orbit but little is known about what it’s doing up there.
We know that this is a reusable robotic spacecraft designed for reentry. America’s space plane was also created to operate in near-space.
Could there one day be a fleet of X-37B space planes prowling near-space with eyes on Chinese NSC assets?
🔶 Spy Balloon in the Taiwan Strait 🔶
Near-Space Command strikes again?!
It seems so, as on December 8th 2023, another spy balloon was detected in the Taiwan strait.
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry referred to this as a balloon both from the PLA and the PRC, making it painfully clear this was a balloon from China. In the past, Taiwan said that it would shoot down spy balloons, like the one that blew off into the Pacific Ocean. However, much like the U.S., they hesitated to shoot it out of the air.
One of the major differences between Taiwan’s aggression and the U.S.’ is that we are thousands of miles from China, and Taiwan has Chinese warships on their horizon. Seems like everyone in Taiwan needs a MIRA EvakPak
China’s constant military posturing has made Taiwan a loyal customer of U.S. military weapons and planes. Sales are booming for the military industrial complex, thanks to The People's Republic. All of this begs the question: Is this a step in the right direction for Taiwanese sovereignty, or are we just banging louder on the door of a nuclear World War III
Final Thoughts on China’s “Merciless” Hypersonic Missile Attack
China traveling the DF-17 hypersonic missile. (Image courtesy of Timcast)
You don’t have to be a CIA analyst to know that spy balloons hovering over U.S. air force bases is a bad thing. No one knew we were all looking at China’s fifth force branch working out its kinks and building out plans to attack with hypersonic missiles. That said, the majority of Americans knew this was not right.
So, are you prepared for a “merciless” Chinese hypersonic missile attack? Do you know how to navigate without the help of Siri or your Google Assistant? What if we see a massive cyber attack followed up with a hypersonic missile strike?
The closer we creep towards modern war, the more often you need to be reminded that war means off-grid. Be it direct assault or cyber attack, your life is going to go from total connection with the world to dark very quickly if we see a full scale world.
With this in mind, make preparations now for the merciless hypersonic attack that is being planned by our friends in China. You remember–the friends who came through San Francisco and we flew their flag up and down the streets.
Xi probably enjoyed the look of American streets lined with Chinese flags. Maybe his Near-Space Command can make that a reality for him? After all, Americans are too busy fighting on X to stop him.