HR 934119th CongressIn Committee

Chinese Spy Balloon Assessment Act

Introduced: Feb 4, 2025

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

H.R. 934, the Chinese Spy Balloon Assessment Act, would require the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the President, to submit an unclassified report within 90 days of enactment assessing the national security effects of China’s high-altitude surveillance balloon that was shot down in U.S. airspace in February 2023. The report must describe any effects on military installations and analyze the technology and materials recovered from the balloon, including the country of origin for those materials if determinable. The report is to be delivered to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees and may include a classified annex. The bill also references the definition of “military installation” as used in U.S. law.

Key Points

1Short title: “Chinese Spy Balloon Assessment Act.”
2Mandatory report deadline: Secretary of Defense must submit the assessment within 90 days after enactment.
3Contents required: Evaluation of effects on national security, including any impact on military installations and an analysis of technology and materials recovered from the balloon, with country of origin identified if determinable.
4Interagency process: DoD must prepare the report in consultation with the President.
5Form and delivery: The report must be unclassified, though it may include a classified annex, and must be submitted to the Senate and House Armed Services Committees; military installations are defined per 10 U.S.C. 2801.

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected: U.S. national defense and security establishment (Department of Defense; military installations; defense policymakers).Secondary group/area affected: U.S. intelligence and interagency community involved in surveillance technology assessment and origin tracing; Congress overseeing national security issues.Additional impacts: Potential guidance for future policy or security measures regarding surveillance, foreign technology provenance, and responses to aerial surveillance incidents; may inform related legislative or executive actions depending on findings.

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