Key people

Background: Retired Commander in the U.S. Navy; in November 2004 he was the Commanding Officer of Strike Fighter Squadron Forty-One stationed onboard the USS Nimitz

Summary of his personal experience with UAP (submitted to Congress under oath):

• Fravor was the Commanding Officer of Strike Fighter Squadron Forty-One, attached to Carrier Airwing Eleven and stationed onboard the USS Nimitz (CVN-68)
• On November 14, 2004, he was tasked with investigating radar indications of a possible target off the coast of southern California
• Fravor was informed that the USS Princeton (CG-59), part of the strike group, had been tracking unusual airborne objects for two weeks prior to the incident.
• The objects would appear at 80,000 feet (24,000 m) before descending rapidly toward the sea, and stopping at 20,000 feet (6,100 m) and hovering, sometimes for hours, before returning straight up
• Upon arriving at the location as indicated by the radar operator, he reported that he saw an object, white and oval, hovering above an ocean disturbance. He estimated that the object was about 40 feet (12 m) long
• Fravor and another pilot, Alex Dietrich, confirmed that a total of four people (two pilots and two weapons systems officers in the back seats of the two fighter jets) witnessed the object for about 5 minutes
• Fravor says that as he spiraled down to get closer to the object, the object ascended, mirroring the trajectory of his airplane, until the object disappeared at high velocity
• As they turned back towards their CAP (Combat Air Patrol) point, roughly 60 miles east, the air controller informed them that the object had reappeared on the USS Princeton’s Aegis SPY 1 radar at their precise CAP point
• This Tic Tac Object had just traveled 60 miles to a strategic (and supposedly unknown point) in a very short period of time – less than a minute
• After Fravor and his wingman returned – a second wave of fighters, including pilot Lieutenant Commander Chad Underwood, took off from Nimitz to investigate further
• This crew then took the approximately 90 second "FLIR1" video that was released by the NYT in 2017.
• What is not seen is the Radar tape that showed the jamming of the APG-73 radar in the aircraft, but we do see that the object does not emit any IR (infrared) plume – which one would expect from a normal propulsion system.
• He believes the Tic Tac Object he engaged in Nov 2004 was far superior to anything that the US had at the time, today (as of 2023), or are looking to develop in the next 10+ years.

Relevant links:

• Opening Statement for the House Oversight Committe - July 26 2023 (video)
• Opening Statement for the House Oversight Committee - July 26 2023 (PDF)
• 60 minutes interview (YouTube snippet)

Background: Former F-18 pilot with over a decade of service in the US Navy; currently serves as the Executive Director at Americans for Safe Aerospace

Summary of claims made under oath:

• Advanced UAP are a national security and an aviation safety problem
• UAP are in [US] airspace, but they are grossly underreported
• The stigma attached to UAP is real and powerful and challenges national security
• The [US] government knows more about UAP than shared publicly, and excessive classification practices keep crucial information hidden
• He has personal experience as a Close Observer of UAP, during his time as an F-18 pilot
• As a pilot, he was trained to be an expert observer tasked with identifying any aircraft within his operating area
• There are credible reports from both military and commercial aircrew of unidentified objects in US military and commercial airspace occurring with regularity

Summary of his personal experiences with UAP (submitted to Congress under oath):

• In 2014, he was near Virginia Beach as part of VFA-11, a Navy Fighter/Attack Squadron made up of F/A-18F Super Hornets
• Upon a radar system upgrade, unknown objects began to be detected in their airspace. Initially dismissed as software glitches, their actual physical presence was corroborated using radar tracks with infrared sensors
• Over time, UAP sightings became an open secret among the aircrews due to their common occurrence. They were seen by most of his colleagues on radar and occasionally up close.
• The sightings were so frequent, they became part of daily briefs
• A pivotal incident occurred during one particular air combat training mission – where all traffic into the training area went through a single GPS point at a set altitude. Just at the moment two jets crossed this threshold, one of the pilots saw a dark gray cube inside of a clear sphere — motionless against the wind, fixed directly at the entry point. The jets, only 100 feet apart, were forced to take evasive action. They terminated the mission immediately and returned to base.
• His squadron submitted a safety report, but there was no official acknowledgement of the incident and no further mechanism to report the sightings
• The UAP he and his squadron members encountered and tracked on multiple sensors behaved in ways that surpassed their understanding and technology.
• The UAP could accelerate at speeds up to Mach 1, hold their position against hurricane-force winds, and outlast their fighter jets, operating continuously throughout the day.
• The UAP did not have any visible means of lift, control surfaces or propulsion — nothing that resembled normal aircraft with wings, flaps or engines.

