Our country's defenders are being led by cowards.

The Pentagon announced Thursday, February 2nd, that a Chinese surveillance balloon is flying high in the skies over the Montana ICBM Fields. ICBMs, or Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles are the missiles that can carry American nuclear warheads to anti-American targets around the world. Also near the balloon in Montana is Malmstrom Air Force Base, home of the 341st Missile Wing and the Air Force Global Strike Command.

In May of 1960, the United States flew a U-2 Dragon Lady missions over the Soviet Union. They managed to shoot one of them down.

In October of 1962, the United States flew a U-2 missions over Cuba. They managed to shoot one of them down.

From 1954 to 1974, Taiwan flew U-2s over China. China managed to shoot five of them down.

In 1965, China accused the United States of flying an unmanned surveillance aircraft (possibly a balloon like the one used by China today) in Chinese airspace. China shot it down.

So why is it, in 2023, when China flies a surveillance balloon over American national security assets; the Pentagon doesn't return the favor and shoot the thing down?

This is from Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Patrick Ryder, likely written directly by the White House speech writers and given directly to the Secretary of Defense:

"Why not shoot it down? We have to do the risk-reward here. So the first question is, does it pose a threat, a physical kinetic threat, to individuals in the United States in the US homeland? Our assessment is it does not. Does it pose a threat to civilian aviation? Our assessment is it does not. Does it pose a significantly enhanced threat on the intelligence side? Our best assessment right now is that it does not. So given that profile, we assess the risk of downing it, even if the probability is low in a sparsely populated area of the debris falling and hurting someone or damaging property, that it wasn’t worth it."

"Sparsely populated" is an enormous overstatement. "Hugely unpopulated" is more accurate.

What's particularly enraging is the part where he says, "Does it pose a significantly enhanced threat on the intelligence side? Our best assessment right now is that it does not."

I know I haven't been in the intelligence community for some 15 years at this point, but I can still offer some advice:

Your best assessment right now is that the spy balloon does not pose a significant intelligence threat. Do you know how to find out for certain whether or not the balloon poses an significant threat? Put some holes in that balloon, pick up the pieces, and figure out what China is using it for.

Instead of spending millions of taxpayer dollars on assessments for what this thing in American air space is capable of, you should be doing assessments of why China is flying these particular sensors and cameras in American airspace in order to ascertain their motives and capabilities in intelligence gathering and weapon technology.

Unfortunately, the Secretary of Defense, under the direction of the Biden Administration, is turning our defense strategy off in order to appease the Communist Party of China and the increasingly totalitarian dictator running the country.

In addition to shooting down the Chinese spy balloon that has been flying over the continental United States for DAYS without interference, Secretary of State Antony Blinken should cancel his upcoming trip to Beijing and instead fly into Taipan in order to strengthen ties between the United States and Taiwan. China needs to know that there will be consequences for antagonizing the United States.

The Biden Administration has instead chosen to spare the rod and appease the Chinese Communist Party at any cost.