S.Res. 66 is a Senate resolution that condemns China's deployment of a high-altitude surveillance balloon over U.S. territory in February 2023. The resolution denounces China's false claims about the balloon and calls for U.S. policy to promptly deter and stop foreign aerial surveillance platforms from violating American airspace. It also directs the President to brief Congress on the incident and broader Chinese surveillance efforts.
What happened with the balloon?
On February 2, 2023, the Department of Defense announced it was tracking a Chinese surveillance balloon over U.S. territory. The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) had first detected it on January 28, 2023, before it entered U.S. airspace. The balloon traveled near sensitive military sites, including Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana. On February 4, 2023, a U.S. Air Force aircraft shot it down off the coast of South Carolina on the President's direction.
Why does this resolution matter?
The resolution establishes that China violated U.S. sovereignty under international law, specifically the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation, which states that every nation has complete sovereignty over its airspace. China claimed the balloon was a weather balloon blown off course, but U.S. officials determined it was part of a broader Chinese military surveillance program. The resolution calls for the U.S. to deter such incidents in the future.
What does the resolution ask Congress to do?
The resolution directs the President to provide Congress with detailed briefings on the incident, including a complete account of all known Chinese violations of U.S. airspace, what surveillance data China may have collected, what intelligence the U.S. obtained from the balloon's recovery, and plans to detect and defeat future foreign surveillance activities. It also calls for efforts to hold China accountable and to work with allies affected by China's global surveillance balloon program.
What's notable about unidentified aerial phenomena?
The resolution notes that there has been a substantial increase in detection of unidentified aerial phenomena since February 4, 2023, and calls for further investigation into domain awareness gaps identified by U.S. Northern Command.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was the Chinese surveillance balloon detected and shot down?
The North American Aerospace Defense Command first began tracking the balloon on January 28, 2023, before it entered U.S. airspace. The Department of Defense publicly announced it was tracking the balloon on February 2, 2023. A U.S. Air Force aircraft shot it down on February 4, 2023, off the coast of South Carolina.
What did China claim about the balloon and what did U.S. officials say?
China claimed the balloon was a weather balloon that veered off course due to force majeure (unforeseeable circumstances). However, the Secretary of Defense stated the balloon was being used by China to surveil strategic sites in the continental United States, and U.S. intelligence linked it to a broader surveillance program run by the People's Liberation Army.
What international law does the resolution cite?
The resolution cites Article I of the Convention on International Civil Aviation, also known as the Chicago Convention, which states that every state has complete and exclusive sovereignty over the airspace above its territory.
Who sponsored the resolution and when was it introduced?
Senator Jon Tester of Montana sponsored the resolution, along with 21 other senators from both parties. It was introduced on February 15, 2023, and agreed to by the Senate on the same day.
Mr. Tester (for himself, Ms. Collins, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Peters, Mr. Manchin, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Durbin, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Kelly, Ms. Cortez Masto, Mr. Coons, Mrs. Capito, Ms. Murkowski, Ms. Lummis, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Scott of Florida, Mr. Cramer, Mrs. Blackburn, Mr. Hagerty, Mrs. Britt, and Mr. Braun) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to