The Black Vault’s AAWSAP/AATIP and Post 2017 UAP/UFO Timeline Project

EXACT Date in 2007 Unknown

Source: Glowing Auras and ‘Black Money’: The Pentagon’s Mysterious U.F.O. Program (Original NY Times Article) By Helene Cooper, Ralph Blumenthal and Leslie Kean. Relevant excerpt:

“The shadowy program — parts of it remain classified — began in 2007, and initially it was largely funded at the request of Harry Reid, the Nevada Democrat who was the Senate majority leader at the time and who has long had an interest in space phenomena.”

Note: This contradicts the timeline that Mr. Luis Elizondo setup, that the AAWSAP contract/program was renamed AATIP in 2008, not 2007 (see below). Mr. Elizondo was at least one of the sources used by the NY Times for the facts, but it contradicts his later statements that AATIP started in 2008, and was quoted as saying, “… [AATIP] evolved from AAWSAP but it is not AAWSAP.” 

In addition, the NY Times said: “Contracts obtained by The Times show a congressional appropriation of just under $22 million beginning in late 2008 through 2011. The money was used for management of the program, research and assessments of the threat posed by the objects.”

Note: This contradicts their own reporting. The original contracts awarded in late 2008 (see below) for what we later learn is AAWSAP, were not AATIP contracts. If they were, then this reporting contradicts the testimony of Mr. Luis Elizondo.  So, therefore, it must be asked why the NY Times would not stay accurate and offer a brief chronological overview of how AATIP came to be?  According to Mr. Elizondo, who headed the project, AATIP was a different program entirely from AAWSAP. So, if Mr. Elizondo was at least one of their sources, why would this not be addressed or detailed since Mr. Elizondo himself says AAWSAP and AATIP were not the same? (See also the contradiction between Dr. Hal Puthoff. He has direct knowledge of the program having worked on it, but his statement goes against Mr. Elizondo’s, who says he headed the program.)

EXACT Date claimed in 2007 Unknown – though it is likely inaccurate

Source: Mr. Luis Elizondo Slide Presentation, MUFON Conference, July 29, 2018. Slide Graphic. Excerpt from the text:

“2007 — Program originally created as a bipartisan effort (Stvens (R) [sic], Inoyoway [sic](D-Hawaii), and Reid (D-Nevada) to better understand UAPs encountered by U.S. military and determine if they represent a national security threat.”

and also

“2007 — Congressional language establishes the ‘Advanced Aerospace Weapon Systems Application Program’, aka AAWSAP”

Note: This contradicts the now established start date of AAWSAP which was later in 2008, not 2007.  The bid solicitation was not published until August of 2008 and not awarded to anyone until September of 2008. To date, there is not a single document that shows anything happened with AAWSAP in 2007.

Exact Day in June 2007 Unknown

Source: Dr. Hal Puthoff speech to the SSE/IRVA Conference, Las Vegas, 8 June 2018. Full transcript available at Paradigm Research Group. The relevant portion:

“People have had trouble trying to get documents out of the Pentagon by saying they want all documents on AATIP, and they have a hard time because that wasn’t the actual name of the program. “Advanced Aerospace Weapons Systems Application Program” is the actual name of the program. But AATIP was the nickname it went by. It began in June of 2007. The Defense Intelligence Agency was concerned about the fact that obvious observation had shown that Advanced Aerospace Vehicles – crafts, or drones of unknown origin, were flying all over the United States, over waters, in fact globally as was the case. So a Congressional budget was approved to address the issue behind the scenes. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid from Nevada was the one who was the initiator of the program, joined by Senator Inouye and Senator Stevens. These are the people who generally approve programs that were in the black, under high security, behind the scenes, and so they set up this program.”

January 29, 2008

Source: Nevada Secretary of State, Business ID NV20081214349, Entity Number E0056412008-7, filed on January 29, 2008.  Source Data via https://www.nvsos.gov/sosentitysearch/.

Note: This contradicts news reports by Mr. George Knapp, KLAS-TV, in the I-Team: Documents prove secret UFO study based in Nevada article.  The relevant quote is: “For the DIA contract, he created BAASS, a seperate (sic) entity housed within his aerospace plant. He hired a team of 46 scientists and investigators, along with dozens of other support personnel.”

It was also reported in Newsweek by Andrew Whalen, wherein the relevant quote states: “BAASS, created specifically for the Pentagon contract, conducted research both from Bigelow Aerospace headquarters in North Las Vegas and an infamous Utah ranch, formerly owned by Robert Bigelow (ownership has since transferred to Adamantium Real Estate, who manages the property on behalf of an anonymous owner).” 

