{"id":36171,"date":"2023-02-13T18:50:40","date_gmt":"2023-02-13T18:50:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2023\/02\/13\/chinese-balloons-spotted-over-mideast-posed-no-threat-three-star-says\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T21:17:31","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T21:17:31","slug":"chinese-balloons-spotted-over-mideast-posed-no-threat-three-star-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/2023\/02\/13\/chinese-balloons-spotted-over-mideast-posed-no-threat-three-star-says\/","title":{"rendered":"Chinese balloons spotted over Mideast posed no threat, three-star says"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

U.S. forces in the Middle East spotted a Chinese stratospheric balloon floating through the region last fall, though it did not pass over any \u201csensitive\u201d military sites and was not seen as a threat, an Air Force three-star general told reporters Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s the latest acknowledgment of China\u2019s global airborne intelligence program, which has come under scrutiny since a balloon passed into American airspace late last month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chinese balloons periodically fly over U.S. Central Command, with no particular pattern, Air Forces Central boss Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich said at a roundtable hosted by the Center for a New American Security think tank in Washington.<\/p>\n\n\n\t