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    Whether or Not It's a Weather Balloon?
    Whether or Not It's a Weather Balloon?
    Whether or Not It's a Weather Balloon?
    Ebook150 pages1 hour

    Whether or Not It's a Weather Balloon?

    By Raymond C. Wilson

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    About this ebook

    A string of four "unidentified objects" entered North American airspace during late-January and early-February 2023, only to be shot down by U.S. military aircraft. U.S. officials have referred to the object shot down off the coast of South Carolina on 4 February 2023 as a "surveillance balloon," while the three others stopped in their tracks on 10, 11, and 12 February, respectively, have been referred to as "unidentified objects" that were moving slowly through the skies around the same altitude that planes fly. What were these "unidentified objects?" That's what we hope to find out. However, the use of surveillance balloons to gather intelligence on an adversary is not a new phenomenon. The United States ran active surveillance programs (Project Mogul, Project Moby Dick, Project Genetrix) during the Cold War to spy on Russia and China under the cover story that they were weather balloons. This book was written by the stepson of William 'Jack' Wilson who participated in Project Moby Dick as a U.S. Air Force radar operator during the later days of the Korean War.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRaymond C. Wilson
    Release dateFeb 27, 2023
    ISBN9798215833698
    Whether or Not It's a Weather Balloon?
    Author

    Raymond C. Wilson

    Raymond C. Wilson is a military historian, filmmaker, and amateur genealogist. During his military career as an enlisted soldier, warrant officer, and commissioned officer in the U.S. Army for twenty-one years, Wilson served in a number of interesting assignments both stateside and overseas. He had the honor of serving as Administrative Assistant to Brigadier General George S. Patton (son of famed WWII general) at the Armor School; Administrative Assistant to General of the Army Omar Nelson Bradley at the Pentagon; and Military Assistant to the Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army at the Pentagon. In 1984, Wilson was nominated by the U.S. Army Adjutant General Branch to serve as a White House Fellow in Washington, D.C. While on active duty, Wilson authored numerous Army regulations as well as articles for professional journals including 1775 (Adjutant General Corps Regimental Association magazine), Program Manager (Journal of the Defense Systems Management College), and Army Trainer magazine. He also wrote, directed, and produced three training films for Army-wide distribution. He is an associate member of the Military Writers Society of America. Following his retirement from the U.S. Army in 1992, Wilson made a career change to the education field. He served as Vice President of Admissions and Development at Florida Air Academy; Vice President of Admissions and Community Relations at Oak Ridge Military Academy; Adjunct Professor of Corresponding Studies at U.S. Army Command and General Staff College; and Senior Academic Advisor at Eastern Florida State College. While working at Florida Air Academy, Wilson wrote articles for several popular publications including the Vincent Curtis Educational Register and the South Florida Parenting Magazine. At Oak Ridge Military Academy, Wilson co-wrote and co-directed two teen reality shows that appeared on national television (Nickelodeon & ABC Family Channel). As an Adjunct Professor at U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Wilson taught effective communications and military history for eighteen years. At Eastern Florida State College, Wilson wrote, directed, and produced a documentary entitled "Wounded Warriors - Their Struggle for Independence" for the Chi Nu chapter of Phi Theta Kappa. Since retiring from Eastern Florida State College, Wilson has devoted countless hours working on book manuscripts.

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      Book preview

      Whether or Not It's a Weather Balloon? - Raymond C. Wilson

      WHETHER OR NOT

      IT’S A

      WEATHER BALLOON?

      THE USE OF BALLOONS FOR

      INTELLIGENCE GATHERING

      Written by

      RAYMOND C. WILSON

      WHETHER OR NOT

      IT’S A

      WEATHER BALLOON?

      THE USE OF BALLOONS FOR

      INTELLIGENCE GATHERING

      Published by Raymond C. Wilson at Smashwords

      Copyright 2023 Raymond C. Wilson

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes

      Thank you for downloading this ebook. This book remains the copyrighted property of

      the author, and may not be redistributed to others for commercial or non-commercial

      purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own

      copy from their favorite authorized retailer. Thank you for your support.