Relevant links:

• Opening Statement for the House Oversight Committe - July 26 2023 (video)
• Opening Statement for the House Oversight Committee - July 26 2023 (PDF)
• Americans for Safe Aerospace Website
• Segment on the Hill's Aug 17 event

Background: Senior Democratic US senator from New York; has led the Senate Democratic Caucus since 2017 and has served as Senate Majority Leader since 2021

Key contributions:

• Sponsored the UAP Disclosure Act of 2023, an Amendment to the NDAA for FY24
• Amongst other notable requirements, the aforementioned legislation mandates the creation of a review board to declassify documents related to Unidentified Aerial Phenomena across the government

Notable quotes:

• “For decades [Americans] have been fascinated by objects mysterious & unexplained and it’s long past time they get some answers,” Schumer said in a statement.
  
  “[They] have a right to learn about technologies of unknown origins, non-human intelligence, & unexplainable phenomena. We are not only working to declassify what the government has previously learned about these phenomena but to create a pipeline for future research to be made public”
• "Sunlight’s the greatest disinfectant. Lots of people say, 'they're disclosing it because they know something that we don't know.' Well, let them disclose it and we'll all know the truth and we'll be better off with the truth." (Link)

Background: politician and lawyer who has served as the senior United States senator from Florida since 2011

Key contributions and claims:

• Longtime advocate for transparency on UAP, (example 1, example 2)
• Together with Sen. Gillibrand, he facilitated the creation of (what would eventually become) the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), as the replacement for the previous UAP Task Force, which would have access to Department of Defense (DoD) and Intelligence Community data related to UAPs (Link)
• In June 2023, he told NewsNation that others in addition to Grusch in the intelligence community have come to him with “firsthand” accounts of UAP/UFO hardware
• Also claims several more intelligence whistleblowers with “high clearances” have shared similar allegations with the Senate Intelligence Committee (Link)
• Backed the UAP Disclosure Act of 2023

Notable quotes:

• “It is my hope that the creation of a new joint Defense Department and Intelligence Community office focused on UAPs will provided the resources, analytics and attention needed to determine what is loitering around our military training ranges,” said Senator Rubio. “The DoD and IC need to ensure a more uniform collection strategy is in place and that we continue to destigmatize reporting on UAPs, particularly from military aviators. Significantly, we also maintain the transparency and accountability that my provision in last year’s Intelligence Authorization Act report provided, by ensuring ongoing unclassified reporting.” (Dec 9, 2021)
• “There is a lot we still don’t know about these UAPs and that is a big problem,” said Vice Chairman Rubio. “We’ve taken some important steps over the last few years to increase transparency and reduce stigmas, but more needs to be done. This is yet another step in that direction, and one that I hope will spur further cooperation from the executive branch.” (July 14, 2023)
• “My primary interest in this topic is if there are … object[s] operating over restricted air space, it’s not ours and we don’t know whose it is, that’s a problem that we need to get to the bottom of” (July 23, 2023)
• “Either [the whistleblowers] are telling the truth and that’s something that obviously would be the biggest story in human history, or we have people in really important positions of government…who are crazy.” (July 23, 2023)
• “Well, the Inspector General has deemed [Grusch's allegations] an urgent and credible threat to the…so that's how it's been referred to us". July 30th 2023

Background: lawyer and politician serving as the junior United States senator from New York since 2009

Key contributions and claims:

• Longtime advocate for transparency on UAP (example 1)
• Together with Sen. Rubio, she facilitated the creation of (what would eventually become) the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), as the replacement for the previous UAP Task Force, which would have access to Department of Defense (DoD) and Intelligence Community data related to UAPs (Link)

Notable quotes:

• "Our national security efforts rely on aerial supremacy and these phenomena present a challenge to our dominance over the air. Staying ahead of UAP sightings is critical to keeping our strategic edge and keeping our nation safe" (Dec 9, 2021)
• In reference to the July 26 UAP Hearing – "They are very serious allegations. The hearing had two sets of testimony. The first was from pilots who saw an object flying in the sky that looked like a Tic Tac that had very strange patterns and abilities. Those pilots were retaliated against, and their careers were derailed, which is how I got involved in the issue. We want our pilots and our service members to come forward when they see things that they cannot identify, which is why I created the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office to review all of these unidentified aerial phenomena in a scientific and thorough way." (July 31, 2023)
• On AARO's role in getting to the bottom of the UAP issue – "I think this AARO office is excellent and built to do this job. If there are special access programs – they are called SAP programs – that Congress was not read in on, we put an amendment in the defense bill to say they can’t be funded. We do not want to be misled. We do not want to be led astray. We want to get to the bottom of this and this office is perfectly positioned to do that work." (July 31, 2023)
  

Background: former mayor of Knox County, Tennessee; currently serving as the U.S. representative for Tennessee's 2nd congressional district since 2019; played an instrumental role in facilitating the July 26 UAP hearing, along with Rep. Luna and Rep. Moskowitz

Contributions and claims:

