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过去两年，台湾一直在发现和拍摄天空中的神秘淡色球体。
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现在人们正在争论这些球体是否是中国日益增长的空中侦察机队的一部分。
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自从美国击落了一个在中国境内飞行数日的中国气球后，人们对入侵事件的关注度有所增加。
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北京对击落气球提出抗议，声称它是一艘进行科学研究的民用船只。
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然而，美国官员说，该气球是针对各国军事能力的全球监视工作的一部分。
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中国的监视飞艇可能是由战略支援部队操作的，这是中国军队的一个新部门，进行电子监视和网络行动。这些气球可能提供军事上有用的数据，如湿度和气流，可以提高导弹的精确度。
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中国军方科学家一直在研究材料和技术，以使气球更加耐用、可转向和难以探测。解放军还在测试气球作为潜在的空中平台来发射武器。
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中国正在与其他政府竞争，特别是美国，以争夺近太空的主导权。中国的研究人员担心，美国可以在这一领域击败他们自己。
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2018年，中国军方庆祝他们的壮举，将一个携带小活乌龟的气球送上12英里以上。去年，他们试验了使用火箭将气球推进到离地球25英里的高度。亚洲协会政策研究所中国分析中心的执行主任贝茨-吉尔认为，人民解放军在实验中不受约束，推陈出新。
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近太空已经成为现代战争的一个新战场，中国军队正在利用这个机会探索所有的选择。这种大胆的做法可能解释了最近在美国和台湾进行的气球飞行，这些飞行受到了公众的关注。
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中国军方在探索近太空作为现代战争的新战场方面正在推陈出新。他们一直在试验用火箭推动的气球，最近在美国和台湾出现了。公众已经注意到了这些飞行，导致人们焦虑地打电话给气象官员。
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台湾中央气象局局长郑明典认定，在天空中看到的一个奇怪物体是一个气球。这并不是第一次看到这样的物体，在2021年末和去年3月都有看到。此外，去年年初还看到了四团较小的气球。
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在第一次看到的时候，台湾并没有密切关注这些物体。然而，由于一些较小的国家，特别是那些被美国称为盟友和伙伴的国家，现在面临着监视的潜在威胁，他们的选择可能是有限的。
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监视的潜在威胁是一些国家日益关注的问题，特别是那些资源有限，无法应对这种威胁的国家。重要的是，要对这些潜在的威胁保持警惕和认识，并采取措施减少其发生的可能性。
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退役空军副司令张延廷认为，对许多空军来说，击落气球是困难的，也是昂贵的。
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当他被派去检查三个被认为是中国人的气球时，他亲身经历了这一点。他认为这些气球不构成威胁，但要击落却太难了。
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与卫星相比，气球可能具有一些优势，因为它们可以在一些地区上空盘旋，并可能产生更清晰的图像。然而，卫星仍然是中国数字情报收集系统的核心。
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中国军队正在利用现代战场的优势，利用卫星、飞机和气球进行预警和监视。
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中国战略支援部队最近负责在美国上空执行一项气球任务。
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这支部队相对较新，而且很分散，这可以解释为什么这项任务在没有计算到它可能造成的麻烦的情况下进行。
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中国军方、文职政府之间，甚至解放军和战略支援部队内部的沟通不畅，可能也是造成这一问题的原因。
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在中国，右手不知道左手在做什么，可能就是这种情况。
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最近对气球计划的关注可能会使中国军方在一段时间内不愿意部署新的气球。
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研究可能会继续进行。
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军事科学家，特别是在中国国防科技大学，一直在研究如何使气球更加灵活和持久。已经为新的设计、材料和导航工具申请了专利。中国军队正在关注其他国家的气球发展，如美国、法国和以色列。
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国防科技大学的一位讲师写道，中国可以开发智能高空气球，使用小型马达，利用大气层上部较稳定的风流，进行长距离飞行。
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同一报纸上的另一篇文章说，由于气球有许多优势，它正迎来其 “发展的春天”。
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中国研究人员猜测高空气球携带并从近太空发射导弹。
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2018年，中国的国家广播公司说，他们测试了一个气球平台，可以从半空中发射高超音速武器。
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关于中国军事进步的报道容易夸大其词。
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技术缺陷可能解释了在美国上空出现的气球，就在美国国务卿访问北京之前。
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国务卿取消了这次旅行。
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控制气球的方向相对容易，但控制其速度就比较困难了。
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Taiwan has been spotting and photographing mysterious pale orbs in the sky for the past two years.