Since the bid for AAWSAP was not posted until August of 2008 by the DIA, there is no way for Mr. Bigelow to know. So, either this is an erroneous fact as published by multiple media outlets, or Mr. Bigelow had foreknowledge of the coming program that would be open for bidding 8 months later, and wanted to get the paperwork set for a Nevada LLC to take it. 

Exact Day in June 2008 Unknown

Source: DoD/IG Complaint filed by Mr. Luis Elizondo, and published by the NY Post

Source: Mr. Luis Elizondo, The MUFON Journal interview as interviewed by Chase Kloetzke, 2018. Specific excerpt from this interview:

“I wore many hats. For many years, I did state, local, tribal intelligence, law enforcement integration. I did information sharing, foreign intelligence relations, I did Guantanamo Bay and I happened to be, for the last 10 years, also part of the AATIP program.”  (Ten years from 2018 = 2008.)

Source: Mr. Luis Elizondo, 2018 International UFO Congress Interview, February 2018. Specific excerpt from this interview:

“At that point it became apparent to me why they were asking me the questions they were asking me, so in 2008 I was asked to come on board. I did and I worked for the former program manager at the time, and in 2010 upon his departure, I was asked to take over the program formally as the director.”

August 18, 2008

Solicitation Number HHM40208R0211, Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program, is posted to the Federal Business Opportunities Website.

Source: FBO Solicitation HHM40208R0211, posted August 18, 2008

EXACT Date Claimed in 2008 Unknown

Source: Mr. Luis Elizondo Slide Presentation, MUFON Conference, July 29, 2018. Slide Graphic. and Mr. Luis Elizondo Slide Presentation, Centro Ufologico Nazionale, October 2018. Slide Graphic.

Problem: This contradicts reporting by the NY Times, which used Mr. Elizondo as a at least one source of information for their article, that established AATIP began in 2007, though that date is likely incorrect. This seemingly also contradicts Dr. Hal Puthoff, who said AAWSAP began in June of 2007, and it had a nickname of AATIP, but only a nickname and was never renamed. 

EXACT Date Unknown – Circa September 2008 when contract was awarded

Source: Dr. Hal Puthoff speech to the SSE/IRVA Conference, Las Vegas, 8 June 2018. Full transcript available at Paradigm Research Group. The relevant portion:

“I was contracted to commission mostly unclassified whitepapers from experts around the globe about where their particular subject areas would be in (the year) 2050 as like a general survey of aerospace futures. I decided this would be the best way to get the best knowledge we had across many technologies without actually exposing why we wanted to know. So, I let out 38 contracts over a two-year period. I’ll show you what the studies were on. You can read them there: positron aerospace propulsion, IEC fusion as a compact energy source, warp drive, dark energy, extra dimensions, metallic glasses for aerospace use. Really cutting edge kinds of things.”

Note: For more information, see: 38 Reports created under AAWSAP aka AATIP.

First source: Mr. George Knapp, KLAS, in the video story here: Documents prove secret UFO study based in Nevada. The source of the actual documents shown where Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies is filled out in the awarded contract, is unknown and not sourced.

Second source: Although the above story did not exactly time stamp the date of the contract being awarded, The Black Vault received a document via the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) likely indicating the exact date. That document can be found at this PDF with the relevant citations being:

September 28, 2008

Source: OSD/JS FOIA Case #18-F-0324. Written in late December 2017 by Garry Reid, the then-Director for Defense Intelligence, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence (OUSD(I).

EXACT Date in 2009 Unknown

Source: UNIDENTIFIED: INSIDE AMERICA’S UFO INVESTIGATION, Season 1, Episode 1

Aired on May 31, 2019, Season 1 of Episode 1 of Unidentified on History Channel broadcast that Mr. Luis Elizondo took over AATIP in 2009. This television series was Executive Produced by Tom DeLonge, and the show had interviews with Luis Elizondo, Tom DeLonge and others.

SLIDE 1
SLIDE 2
SLIDE 3

Problem: This contradicts Mr. Elizondo’s own words in multiple interviews and speeches he has given. See timeline points above and below. In addition, this goes against an official statement by TTSA given to The Black Vault, along with a statement by TTSA given to Wired Magazine, all confirming 2010 as when Mr. Elizondo started his directorship. 