• Has been extremely vocal on his intentions to force the UAP issue out into the open for transparency's sake
• Rep. Burchett made a significant contribution to the UAP hearing on July 26. Click here for more details on the hearing and his contributions.
• Has publicly claimed that the hearing on July 26 faced extreme amounts of pushback from various elements with the US government/security apparatus - "We've run into roadblocks from members from the intelligence community, the Pentagon” (Page 3)
• Has publicly stated that other prospective whistleblowers/witnesses were intimidated and/or pressured not to come forward in the run-up to the July 26 hearing – “Also, the Pentagon has flexed their muscle. We've lost a witness because of that"
• “We’re going to uncover the cover up.” – said Rep. Tim Burchett during his opening statement at the July 26 hearing
• “This is ridiculous folks. Either [UAP] do exist or they don’t exist. They keep telling us they don’t exist, but they block every opportunity for us to get a hold of the information to prove that they do exist,” Burchett said in the run-up to the July 26 UAP hearing. “And we’re gonna get to the bottom of that dadgummit. Whatever the truth may be. We’re done with the coverup."
• “If there’s not a cover-up, the government and the Pentagon are sure spending a lot of resources to stop us from studying it,” Burchett told The Hill in July 2023.
• Requested Speaker McCarthy to set-up a select committee on UAP with subpoena authorities to get to the bottom of Grusch's allegations, along with Reps. Gaetz, Luna and Moskowitz. (July 28, 2023)
• Following the allegations made under oath by David Grusch – Reps. Burchett, Luna, Moskowitz, Burlison, Mace, and Ogles signed and submitted a letter to Thomas Monheim, the current Intelligence Community Inspector General, on August 22 2023. The letter request answers to the following questions:
  
  1. Which intelligence community members, positions, facilities, military bases, or other actors are involved with UAP crash retrieval programs, directly or indirectly
  
  2. Which intelligence community members, positions, facilities, military bases, or other actors are involved with UAP reverse engineering programs, directly or indirectly

Relevant links:

• Full July 26 UAP hearing transcript
• Segment on the Hill's Aug 17 event

Background: politician and activist serving as the U.S. representative from Florida's 13th congressional district since 2023; played an instrumental role in facilitating the July 26 UAP hearing, along with Rep. Burchett and Rep. Moskowitz

Contributions and claims:

• Rep. Luna made a significant contribution to the UAP hearing on July 26. Click here for more details on the hearing and her contributions.
• Has been a very vocal supporter of increased UAP transparency
• She has directly claimed that the United States government knows a lot more than it’s admitting when it comes to UAP – "It does appear and for what I'm saying, based on the stonewalling, that they are hiding something," Rep. Luna told Fox reporters
• She also claims "Based on the evidence that I have personally seen, the technology that exists is something that I don't think any government has currently. When I was at Eglin Air Force Base, I did see a photo and I also talked to the pilots of something that is definitely not created by our Department of Defense". She confirmed she is working to get that photo declassified as a start.
• “We know that enormous sums of money are being spent on UAP-related activity, whether it’s retrieval/recovery, research and reverse-engineering, or just security for whatever the government is hiding,” she told The Hill in July 2023. “But none of that is on the books, so from a basic governance perspective, Congress needs to know where money is being misappropriated.”
• Requested Speaker McCarthy to set-up a select committee on UAP with subpoena authorities to get to the bottom of Grusch's allegations, along with Reps. Gaetz, Burchett and Moskowitz. (July 28, 2023)
• Following the allegations made under oath by David Grusch – Reps. Burchett, Luna, Moskowitz, Burlison, Mace, and Ogles signed and submitted a letter to Thomas Monheim, the current Intelligence Community Inspector General, on August 22 2023. The letter request answers to the following questions:
  
  1. Which intelligence community members, positions, facilities, military bases, or other actors are involved with UAP crash retrieval programs, directly or indirectly
  
  2. Which intelligence community members, positions, facilities, military bases, or other actors are involved with UAP reverse engineering programs, directly or indirectly
  

Relevant links:

• Full hearing transcript
• Segment on the Hill's Aug 17 event

Background: lawyer and politician who has served as the U.S. representative for Florida's 1st congressional district since 2017

Contributions:

• During the July 26 UAP hearing, Rep. Gaetz entered the following statement into the record, based on his own personal experience:
  "Several months ago my office received a protected disclosure from Eglin Air Force Base indicating that there was a UAP incident that required my attention. I sought a briefing regarding that episode and brought with me Congressman Burchett and Congresswoman Luna. We asked to see any of the evidence that had been taken by flight crew in this endeavor and to observe any radar signature, as well as to meet with the flight crew. We were not afforded access to all of the flight crew, and initially we were not afforded access to images and to radar.
  