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It is now being debated whether the orbs were part of China’s growing fleet of airborne surveillance craft.
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The focus on the incursions has increased since the US shot down a Chinese balloon that had spent days traversing the country.
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Beijing has protested the balloon’s downing, claiming it was a civilian ship doing scientific research.
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However, American officials say that the balloon was part of a global surveillance effort targeting the military capabilities of various countries.
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China’s surveillance airships are likely operated by the Strategic Support Force, a new arm of the Chinese military that carries out electronic surveillance and cyber operations. These balloons may provide militarily useful data such as humidity and air currents that could improve the accuracy of missiles.
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Chinese military scientists have been researching materials and techniques to make the balloons more durable, steerable, and difficult to detect. The PLA is also testing balloons as potential aerial platforms to fire weapons.
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China is competing with other governments, especially the United States, for dominance in near space. Chinese researchers are concerned that the US could beat them at their own game in this area.
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In 2018, the Chinese military celebrated their feat of sending a balloon, carrying a small live turtle, over 12 miles up. Last year, they experimented with using rockets to propel balloons up to 25 miles above the earth. Bates Gill, the executive director of the Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Analysis, believes the People’s Liberation Army is unrestrained in their experimentation and pushing the envelope.
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Near space has become a new battleground in modern warfare, and Chinese military is taking advantage of the opportunity to explore all options. This boldness may explain the recent balloon flights in the United States and Taiwan, which have been noticed by the public.
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Key takeaways: The Chinese military is pushing the envelope in their exploration of near space as a new battleground in modern warfare. They have been experimenting with balloons propelled by rockets, and have recently been seen in the United States and Taiwan. The public has been noticing these flights, leading to anxious calls to weather officials.
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Cheng Ming-dean, the head of Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau, identified a strange object sighted in the sky as a balloon. This is not the first time such an object was seen, with sightings occurring in late 2021 and March of last year. Furthermore, four clusters of smaller balloons were seen early last year.
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At the time of the first sightings, Taiwan was not paying close attention to the objects. However, as some smaller states, particularly those the U.S. describes as allies and partners, now face the potential threat of surveillance, their options may be limited.
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The potential threat of surveillance is a growing concern for some states, particularly those with limited resources to confront such a threat. It is important to remain vigilant and aware of these potential threats and to take steps to reduce their likelihood of occurring.
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Retired Air Force Deputy Commander Chang Yan-ting believes that shooting down balloons is difficult and expensive for many air forces.
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He experienced this first-hand when he was sent to inspect 3 balloons that were believed to be Chinese. He decided they posed no threat but would have been too hard to bring down.
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The balloons may offer some advantages over satellites because they can hover over areas and may produce clearer images. However, satellites remain the core of China’s digital intelligence collection system.
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The Chinese military is taking advantage of modern battlefields and is utilizing satellites, planes, and balloons for early warning and surveillance.
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The Chinese Strategic Support Force was recently responsible for a balloon mission over the US.
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The force is relatively new and fragmented, which could explain how the mission went ahead with little calculation of the trouble it may cause.
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Poor communication between the Chinese military, civilian government, and even within the PLA and Strategic Support Force may have contributed to the issue.
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Right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing in China may be the case.
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Recent attention to the balloon program may discourage the Chinese military from deploying new ones for a while.
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Research will likely forge ahead.
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Military scientists, especially at China’s National University of Defense Technology, have been researching ways to make balloons more nimble and long-lasting. Patent applications have been filed for new designs, materials, and navigation tools. The Chinese military is paying attention to balloon developments in other countries, such as the United States, France, and Israel.
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A lecturer from the National University of Defense Technology wrote that China could develop smart high-altitude balloons that use small motors to take advantage of the steadier wind currents of the upper atmosphere and travel long distances.
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Another article in the same newspaper said that balloons are ushering in their “springtime of development” due to their many advantages.
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Chinese researchers speculated about high-altitude balloons carrying and launching missiles from near space.
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In 2018, China’s state broadcaster said they tested a balloon platform that could launch hypersonic weapons from midair.
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Reports of Chinese military advances are prone to exaggeration.
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Technical shortcomings may explain the balloon appearing over the United States, just before the Secretary of State’s trip to Beijing.
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The Secretary of State cancelled the trip.
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Controlling the direction of balloons is relatively easy, but controlling their speed is more difficult.
链接：What China’s Military Balloons Show About Its Spying Ambitions - The New York Times