Sensitive Military Bases

 A senior defense official told Pentagon reporters that the US has “very high confidence” it is a Chinese high-altitude balloon and it was flying over sensitive sites to collect information. Indian Express, Feb 10

 

 Pentagon officials told several news outlets that a Chinese spy balloon hovering over Montana this week had a flight path that took it over several sensitive U.S. military sites. . . . Daily Beast, Feb 2

 

 Another intruder has breached the home of Air Force One, one of the nation’s most sensitive military bases, Tara Copp, Associated Press, Feb. 5, 2023

 

The recent episode of what seems to have been the violation of US airspace by a Chinese spy balloon has generated some interesting verbiage. The military bases that the balloon drifted near are described as "sensitive", as if by a consolidated media instruction. What does the adjective "sensitive" mean in this particular context?

The location and purpose of US military installations, not only in the US itself but all over the world, are well-known to anyone paying attention. Anyone who cares knows that the US Air Force operates out of Offutt Air Base in Nebraska, Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota and Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota, among scores of others. What is so sensitive about a US military post in western South Dakota?

US military installations are extremely sensitive in the sense that since they employ scads of civilians, any rumor that they may be closed generates a chorus of objections by the locals and their political representatives.

Air Force bases are naturally the places where the most modern, as well as the now obsolete, equipment is stationed and operated. But, once again, none of this equipment is secret except in construction details and operational capabilities, if that. The Pentagon wants potential adversaries to be aware of the lethality of American armaments, a crucial component of their existence. If no one knew of them they would hardly be a deterrent, another word for intimidation.

A concern may be that US bases are a target for potential adversaries or the terrorists that have inspired the inconvenience and expense of the current era. Any sensitivity in this sense is countered, at least in the US itself, by the security measures in place. Base perimeters are fenced and manned by security police who vet those entering. The most serious violations of base security have been caused by individuals assigned duties at the base, something that may be difficult to eliminate. Sensitive communications are encrypted.

In any event, if indeed US military bases are "sensitive" installations, perhaps the military should indicate to us in some way why this is the case and tell us how we, the protection of whom is the ultimate goal of that military, can assist them in countering the sensitivity.