  Thereafter we had a bit of a discussion about how authorities flow in the United States of America, and we did see the image and we did meet with one member of the flight crew who took the image.
  
  The image was of something that I am not able to attach to any human capability, either from the United States or from any of our adversaries. And I'm somewhat informed on the matter, having served on the Armed Services Committee for seven years, having served on the committee that oversees DARPA and advanced technologies for several years.
  
  When we spoke with the flight crew and when he showed us the photo that he'd taken, I asked why the video wasn't engaged, why we didn't have a FLIR system that worked. Here's what he said. They were out on a test mission that day over the Gulf of Mexico. And when you're on a test mission, you're supposed to have clear airspace, not supposed to be anything that shows up. And they saw a sequence of four craft in a clear diamond formation, for which there is a radar sequence that I and I alone have observed in the United States Congress. One of the pilots goes to check out that diamond formation and sees a large floating, what I can only describe as an orb. Again, like I said, not of any human capability that I'm aware of." (Pages 41-42)
• Following up on the above, he says – "I would suggest that the radar images that were collected of this formation of craft out of Eglin Air Force base, and specifically the actual image taken by the actual flight crew that we can actually validate be provided to the committee, subpoenaed if necessary, so that we're able to track how to get this type of reporting and analysis done in a more fulsome way. That would be my recommendation"
• Requested Speaker McCarthy to set-up a select committee on UAP with subpoena authorities to get to the bottom of Grusch's allegations, along with Reps. Luna, Burchett and Moskowitz. (July 28, 2023)

Relevant links:

• Full hearing transcript

Background: politician serving as the U.S. representative for Wisconsin's 8th congressional district since 2017

Summary of claims made:

• In May 2022, during a House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence hearing regarding Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP), Rep. Gallagher pressed Department of Defense officials on their knowledge of UAPs (link)
• Along with Rep. Gallego (D-Ariz), Gallagher sponsored an amendment to the 2022 NDAA that would establish a secure system for reporting unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), in addition to any related activity from the government, federal contractors or programs. The amendment was approved by Congress on the 13th of July 2023.
• In January 2023, he said "The DNI’s most recent UAP report reinforces what we already know - that we must figure out what our military aviators are observing in our airspace. The whistleblower protections recently passed into law are an essential step forward to solving this decades-long mystery and will ensure that those entrusted with defending America from potential threats have all the required information, historical context, and scientific resources to do so"
• "The biggest source of resistance is just people [are] almost sort of embarrassed to talk about the topic," he said. "They think they're going to be labeled a crazy, tin foil hat, conspiracy theory, loony tunes person. So just by having these discussions out in the open, I think it goes a long way."
• "Most of the resistance is just from the bureaucracy in the defense department and in the intelligence community" he said.

Relevant links:

• June 2023 Appearance on the Pat McAfee show

Background: politician serving as the U.S. representative for Florida's 23rd congressional district since 2023; played an instrumental role in facilitating the July 26th UAP hearing along with Rep. Burchett and Rep. Luna

Contributions and claims:

• Rep. Moskowitz made a significant contribution to the UAP hearing on July 26. Click here for more details on the hearing and his contributions.
• "If we are reverse engineering technology based on stuff that has crash landed here from other civilizations, we can't just tell the American people that's not true forever. The American people deserve to know...The idea that there's 170 UAP incidents that we can't describe. I don't actually think that's true. I think we can describe them. I just think we're unwilling to" – August 17 (Link)
• "I think we [Congress] should try to get into one of these places [housing UAP evidence]...and if they won't let us in I think we should have a field hearing right outside the building...and the military will have to explain why that is." – August 17 (Link)
• Requested Speaker McCarthy to set-up a select committee on UAP with subpoena authorities to get to the bottom of Grusch's allegations, along with Reps. Gaetz, Burchett and Luna.
• Following the allegations made under oath by David Grusch – Reps. Burchett, Luna, Moskowitz, Burlison, Mace, and Ogles signed and submitted a letter to Thomas Monheim, the current Intelligence Community Inspector General, on August 22 2023. The letter request answers to the following questions:
  
  1. Which intelligence community members, positions, facilities, military bases, or other actors are involved with UAP crash retrieval programs, directly or indirectly
  
  2. Which intelligence community members, positions, facilities, military bases, or other actors are involved with UAP reverse engineering programs, directly or indirectly

Relevant links:

• Full UAP hearing transcript
• Full segment on the Hill's Aug 17th event

Background: politician and businessman who has served as the U.S. representative for Tennessee's 5th congressional district since 2023

Contributions:

