COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — U.S. Air Force Gen. Glen VanHerck, based in Colorado Springs as commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command, took questions last week at the Pentagon about the suspected Chinese spy balloon that Northern Command shot down off the Carolina coast after it traversed sensitive military sites across North America.
The Chinese government said the balloon was a civilian aircraft that drifted into American airspace accidentally.
Among other things, VanHerck said the balloon offered America an "intel gain opportunity."
