Author: John Greenewald

The objective of this evaluation was to determine whether responsibilities and authorities for nuclear weapons, nuclear weapon systems and DoD nuclear command and control systems are effectively aligned within the office of the Secretary of Defense, the joint Staff, and ad hoc/statutory committees. Specifically, we examined decision-making processes, interdepartmental coordination, and any gaps, seams, and overlaps between offices and committees. The Black Vault filed a FOIA request for this report on September 28, 2016, and it was not released until October 28, 2022. The redacted version is below: Document Archive Evaluation of DoD Nuclear Enterprise Governance (DODIG-2016-25) [62 Pages, 13MB]…

David Spergel was selected to chair NASA’s independent study on unidentified aerial phenomena. He is the president of the Simons Foundation where he was the founding director of its Flatiron Institute for Computational Astrophysics. His interests range from the search for planets and nearby stars to the shape of the universe. He has measured the age, shape and composition of the universe and played a key role in establishing the standard model of cosmology. A MacArthur “Genius” Fellow, Spergel has been cited in publications more than 100,000 times. In December of 2021, The Black Vault profiled a paper by Dr.…

The following document chronicles the history of the “Special Project Branch, SIS ETOUSA”. It was originally requested from the National Archives in October of 2022, and released about a week and a half later under FOIA case 23-02451. Document Archive History of Special Project Branch, SIS ETOUSA, aka the “BEECHNUT Report” or “Rowlett Report,” written by Col. Frank B. Rowlett [9 Pages, 1.5MB]

The following document was referenced in Senate Reports Nos. 330-331. The excerpt is at: On January 20, 2020, The Black Vault filed a Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR) request to have the record reviewed for release. The document, as of the writing of this article, does not appear to have ever been released before. On September 27, 2022, the CIA released the document, in part. You can find it below. Document Archive The CIA’s assessment of the threat from Iraqi UAVs – March 3, 2003 [5 Pages, 1MB]

Note: The below is a NASA Press Release issued October 21, 2022. It is archived here for reference and research purposes. NASA has selected 16 individuals to participate in its independent study team on unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP). Observations of events in the sky that cannot be identified as aircraft or as known natural phenomena are categorized as UAPs. The independent study will begin on Monday, Oct. 24. Over the course of nine months, the independent study team will lay the groundwork for future study on the nature of UAPs for NASA and other organizations. To do this, the team will identify…