Biden May Deliver Public Remarks On "Spy Balloon" Incident Today

The Washington Post has reported that President Biden may deliver public remarks on the alleged Chinese surveillance balloon and three additional unidentified aerial objects shot down by the US military as soon as today.

• According to the Post, Biden may also outline administration plans to establish an interagency team, led by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, to develop a roadmap for dealing with future incidents.
• Biden has been under intense pressure from Republican lawmakers to personally update the public on the US military actions but has, until now, deferred to NSC Spox John Kirby to brief the press.
• Senator Roger Marshall (R-KY) said Biden should "get in front of America and tell them firsthand that we're safe."
• The balloon incident has exposed significant cracks in communication between US and Chinese officials with foreign policy experts warning that the reaction from both sides escalates the risk of miscalculation in future incidents.
• NYT: “[The incident reveals how] difficult it is for the United States and China to discern each other’s intentions — a gap that American officials fear could lead to greater mistrust in an already fraught relationship or even to armed conflict.”