• During the July 26 UAP Hearing, he explicitly threatened to make use of the Holman Rule to overcome any efforts by various elements of the US government/security apparatus to keep Congress in the dark. The Holman rule is a rule in the United States House of Representatives that allows amendments to appropriations legislation that would reduce the salary of or fire specific federal employees, or cut a specific program. (Page 50)
• During the July 26 UAP Hearing, he went down a line of questioning directly related to national (if not global) security with all 3 witnesses that established the following claims – UAP may be probing defense capabilities; UAP may be collecting reconnaissance information; UAP seem to have an interest in Nuclear technology and capabilities; UAP demonstrate abilities that far outmatch current U.S. military capabilities; UAP provide an existential threat to the national security of the United States (Pages 48-50)
• Following the allegations made under oath by David Grusch – Reps. Burchett, Luna, Moskowitz, Burlison, Mace, and Ogles signed and submitted a letter to Thomas Monheim, the current Intelligence Community Inspector General, on August 22 2023. The letter request answers to the following questions:
  
  1. Which intelligence community members, positions, facilities, military bases, or other actors are involved with UAP crash retrieval programs, directly or indirectly
  
  2. Which intelligence community members, positions, facilities, military bases, or other actors are involved with UAP reverse engineering programs, directly or indirectly

Relevant links:

• Full hearing transcript

Background: American politician and attorney serving as the administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, previously served as a United States Senator from Florida from 2001 to 2019

Notable claims:

• In an interview with CNN in June of 2021, Bill Nelson has stated that he has read the classified version of the US intelligence report on the series of UFO sightings by Navy pilots and others, and that he feels that we may not be alone in this galaxy. He was quoted as saying – "Are we alone? Personally, I don't think we are".
• NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said, during an official visit to Argentina, that a committee of scientists is preparing a report to address what he described as “so many suspicions about aliens.” The report will be ready in August, he said.
• “I decided as the head of NASA, since there are so many suspicions about aliens, that I would appoint a committee of very distinguished scientists. That committee is deliberating, and they will make their report publicly next month. Now I can tell you in the meantime, until you hear the report, and they will consider using our scientific sensors in space in trying to determine this phenomenon. So wait until next month and you will have an answer.” – he said during the same visit to Argentina in July of 2023.

Background: a laser and materials physicist and currently director of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office at the United States Department of Defense; former Defense Intelligence Officer for Scientific and Technical Intelligence for DIA; former Deputy Director of Intelligence of the US Strategic Command

Notable claims and other facts:

• In a draft paper dated March 7, Dr. Sean Kirkpatrick and Harvard professor Avi Loeb teamed up to write that UAP, which appear to defy all physics, could be “probes” from an extraterrestrial “parent craft.”
  
  More than half of the five-page paper is devoted to the discussion of the possibility that the unexplained objects the DoD is studying could be “probes” in a mothership scenario. One section is titled: “The Extraterrestrial Possibility” and another “Propulsion Methods"
• On April 19, 2023 – Dr. Kirkpatrick testified before members of the United States Senate Committee on Armed Services, and indicated "AARO has found no credible evidence thus far of extraterrestrial activity, off-world technology, or objects that defy the known laws of physics". He also mentioned that a large number of cases remain technically unresolved, but that this is primarily due to a lack of data associated with these cases.
• In the first public meeting of NASA's UAP independent study team on May 31, 2023, he stated that U.S. military personnel are observing "metallic orbs" in many locations "all over the world", that spherical objects account for nearly half of all UAP reports received by his office, and that some of these objects are capable of "very interesting apparent maneuvers"
• In an exclusive interview with ABC News, Dr. Kirkpatrick says that being caught off guard by "intelligent or extraterrestrial technical supremacy" remains a top concern. This statement was later corrected to "intelligent or extraterrestrial technical surprise" instead.
  
  However, when asked about whistleblower David Grusch's allegations, Dr. Kirkpatrick reiterates that he has yet to receive any verifiable information to substantiate the claims.
• Following the July 26 UAP Hearings, Dr. Kirkpatrick posts a statement on his personal LinkedIn. He makes it clear the statement reflects his own views only.
  
  He states "a rational person watching the hearing [...might] conclude that AARO has been ineffective, non-transparent, and delinquent in its legislated mission." He expresses his disappointment at what he considers the denigration of AARO's team during the July 26 UAP Hearing.
  
  He reiterates that AARO has yet to find any credible evidence to support the allegations of any reverse engineering programs for non-human technology, and claims none of the whistleblowers have ever worked for/been representatives to AARO. These statements diametrically oppose various claims made under oath by David Grusch during the congressional hearing.
  
  The statement was later deleted from his LinkedIn profile.

