Commentary
The crash of a B-1 bomber on approach to Ellsworth Air Force Base was the loss of a high-value airframe, but fortunately, the even more important crew survived.
Originally, 100 B-1Bs were made during the Reagan years to supplement the aging B-52 force, which, at the time, still included D, E, F, G, and H models of the B-52. As part of arms control treaty protocols with the Soviet Union, the B-1s were “neutered” in the 1990s and rendered incapable of carrying nuclear ordnance.
There are still several dozen B-1s in the boneyard at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base that can be regenerated back into service if the Air Force so decides. The Air Force has reluctantly kept the B-1Bs, but its large magazine of missiles can provide a powerful deterrent in the Western Pacific. The B-1 bomber that crashed at Ellsworth Air Force Base is probably unsalvageable for service.
How do we know it’s unsalvageable?
The videos and photos from private, closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras overlooking Ellsworth provide this real-time evidence—which is concerning. If the American public can see this clearly on the Ellsworth airfield, it’s highly likely that a foreign adversary is already in place inside this network and taking full advantage of this intelligence.
CCTV Cameras
Huawei, the Chinese telecommunications giant, and DJI, the Chinese consumer-grade drone company, receive great attention as the vanguard of Chinese “civil-military” fusion efforts that enable vast intelligence collection capabilities.
With the CISA and DOD vulnerability concerns, it’s possible that nefarious actors discreetly benefited from the same vantage point of this CCTV without the knowledge of the media outlet.
What could go wrong?
Spy Balloons
Ellsworth Air Force Base was one of the bases the Chinese spy balloon flew over in early 2023. If the CCTV system can scan the base flight line, why fly a balloon over the base?
Col. Daniel S. Hoadley, commander of the 5th Bomb Wing, said, “They’re taking notice of what we’re capable of doing,” referencing the Chinese military. To take “notice” implies that the Chinese forces are using multiple forms of intelligence gathering to ensure that they have a complete knowledge of the American nuclear force. The various collection methods allow the different findings to be cross-checked and corroborated. The CCTV systems and the spy balloons are likely being fortified by additional forms of information gathering.
Citizen Actions Counter Chinese Info Collection Efforts
It should be expected that the Chinese military and intelligence services will be relentless in collecting information on American military forces, critical infrastructure, and defense industrial base. Near Ellsworth is another important strategic base, Grand Forks in North Dakota. This facility hosts long-range surveillance drones and space radars and can host bombers when necessary. In a related form of information collection, Chinese business interests sought to purchase land near this facility. In a remarkable move, local citizens and counties stepped up to block these activities.
While the federal government seemed helpless to address this matter, grassroots activism helped shut down a national security threat. This should be considered a model for holistic efforts to address Beijng’s use of diverse sources and methods inside the United States to inform the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leaders and planners. The CCP may have found another gap and seam through the CCTV system around Ellsworth Air Force Base; therefore, it may take federal, state, local, and citizen action to show the agility and speed to outmaneuver these malign Chinese activities on American soil.
All viewpoints are personal and do not reflect the viewpoints of any organization.
This article first appeared in Epoch Times and was reprinted with permission.
