US intelligence officials believe that a recently recovered Chinese spy balloon is part of a Chinese military surveillance program that operates globally. The US is still unclear about the size of the fleet, but it has reportedly conducted two dozen missions over at least five continents in recent years.

Some of these missions have flown in US airspace but not necessarily over US territory. An FBI team is examining the remains of the balloon to learn more about its capabilities and how to track such balloons in the future. The US aims to understand the balloon’s technical capabilities, the data it could intercept, the satellites it was linked to, and whether there are any vulnerabilities that the US can exploit.

The US is also trying to find out more about China’s intelligence-gathering priorities. The biggest question remains about China’s intent and the credibility of its explanation that the vessel was a weather balloon that drifted off-course.

U.S. officials held meetings with foreign diplomats from 40 countries in Washington and Beijing to discuss the Chinese spy balloon that entered U.S. airspace in January. Wendy Sherman, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, briefed nearly 150 diplomats at 40 embassies in Washington, while the U.S. embassy in Beijing held presentations on U.S. findings for foreign diplomats on Monday and Tuesday.

The US presented evidence to foreign diplomats from 40 nations proving that the Chinese spy balloon that entered U.S. airspace in January was not a weather balloon as claimed by Beijing, but rather a military airship used for espionage purposes. During the briefings, U.S. officials informed the diplomats that the balloon was controlled by the Chinese military and was equipped with rudders, propellers, and solar panels that required more power than a typical weather balloon.

The flight path of the balloon also did not align with natural wind patterns. The information shared by the U.S. was in line with what the Pentagon has previously stated, that the balloons are part of a Chinese aerial fleet that has violated the sovereignty of other countries. A U.S. official has claimed that there have been “dozens” of such missions since 2018 and that the balloons use a technology provided by a private Chinese company.