Background: private equity investor, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intelligence in the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations and later for Security and Information Operations

Claims and contributions:

• During his time at the DoD, Chris served on a small committee that provided oversight of all DoD special access programs, in order to eliminate potential waste and duplication. The oversight included visits to Area 51 and other sensitive facilities. He also spent over a decade on the Senate Intelligence Committee, involved in oversight of NRO, CIA, NSA and other intelligence organizations. He became the first Congressional official to review all of the NSA's compartmented programs.
• Mellon has been a highly vocal proponent of increased governmental transparency, and has lobbied for U.S. government investigations into UAP since (at least) 2016
• In 2016 he stated – "I think we have to ask ourselves a key question, and then bring it forward. 'Are there UFO cases that are sufficiently well-documented to warrant a scientific investigation of the phenomenon?' In my view, the answer is yes."
• He also stated – "it is totally uncharacteristic of the US military to conduct experimental tests of new vehicles over populated areas where security would be compromised and innocent civilians placed in harms way. That's completely contrary to military DNA. Alien visitation is actually easier to believe than that level of stupidity being exhibited by the brilliant people developing new aircraft technologies for DoD."
• In the same interview in 2016 he stated – "I find it hard to imagine something as explosive as recovered alien technology remaining under wraps for decades. So while I have no reason to believe there is any recovered alien technology, I will say this: If it were me, and I were trying to bury it deep, I'd take it outside government oversight entirely and place it in a compartment as a new entity within an existing defense company and manage it as what we call an "IRAD" or "Independent Research and Development Activity."
• Mellon was featured in the 2020 UFO documentary The Phenomenon, which was directed by UFO enthusiast James Fox. In the documentary, he confirms he was the source who provided the three Pentagon UFO videos featured in the New York Times on December 17, 2017: "Glowing Auras and ‘Black Money’: The Pentagon’s Mysterious UFO Program".
• According to Politico, Mellon – as an advisor to Tom DeLonge’s TTSA organisation – effectively drafted the legislation that was later adopted by the Senate requesting UAP reports in 2020
• "Both countries [China and Russia] have active UFO groups... They certainly have had their own incidents over the years... France has had an official UFO investigative group for decades. This is very much a global phenomenon." – Mellon in May 2021 on the JRE
• "If there is some recovered debris say, it is so deeply buried and squirreled away that it's outside of those normal oversight processes and that's why there is a problem in this area." – Mellon in May 2021

Background: intelligence officer currently serving as the Inspector General of the United States Intelligence Community. He was confirmed by the Senate on September 30, 2021, to be the permanent Inspector General. He previously served as general counsel of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency

Contributions and relevant facts:

• In late May 2022, whistleblower David Grusch submits a Disclosure of Urgent Concern(s); Complaint of Reprisal to Thomas Monheim, with the help of his attorney (who happens to be the former IC IG, Charles McCollough)
• According to Ross Coulthart (the journalist who broke the story), IC IG Thomas Monheim then independently investigated and corroborated Grusch's claims by speaking to various other witnesses (Link)
• In July 2022, Monheim deems Grusch's claims "credible and urgent", and a summary was immediately submitted to the Director of National Intelligence, Avril Haines; the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
• On August 22, 2023 – Reps. Burchett, Luna, Moskowitz, Burlison, Mace, and Ogles signed and submitted a letter to Thomas Monheim. The letter request answers to the following questions:
  
  1. Which intelligence community members, positions, facilities, military bases, or other actors are involved with UAP crash retrieval programs, directly or indirectly
  
  2. Which intelligence community members, positions, facilities, military bases, or other actors are involved with UAP reverse engineering programs, directly or indirectly

Background: media personality and former U.S. Army Counterintelligence Special Agent; former employee of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence; later held a position as Director of Global Security and Special Programs for TTSA; former director of the now defunct Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP) – a program associated with the release of the Pentagon UFO videos

Contributions and relevant facts:

• Ending in 2012, he was the director of the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program, a special access program funded at the initiative of the then Senate majority leader, Harry Reid (D-Nevada) to investigate aerial threats including UAP
• According to the DoD, the AATIP program ended in 2012 after five years. Elizondo, however, claims the program continued until October 2017, when he resigned to protest what he characterized as "excessive secrecy and internal opposition"
• In response to claims that Elizondo had fabricated his role at AATIP, the late Senator Reid sent a letter to NBC News stating "I can state as a matter of record Lue Elizondo's involvement and leadership role in this program"
• Elizondo distributed three declassified videos to the press that were made by pilots from the United States Navy aircraft carriers USS Nimitz and USS Theodore Roosevelt which became known as the Pentagon UFO videos
• In a long-form YouTube interview, Elizondo reflections on a conversation he had with a colleague to explain why he believes Disclosure may have a "somber" and/or sobering effect on humanity –
  
  "What if it turns out that there’s another species that’s even higher on that ladder than we are? Do we need the social institutions that we have today? Will we need the governmental and religious organizations that we have today if it turns out there is something else, or someone else, that is technologically more advanced? And perhaps, from an evolutionary perspective, more advanced? Have we been wasting our time all this time? Or are we doing exactly what we’re supposed to be doing?
  