      Cover artwork by Global National

      Also by Raymond C. Wilson

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      Sleepy Hollow: Facts Behind the Fiction

      The King and I: My Family Ties to Elvis

      Elvis Presley: You’re in the Army Now

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      POTUS & FLOTUS: Washington to Biden

      Tecumseh’s Revenge: The Curse of Tippecanoe

      Pennsylvania Bucktails: Civil War Sharpshooters

      George Smith Patton: Four Men Who Shared the Name

      Wounded Warriors - Their Struggle for Independence

      McKee Family of Pennsylvania: Loyalists and Patriots

      European Royal Bloodlines of the American Presidents

      Pass in Review - Military School Celebrities (Volume One)

      Pass in Review - Military School Celebrities (Volume Two)

      Pass in Review - Military School Celebrities (Volume Three)

      Pass in Review - Military School Celebrities (Volume Four)

      The Making of Patton - An Academy Award Winning Movie

      ‘Twas Whose Night Before Christmas? Moore Vs. Livingston

      If These Walls Could Talk: Huling Hotel and Pack Horse Inn

      George Armstrong Custer and the Royal Buffalo Hunt of 1872

      Beyond the Bighorn: The Afterlife of George Armstrong Custer

      George Armstrong Custer and the Pennypackers of Pennsylvania

      Kennedy Family of Pennsylvania and Their Native American Kin

      Pass in Review - Military School Celebrities (Presidential Edition)

      14th Cavalry Group in World War II - Story of Cavalryman Bill Null

      Patton: Soldier Who Saved His Life and the One Who Caused His Death

      Custer’s Luck Has Run Out: George Armstrong Custer’s Changing Image

      Out of Necessity: George Washington’s Surrender of Fort Necessity to the French

      Table of Contents

      Introduction

      Brief History of Ballooning

      Weather Balloons

      Military Balloons

      Surveillance Balloons

      Afterword

      Bibliography

      About Raymond C. Wilson

      Introduction

      A string of four unidentified objects entered North American airspace during late-January and early-February 2023, only to be shot down by US military aircraft. And in the grand tradition of public speculation surrounding mysterious airborne entities, many people have questioned whether extraterrestrial activity is afoot. The short answer? No, there is not.

      Four objects were detected over North American airspace

      U.S. officials have referred to the object shot down off the East Coast on 4 February 2023 as a surveillance balloon, while the three others stopped in their tracks on February 10, 11 and 12, respectively, have been referred to as ‘unidentified objects’ that were moving slowly through the skies around the same altitude that planes fly.

      Four objects shot down over North American airspace

      But that doesn’t mean officials are suggesting the objects are unexplainable in nature or even related to previously observed unidentified aerial phenomenon -- which are also unlikely to be of extraterrestrial origin. And at least two high-ranking US officials have used the term balloon to describe the latest interlopers, though the Pentagon’s official stance is to stay away from that descriptor.

      Some details link the incidents, including all of them occurring within a few days of each other, but there are key differences as well -- with U.S. officials saying that the objects, which were not all flying at the same height or following the same path, did not necessarily resemble one another.

      Despite the first balloon being described as a Chinese reconnaissance vessel (or Chinese ‘Spy Balloon’) -- an assessment China has sought to undercut -- the origins and purpose of the other three objects were not immediately confirmed by the U.S. military.

      Timeline of Key Moments Involving All Four Objects

      One U.S. official attributed the rise in the sightings to boosted surveillance capabilities by the military and not a rush of new foreign objects flying over American airspace. Northern Command has adjusted the parameters of their radar capabilities in a way that they can see more than they could before, this official said. That's not to say they were blissfully ignorant before, the official said, but there are lots of things floating around and now we are more finely attuned to it.

      The First Balloon

      Photo of Chinese ‘Spy Balloon’

      Saturday, 28 January 2023

      Route of ‘Spy Balloon’ from China to the United States

      The balloon entered U.S. airspace on 28 January north of the Aleutian Islands in Alaska, according to a senior military official. Photos from later sightings appear to show the craft was an enormous white dirigible with an undercarriage described by one U.S. official as the size of three buses.

      Monday, 30 January 2023

      The vessel then entered Canadian airspace over the Northwest Territories on 30 January, the senior military official said.

      Tuesday, 31 January 2023

      The balloon then traveled south and reentered U.S. airspace over northern Idaho on 31 January, according to a senior military official. The White House later said that President Joe Biden was briefed the same day, for the first time, about the balloon.

      Wednesday, 1 February 2023

      Path of Chinese ‘Spy Balloon’

      One of the earliest sightings confirmed by ABC News was in Reed Point, Montana, on 1 February. From Montana, the balloon traveled southeast through South Dakota and Nebraska, according to U.S. officials. The administration later said that 1 February

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