What would happen if a Chinese spy balloon flew over Texas? Here’s what state leaders say

When a Chinese spy balloon flew across the U.S. in early February, it ignited a firestorm of criticism from Texas lawmakers, who said the Biden administration took too long to shoot it down.

In the last few days, three more objects were shot down over U.S. and Canadian airspace, sparking conversations about the prospect of foreign surveillance floating over Texas.

The likelihood of foreign airborne objects being flown into Texas is greater than people realize, said state Rep. Matt Schaefer (R-Tyler).

“Texas is home to sensitive military bases and critical infrastructure that would be of great interest to a foreign adversary,” he says. “The Gulf of Mexico and our land border with Mexico present unique opportunities for intrusions into Texas airspace.”

How would state leaders deal with such a threat? With concerns about foreign spying on critical assets, Schaefer and others say Gov. Greg Abbott has the authority to order such an aircraft shot down by the Texas Air National Guard if it enters Texas airspace.

Concerns about Texas electric grid

State Senator Bob Hall (R-Edgewood) on Feb. 3 released a statement saying there would be a risk to the power grid if a high altitude electromagnetic pulse detonation were delivered by a weather balloon. That could be “done easily by either a foreign nation or a terrorist organization,” Hall told the Star-Telegram. The electric grid is susceptible to damage from both manmade and natural causes of electromagnetic pulses and geomagnetic disturbances, he added, which could disrupt the grid or cause it to go down entirely.

“A high altitude detonation would cause catastrophic damage to both the Texas and the federal grid and to any unprotected electronic equipment,” Hall said. “Loss of electric power would cascade into loss of hospitals, loss of traffic signals, life-saving emergency equipment, loss of supply lines, water supplies, and, in general, life as we know it.”

In an effort to protect the electric grid from EMPs and other dangers, Hall authored Senate Bill 330. That would establish a group under the direction of the Texas Division of Emergency Management to identify what parts of the state are at risk and identify means to mitigate those risks.

What Texas would do in event of foreign surveillance

On Feb. 9, the U.S. House unanimously passed a Texas congressman’s resolution, H.Res.104, condemning China over its use of a spy balloon. The House Foreign Affairs chairman, Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Austin), said that the balloon should have been shot down as soon as it was detected, in order to prevent it from compromising national security.

“It’s safe to say he would hope the admin would do that should another balloon enter our air space,” McCaul’s office told the Star-Telegram. “He will continue to push the admin to show strength, which he often says deters aggression.”

Governor Greg Abbott could order a foreign object in the skies over Texas to be shot down, said Rep. Schaefer, with Texas Air National Guard pilots trained for air-to-air intercepts and kinetic engagements. No action by the Texas legislature would be required, he says.

“[Abbott] has that authority under the Texas and U.S. constitutions,” Schaefer told the Star-Telegram. “The governor is the commander-in-chief of the Texas Air National Guard when they are not mobilized under federal orders by the President.”

On Feb. 9, state Rep. Cody Harris (R-Palestine) filed bill HCR 40, which says that the governor has the authority to order the Texas military to shoot down an aircraft illegally operating inside Texas airspace if that aircraft ’s purpose is to collect information on behalf of a foreign nation.

“Biden’s failure to take swift and decisive action to eradicate the Chinese balloon security threat was both embarrassing and dangerous,” Harris told the Star-Telegram. “This nation’s commander-in-chief put this country and its citizens’ security in peril. We must always uphold our responsibility to Texas citizens to protect their safety and the security of this state in the absence of effective leadership in the White House.”

Schaefer likewise said he would fully support Abbott taking military action to defend the Texas skies from Chinese attempts to spy on critical assets, or test air defense capabilities. Protocols for tracking and identifying the object before shooting it down would have to happen, he added. And dangers from falling debris and the use of weapons would also have to be considered.