US intelligence assessment reports Trump-era Chinese spy balloon incident

 A Chinese spy balloon "circumnavigated the globe" in 2019 — Donald Trump's first year in office — at an altitude of about 65,000 feet, according to the April 2022 report, "People's Republic of China High-Altitude Balloon," which states that the balloon "drifted past Hawaii and across Florida before continuing its journey."

The first proof that the US military was aware of Chinese surveillance balloons before the most recent incident comes from an Air Force intelligence assessment.

The documents, however, do not make it clear when US authorities first learned of the Chinese flights or what they thought of their intended use.