WASHINGTON : The Biden administration claimed Thursday, citing data from American U-2 spy planes, that the China balloon that the U.S. shot down was equipped to detect and gather intelligence signals as part of a massive, military-linked aerial surveillance program that targeted more than 40 countries.

The People's Liberation Army is in charge of a fleet of balloons that are used exclusively for espionage and are outfitted with cutting-edge technology to gather private information from targets around the world, according to the United States. Identical balloons have flown over five continents, the administration claims.

The most specific information linking China's military to the balloon that was shot down by the US last weekend over the Atlantic Ocean was provided in a statement from a senior State Department official. The program's scope and capabilities were described publicly in order to counter China's steadfast denials that the balloon was used for spying, including a claim made on Thursday that the U.S. accusations about the balloon amount to "information warfare."

President Joe Biden defended the U.S. action.

And when asked if the balloon incident constituted a significant security breach in an interview with Spanish-language Telemundo Noticias, he responded in the negative.

He declared, "Look, the amount of intelligence gathering being conducted by all nations worldwide is overwhelming. It's not a serious breach, anyway. It violates international law, let's face it.
The House of Representatives on Capitol Hill unanimously passed a resolution denouncing China for its "brazen violation" of American sovereignty and its attempts to "deceive the international community through false claims about its intelligence collection campaigns." Republicans have criticized Biden for not deflating the balloon earlier, but 419-0 in favor was voted by lawmakers from both parties.

Before the United States provided its fresh information, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning reiterated her country's position in Beijing, claiming that the large unmanned balloon was a civilian meteorological airship that had veered off course and that the United States had "overreacted" by shooting it down. She claimed that the most recent allegations "may be a component of the American side's information warfare against China." The Pentagon reported that China's defense minister's refusal to take Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's call to discuss the balloon issue on Saturday highlighted the tense situation.

The official said it was “very early for us to assess what the intent was and how the device was operating.”

The balloon recovery efforts were temporarily put on hold on Thursday due to rough seas, according to two U.S. officials. They reported that over the past day and a half, divers had found potentially valuable equipment and recovered some intact balloon debris from the ocean floor. A second official claimed that some of the recovered equipment parts bore markings or writing in English, though it was unclear whether they came from the United States or another English-speaking nation.

The official claimed that the more complex parts that were recovered lacked any obvious markings.

An analysis of the balloon debris, the State Department official explained to reporters via email, also under the condition of anonymity, said it was "inconsistent" with China's claim that it was a weather balloon that deviated from its intended path. According to the official, the U.S. is contacting nations that have also been singled out. Ned Price, a spokesman for the State Department, declined to mention the other nations that the United States claims were also targeted.

Multiple administration officials appeared before congressional committees to answer questions about the balloon as part of what appeared to be a coordinated administration response, which included the release of new information. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that officials had studied and examined the balloon and its equipment and had taken "all necessary steps to protect sensitive information." "We will make it very clear to the PRC that violations of both our and other nations' sovereignty are not acceptable."

When the balloon was not shot down over sparsely populated areas of Alaska, lawmakers repeatedly pressed administration officials, including Pentagon military leaders, during a separate Senate subcommittee hearing. They also questioned whether permitting the balloon to pass through such a wide area established a standard for future spying activities by China and other countries. The Pentagon or other sensitive locations and populated areas would be subject to Chinese surveillance balloon flights, according to the administration's logic.

The United States wanted to prevent any injuries or fatalities from the debris field if the balloon was shot down over Alaska, according to Doug Sims, director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

They also noted that shooting it down over the area's icy, frigid waters would have made it more challenging and hazardous to recover the pieces for additional investigation.

Sims stated, "We deliberated before firing."

The American government has previously criticized the People's Liberation Army in public for alleged misdeeds. The Obama administration's Justice Department indicted five alleged PLA hackers in 2014 in a first-of-its-kind prosecution for allegedly hacking into the computer networks of significant American corporations in an effort to steal trade secrets.