https://www.defense.gov/News/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/3444912/pentagon-press-secretary-air-force-brig-gen-pat-ryder-holds-a-press-briefing/ 6park.com
Q: General Ryder, can you respond to reports that suggest that, onboard the Chinese spy balloon, were found off the shelf American equipment? Were there -- was there any sensitive American equipment onboard? How do you think that American equipment was obtained? Did -- were there any laws broken? And what was it capable of doing? What can you tell us? 6park.com
GEN. RYDER: Sure. Thanks, Jennifer. So -- so look, I don't have any specifics to provide as it pertains to the PRC high altitude balloon and any potential U.S. components. That said, I will say that, you know, we are aware, in previous cases, for example, things like drones and -- and other capabilities, what have you, where off-the-shelf, commercial U.S. components have been used in capabilities. So that, in and of itself, is not surprising. 6park.com
In -- in terms of, you know, the balloon and -- and the capabilities that it has, as you heard at the time, we were aware that it had intelligence collection capabilities, but it was our -- it's -- and it has been our assessment now that it did not collect while it was transiting the United States or over-flying the United States. And as we said at the time, we also took steps -- steps to mitigate the potential collection efforts of that balloon. 6park.com
Q: So you believe your efforts stopped it from collecting and transmitting or was it able to collect but just not able to transmit? 6park.com
GEN. RYDER: We believe that it did not collect while it was transiting the United States or flying over the United States, and certainly the efforts that we made contributed, I'm sure.