Futuristic Chinese military unit most likely behind balloon campaign

Futuristic Chinese military unit most likely behind balloon campaign

National security analysts believe that a futuristic unit of the People's Liberation Army, created on the order of Chinese President Xi Jinping, could be behind the surveillance balloon that flew over the entire U.S. earlier this month.
 
Created in 2015, the secretive Strategic Support Force is a theater command-level organization that centralizes the PLA's space, cyberspace, electronic, information, communications and psychological warfare missions, according to a Pentagon report to the U.S. Congress.
 
Beijing has claimed that the airship was for weather observation. While this explanation was scoffed at around the world, it is true that weather is a key component of military operations. The success or failure of a rocket launch, the accuracy of a missile firing or the effectiveness of shelling all are impacted by the weather.
 
In China, laws and regulations clearly stipulate that the Central Military Commission, which is headed by Xi as its chairman, oversees weather issues related to military affairs. Since the military reform of 2015, the SSF is thought to have assumed this responsibility.