OPINION:
One of the fundamental duties of the federal government is “to provide for the common defense,” but our elected leaders are failing us. The world watched last week as a Chinese spy balloon blatantly floated up to our military base in Alaska, down to our missile silos in Montana, and took a sharp right turn across the northern United States. It was not until the public noticed its presence that the Biden Administration scrambled for options on how to deal with spy apparatus.
Do we shoot it down? Do we try to jam the signals? What frequency band does it transmit on? Are we capable of jamming? What equipment does it have onboard? Could it be a weapon? These pressing questions should have been asked a week before the balloon entered U.S. airspace in Alaska. But for reasons still unknown to the public, the Administration seemed to have missed it altogether. This poses a serious security risk to the United States and its global assets.
Our country’s most significant existential threat is the administration’s blind eye when it comes to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). While the previous Administration tried to warn the public about TikTok, which opens a back door for the CCP to see every keystroke a person enters, the current Administration invites TikTok influencers into the White House to push political talking points on our teenagers. There are 80 million other “balloons” strung across the United States in the form of an app on our phones.
The drones produced by the Chinese company DJI also provide video surveillance whenever a hobbyist flies near a government or military facility. The CCP also has the DNA of millions of Americans thanks to 23 & Me, allowing the Chinese to modify pharmaceutical supplies based on our medical data. For research secrets, they only need to tap into the many CCP students in the universities, who conveniently take the place of hard-working Asian-American students. All of these capabilities to gain intelligence on Americans are being utilized by China, and not nearly enough is being done by the United States in response.
Instead of keeping Secretary Anthony Blinken’s scheduled trip to Beijing on the books, where he could hold Xi Jinping’s feet to the fire and make him answer for this invasion of our air space, President Biden tucked his tail and canceled the trip. We’ve all been taught the natural instincts of ‘Fight or Flight’. Well, there are actually four: fight, flight, posture, or submit. This administration has chosen to roll over and show its belly to Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping time after time.
We are the most powerful country on the planet, and we need leaders who will stand their ground. Our country yearns for the Theodore Roosevelts who will ride in with the Rough Riders or the Ronald Reagans who say, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” It’s part of the reason I recently joined Unleash America PAC as its Honorary Chairman. I believe we need leaders who embody the American spirit of resilience and ingenuity. We need to restore confidence in American politics and continue to act as a beacon of hope for future generations. Still, in order to do so, we need leaders who will follow in the footsteps of Theodore Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan.
We saw President Biden’s first and most significant botch occur early in his presidency with the failed Afghanistan withdrawal. The Administration’s strategic failure is just another example in a long line of catastrophes that’ll surely continue as long as Mr. Biden remains in office.
Democrat Senators who sit on the Senate Foreign Relations and Intelligence committees continue to let Mr. Biden risk the safety of our nation. Is it because of complicity in supporting the president’s actions on the world stage? Or is it just a plain abdication of their authority as US Senators to act as a check on the White House? The American people deserve answers. Congress deserves answers. It’s time for the Administration to stand up to China’s aggression and influence.
• Hung Cao, Honorary Chairman of Unleash America PAC and Senior Advisor at POLARIS National Security. Cao is a former congressional candidate in VA-10 and a retired Navy Captian who served in special operations for 25 years.
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