Chinese spy balloon flew over Oak Ridge nuclear facilities

Joel Christopher, Knoxville News Sentinel
·1 min read

The Chinese spy balloon shot down Saturday off the South Carolina coast flew over sensitive military and civilian research facilities in Oak Ridge, a spokesperson for Tennessee Congressman Chuck Fleischmann told Knox News on Tuesday.

Oak Ridge is home to several nuclear research and manufacturing facilities, including the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Y-12 National Security Complex and the under-construction Uranium Processing Facility. All play critical roles in the United States' nuclear security, and ORNL is a worldwide leader in cybersecurity and supercomputing.

"The balloon flew over parts of East Tennessee, including over ORNL, Y-12, and UPF," spokesperson Justin Doil said in a text exchange.

The path of a Chinese spy balloon that traveled across the United States, including over sensitive nuclear facilities in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
The path of a Chinese spy balloon that traveled across the United States, including over sensitive nuclear facilities in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

Doil said Fleischmann has not had any classified briefings on the balloon and "does not know what, if any, information it collected." Fleischmann represents Tennessee's 3rd Congressional District, which includes the Oak Ridge research corridor. He is considered one of the foremost experts on nuclear issues in the U.S. Congress.

"He has full faith and confidence in ORNL to secure itself from domestic or foreign threats and be able to keep its classified secrets safe from espionage," Doil said.

On Tuesday, House Intelligence Chair Mike Turner, R-Ohio, said the surveillance balloon, which included a rudder that gave it rudimentary navigation capabilities, maneuvered over sensitive sites across the country. The balloon first caught the public's attention when it was seen hovering over an intercontinental ballistic missile launch site in Montana, although the military had been tracking the balloon's trajectory for days before that.

An Air Force F-22 Raptor fighter jet fired a Sidewinder missile to shoot down the balloon.

Joel Christopher is the executive editor of Knox News. You can reach him at joel.christopher@knoxnews.com. USA TODAY contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Chinese spy balloon flew over Oak Ridge nuclear facilities