  Does it turn out that mankind is, in fact, just another animal in the zoo? We thought of ourselves as the zookeeper before, but maybe we’re just another exhibit. What would that mean to us? When I say somber and sobering, I mean there’s going to come a point in this conversation where we are going to have to do a lot of reconciling with ourselves, whatever that means. From whatever philosophical view you have, this is going to impact every single one of us equally, yet differently, and I think that’s important.
  
  Do we find ourselves in a situation where history will have to be re-written?"

Other Links:

• Criticisms

Background: currently serving as whistleblower David Grusch's attorney; former Inspector General of the United States Intelligence Community; former Deputy Inspector General at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI)

Background: Retired Rear Admiral in the United States Navy; former head of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Oceanographer of the Navy.

Notable claims:

• While serving as an Admiral with Fleet Forces Command, he received a classified email on SIPRNET in 2015 from his boss, the Operations Commander, to all 1- and 2-star Admiral subordinates
• The title of the email was “Urgent safety of flight issue.” Attached was the now famous GO-FAST UAP video from a Navy F/A-18, and the email inquired if anyone knew their origin, and expressed safety of flight concerns about multiple near mid-air collisions with UAP in the area where Ryan Graves' encounters occurred, noting they might shut down the exercise for safety reasons
• Admiral Gallaudet reviewed it with his deputy. The next day, the email was removed from his system and that of his deputy
• He presumes the email was removed in connection with a classified special access program
• He has stated publicly that he doesn't believe these UAP represent any known human technology

Notable quotes:

• "As a retired U.S. Navy flag officer, I can attest to the integrity and authenticity of the two pilots who testified: retired Commander David Fravor and Ryan Graves. I have served on three aircraft carriers and count many Naval aviators as close friends. These two witnesses are the real deal.
  
  So is David Grusch. As a Navy information warfare officer, I worked closely with the intelligence community and Grusch’s former command, the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency. I too have been read into special access programs, and I understand how Department of Defense classification systems and authorities work. His testimony is 100 percent credible."

Relevant links:

• Opinion piece authored by Tim Gallaudet for the Hill
• Ryan Graves testimony referencing Tim Gallaudet (Tim was also in attendance at the public hearing)

Background: Retired rear admiral in the United States Navy, currently serving as Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House since late May 2022

Summary of claims made:

• When asked about UAP on July 17, 2023 during a White House Press Briefing – "I mean, some of these phenomena, we know, have already had an impact on our training ranges for — you know, when pilots are out trying to do training in the air and they see these things, they’re not sure what they are, and it can have an impact on their ability to perfect their skills.
  
  It’s already had an impact here, and we just want to better understand it."
• On July 26, 2023 – "We obviously take the issue of unidentified aerial phenomena seriously."
• On July 26, 2023, when questioned about the existence of extreterrestrial life – "What we believe is that there are unexplained aerial phenomena that have been sighted and reported by pilots, Navy and Air Force; that these phenomena have in some cases had an impact on our training ranges, on our pilots’ ability to fly, train, operate, and stay ready. That alone makes it a national security issue worth — worth looking at.
  
  We don’t know. We don’t have the answers about what these phenomena are. Otherwise, I guess we’d have a catchier name for it."

Relevant links:

• July 26 White House Briefing Snippet

Background: Former Director of National Intelligence of the United States; former U.S. representative for Texas's 4th district from 2015 to 2020

Summary of claims made:

• Following the release of the ODNI's 2021 declassified report on UAP, John Ratcliffe had this to say – “Look, the bottom line is, unidentified aerial phenomena — many, many cases we’re able to explain it away for reasons like visual disturbances, or weather phenomenon, or foreign adversaries and their technologies, or even our own experimental technologies with certain aircraft and vehicles, but what this report really underscores … is that there are a number of instances — and the specific number remains classified — but a number of instances where we’ve ruled all of that out.”
  
  Ratcliffe added: “And there are technologies that we don’t have and frankly that we are not capable of defending against — based on those things that we’ve seen, multiple sensors, in other words, where not just people visually see it but where it’s picked up on radar, where it’s seen on satellites. And so, you know, it’s an issue of national security, and as the person who was informing policymakers about national security threats, it’s not good to say, ‘Gosh, we don’t have good answers.’ And so, we have to have a larger discussion to try and figure out specifically what this is all about.”
• In July 2023– Ratcliffe had the following to say about the UAP issue – "The government has more information than its sharing"

Background: lawyer and senior government official who serves as the director of national intelligence in the Biden administration

Summary of claims made:

• Speaking at the Our Future in Space event at the Washington National Cathedral on November 11, 2021, Haines stated – "The main issues that Congress and others have been concerned about is safety of flight concerns and counterintelligence issues,” before adding – "Always there’s also the question of: is there something else that we simply do not understand, which might come extraterrestrially?”

