National Security Experts Warn 'US Response to China Spy Balloon Greatest Intel Gathered'

More information is being learned about the Chinese spy balloon and the intelligence it gathered as it made its way over the United States. New reports say it collected much more than the Biden administration first admitted. 

According to a report from NBC News, citing administration officials, the balloon was able to collect intelligence from sensitive military sites during its week-long trip across the U.S. despite efforts by the Biden administration to block that capability. 

The report also revealed China was in control of the balloon as it made multiple passes over some sites, collecting information from electronic signals transmitted from weapons systems and on-base communications. 

"We had the President of the United States saying that he was not concerned about this. So nothing to worry about folks, shouldn't be anxious. But now we learn, we absolutely should have been anxious," said former U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor and Heritage Foundation Research Fellow Victoria Coates. 

The Pentagon insists any information gathered by Beijing was of "limited additive value." But Coates said the most valuable intelligence China gained likely came from the initial lack of U.S. response to the balloon. 

"I would assume they thought that thing would be shot down over Alaska, you know, and that would teach them one thing. But what they learned was they could fly this thing with impunity across the continental United States," Coates told CBN News. 

The balloon contained a self-destruct mechanism that could have been activated remotely by China. It's unclear whether it malfunctioned or wasn't activated. Regardless, Coates believes it communicates how frantic China is for information about the U.S.

"I think from their perspective, it shows that they were in this to get as much as they could out of the balloon. That protecting the balloon or destroying its sensitive materials was less important to them than seeing how far they could get and what they could gather," Coates explained. 

Republican and Democratic lawmakers alike want the Biden administration to do more to protect Americans. 

"If you look at the path the balloon took, there was nothing accidental about it. They were gathering information, I don't know how much they got at this moment in time but we'll find out as time moves on. But the fact is it was inappropriate behavior and we need to respond in a way that shows we don't stand for inappropriate behavior," U.S. Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) told Fox News.

Coates sees this as a basic national security issue and hopes Congress can unite around it. She's joining the call for the Biden administration to start communicating accurate information to those who gave them the job, the American people.