Background: American government official who has served as the United States deputy secretary of defense since 2021

Contributions:

• As of August 30, 2023 – Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks was assigned to personally oversee the Pentagon’s unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) investigation team formally known as the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO). She will now hold regular meetings with AARO’s inaugural director, Sean Kirkpatrick — who has been repositioned to report directly to her from now on.
  
  Hicks had the following to say on the UAP topic: “The department takes UAP seriously because UAP are a potential national security threat. They also pose safety risks, and potentially endanger our personnel, our equipment and bases, and the security of our operations. DOD is focusing through AARO to better understand UAP, and improve our capabilities to detect, collect, analyze and eventually resolve UAP to prevent strategic surprise and protect our forces, our operations, and our nation." Link for more information

Background: Israeli-American theoretical physicist who works on astrophysics and cosmology. Loeb is the Frank B. Baird Jr. Professor of Science at Harvard University.

Summary of claims made:

• In a draft paper dated March 7, Dr. Sean Kirkpatrick, head of the Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, and Harvard professor Avi Loeb teamed up to write that UAP, which appear to defy all physics, could be “probes” from an extraterrestrial “parent craft.”
  
  Avi Loeb has previously hypothesized that interstellar objects such as the cigar-shaped “Oumuamua” (spotted flying through the galaxy in 2017 by scientists) could be such a "parent craft".
  
  More than half of the five-page paper is devoted to the discussion of the possibility that the unexplained objects the DoD is studying could be “probes” in a mothership scenario. One section is titled: “The Extraterrestrial Possibility” and another “Propulsion Methods.”
• Avi Loeb is currently studying fragments of a meteor that he believes may be pieces of an interstellar spacecraft. While he believes it is possible for spacecrafts to be on Earth, he questions the presence of life. (Link)

Relevant Links:

• Dr. Loeb's Medium Blog

Background: American immunologist, academic, inventor, and business executive; He holds the Rachford and Carlota A. Harris Professor Endowed Chair in the Department of Pathology at Stanford University School of Medicine; has founded biotechnology companies, written numerous medical research papers, and has been generally active in ufology

Contributions:

• In 2012, Nolan began analysis on the Atacama skeleton, a suspected alien corpse from Chile, which he later revealed to be a mummified human stillbirth with genetic bone defects and gene mutation causing deformity
• According to Nolan in June 2021, he was approached by "some people representing the government and an aerospace corporation to help them understand the medical harm that had come to some individuals, related to supposed interactions with an anomalous craft" because "they were interested in the kinds of blood analysis that my lab can do".
• Nolan is the lead author of the first study published (Jan 2022) in a peer-reviewed journal about anomalous materials associated with UFOs. The article reviews modern analytic procedures, including mass spectrometry, for characterization, analysis, and identification of unknown materials.
• On May 18th 2023, Nolan appeared at the SALT iConnections event in New York and elaborated on recent whistleblower protections that "allows people from within – I'm gonna say this – who've been working on the Reverse Engineering Programs...Reverse engineering of objects...so that they can come in and break their oaths, but specifically just to talk to Congress and give that information in classified settings."
  
  He goes on to add – "the most recent one that happened – just last weekend – and it created quite a hornet's nest in Washington".
• On August 15th 2023, The Sol Foundation was launched with Nolan listed as a founder. This non-profit is a new think tank that has been established to research the philosophical, policy, and scientific implications of UAP. Other notable figures involved in the Sol Foundation include Christopher Mellon, Jacques Vallée, and David Grusch.

Background: Internet pioneer, computer scientist, venture capitalist, author, ufologist and astronomer currently residing in San Francisco, California and Paris, France. His scientific career began as a professional astronomer at the Paris Observatory

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Background: Australian investigative journalist and author

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Background: American investigative journalist and author who is most notable for books about UFOs and the afterlife

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Background: American journalist and author. He was a staff reporter for The New York Times from 1964 to 2009

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Background: retired police lieutenant, investigative reporter and co-founder and Executive Director of The Debrief

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Background: veteran journalist based on Capital Hill, who has been covering campaigns and every aspect of federal policy since 2006; WIRED magazine contributor, covering everything from data privacy and crypto to Big Tech and UAPs; also founded Ask a Pol—an interactive Substack publication serving as everyday voters’ conduit to Congress

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• Twitter account

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Background: politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017

Summary of claims made:

• "There’s footage and records of objects in the skies that we don’t know exactly what they are... We can’t explain how they moved, their trajectory. They did not have an easily explainable pattern"
  

Relevant links:

• link - news clipping from a late-night interview with James Corden

Background: politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021

Notable claims:

• "Mr. Trump did not care about intelligence reports about U.F.O.s, but he would ask questions about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy," according to the New York Times. (Link)

Relevant links:

• Donald Trump discussing Roswell, UAP on NBC