In addition, this entire claim is disputed by official Pentagon statements given to The Intercept and published on June 1, 2019, along with more statements given to Bloomberg, and published October 21, 2019. These claims state that Mr. Elizondo had “no responsibilities” on the AATIP program.

June 24, 2009

Source: July 25, 2018 story by Mr. George Knapp – I-Team obtains some key documents related to Pentagon UFO study. The actual letter’s source, Mr. Knapp has not stated, but asked Mr. Luis Elizondo and Senator Harry Reid on camera if it was genuine, and they acknowledged it was.

Note: For more information, and to see the full letter, see: Harry Reid And His AATIP Letter: The Mystery Deepens

EXACT Date “late 2009” Unknown

Through a conversation by John Greenewald, Jr. with a Public Affairs Officer at the DIA’s Office of Corporate Communications, it is confirmed that in 2009, an OSD review found that AATIP had “limited value to DIA.” Their entire statement:

“After an OSD/DIA review in late 2009, it was determined the reports were of limited value to DIA and there was a recommendation that upon completion of the contract, the project could be transitioned to an agency or component better suited to oversee it. ” (Source Email)

Note: The DIA referred to the program as AATIP, though is likely more accurately referring to AAWSAP.

For all reports delivered, see: The Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program (AAWSAP) Documentation

Relevant excerpt:

“26 of 38 reports were delivered in FY 2009; the balance in FY 2010. That’s when the project ended at DIA. I have no additional information about what happened after the contract was fulfilled after DIA received 38 reports that covered the 12 research areas requested.”

Source: Email exchange between DIA and John Greenewald, Jr. Source Email.

EXACT Date Claimed in 2010 Unknown

Source: Mr. Luis Elizondo Slide Presentation, MUFON Conference, July 29, 2018. Slide Graphic.

EXACT Date Claimed in 2010 Unknown

Source: Kari DeLonge, Press Officer for To The Stars Academy via email to John Greenewald, Jr. Source Email.

Note: This claim is disputed by official Pentagon statements given to The Intercept and published on June 1, 2019, along with more statements given to Bloomberg, and published October 21, 2019. These claims state that Mr. Elizondo had “no responsibilities” (later “no assigned responsibilities”) on the AATIP program.

Exact Report Delivery Dates in 2010 Throughout Year Unknown

Relevant excerpt:

“26 of 38 reports were delivered in FY 2009; the balance in FY 2010. That’s when the project ended at DIA. I have no additional information about what happened after the contract was fulfilled after DIA received 38 reports that covered the 12 research areas requested.”

Source: Email exchange between DIA and John Greenewald, Jr. Source Email.

Source: Mr. George Knapp and Mr. Matt Adams, I-Team: Documents prove secret UFO study based in Nevada, published May 4, 2018. The exact quote:

“AAWSAP came to an end after 2011. Elizondo, who had interacted with the study from the Pentagon, was assigned to continue the work, but he chose a smaller focus, limited to military encounters with unknown aircraft. his effort, dubbed AATIP, survived by keeping a low profile.”

Note: This contradicts previous statements by Mr. Luis Elizondo, presenting that AAWSAP was formerly changed to AATIP in 2008. In addition, Mr. Elizondo stated that AATIP’s focus, was fine tuned to focus on UAPs in 2008. What did he refocus in 2011?

Mr. Elizondo said in his MUFON Conference lecture on July 29, 2018:

“In 2008, the program was already beginning to evolve. The original AAWSAP portfolio was much broader than the AATIP. The decision was made early on, that we would go ahead and focus the effort more to the phenomena specific, looking at the observables and the identifiables. What could we look at; what could we collect on; what could we report on back to Senior DOD leadership. Because that’s what their concerned with.”

In addition, it should be clarified why would Mr. Elizondo would need to be assigned (again) to continue AATIP after AAWSAP ended in 2011 (even though that date contradicts his own timeline)?  According to Mr. Elizondo, the program had already changed in 2008 with a focus on UAP (contradicting again this news report); AAWSAP was already renamed to AATIP in 2008 (contradicting again this news report); Mr. Elizondo was promoted to head the AATIP program in 2010, and he further claims it never stopped in 2012, despite the misappropriated funds and contradicting statements by the Pentagon and the DIA. 

EXACT Date in 2012 Unknown

Sources:

– Glowing Auras and ‘Black Money’: The Pentagon’s Mysterious U.F.O. Program (Original NY Times Article)

– The Pentagon’s Secret Search for UFOs (Original Politico Article)

– Major Audricia Harris, Department of Defense Spokesperson via emailed statements to John Greenewald, Jr.

– Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) Office of Corporate Communications via emailed statements to John Greenewald, Jr.

2013-2014

Source: Mr. Luis Elizondo Slide Presentation, MUFON Conference, July 29, 2018. Slide Graphic. Excerpt from the slide states:

“2013-2014 — New funding vehicle under Joint ISR is created, intended to bolster AATIP efforts. Data and reporting continues to flow through AATIP channels”

Note: This contradicts the U.S. government’s position that the program was cancelled in 2012.

2015-2017

Source: Mr. Luis Elizondo Slide Presentation, MUFON Conference, July 29, 2018. Slide Graphic. Excerpt from the slide states:

“2015 through 2017 — AATIP makes several key observations relevant to the phenomena. Access list remains limited and very restrictive further limiting the information flow to key leaders in the Department despite key meetings and briefings”

Note: This contradicts the U.S. government’s position that the program was cancelled in 2012.

The following documents were obtained via FOIA case 22-F-0954 filed by The Black Vault to the Department of Defense (DoD). The original request sought after specific UAP and AATIP related keywords on the email box of Justin Mikolay, Director of Communication for the Secretary of Defense, which at the time was for General James Mattis. This list of keywords included “Elizondo”, which was the only keyword that got hits.

These responsive records totaled only three pages of emails between Justin Mikolay and Luis Elizondo. It revealed that in March 17, 2017, Elizondo and Mikolay were in contact to discuss an unnamed topic. The first email shows Mikolay sent an email to Elizondo referencing their talk in the morning, and getting him his email address. It is unclear who initiated the contact.

Almost two hours later, Elizondo responded stating, “Justin, I have you Lima-Charlie. Let me know your schedule next week and I will accommodate. Hopefully I can be helpful and shed some light on the topic.” The topic is unknown as it is never was openly stated or referenced in the emails.

On March 20, 2017 (three days after the first contact), Elizondo seemed to check in again with Mikolay attempting to schedule something. The next day, Mikolay asked for a phone call.

The emails then jump to April 19, 2017, wherein Elizondo again reaches out to Mikolay seeking to schedule a one minute or less “dialogue” about “another program” Elizondo was managing. According to Elizondo, he suspected that aspects of the program were going to come across the desk of Mikolay and the “boss”, presumably Gen. Mattis, “in the immediate near term (if not already).”

Why this may be relevant to the AATIP timeline stems from Elizondo’s DoD/IG complaint, as published in redacted form by the NY Post. It is highly likely that the redacted name in this portion of the request, was Mikolay:

The Black Vault reached out to Justin Mikolay, but no response was received.

If true, these emails may be about AATIP and they may partially confirm Elizondo’s account of events in this portion of his IG complaint. However, there is no 100% certainty (yet), but the records are offered here reference.

Note: The original FOIA request asked for a list of keywords that included: ““UNIDENTIFIED AERIAL” and/or UAP and/or UFO and/or “UNIDENTIFIED FLYING” and/or AATIP and/or “ADVANCED AEROSPACE” And/or “ADVANCED AVIATION” and/or AAWSAP And/or ELIZONDO”.

If the emails released via FOIA were in reference to Elizondo informing Mikolay and Gen. Mattis about AATIP in any way, it seems odd that not a single email is found elsewhere in Mikolay’s box that contain the acronym “AATIP” or “Unidentified”. It would seem logical that if this was about AATIP, and there was action after Elizondo’s briefing, that at least one hit would come up in either the unclassified or classified email boxes of Mikolay, however according to the DoD, there were not.

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Source: Navy FOIA Case DON-NAVY-2021-006401

Per a FOIA release to The Black Vault via FOIA Case DON-NAVY-2021-006401, it was revealed that Luis Elizondo began emailing Alex Dietrich, a pilot who flew with Lt. David Fravor during the 2004 Tic-Tac encounter off the coast of San Diego.

The first email in the chain was on August 30, 2017, at 11:04am with the subject “Test Message”. The last in the chain was on September 25, 2017 at 11:26am. The rundown of emailed communications were:

1. August 30, 2017, at 11:04am from Luis Elizondo to Alex Dietrich. Subject: Test Message
2. August 30, 2017, at 11:05am from Alex Dietrich to Luis Elizondo. Subject: Test Message
3. September 25,2017, at 11:26am from Luis Elizondo to Alex Dietrich. Subject: Possible Schedule

These are the only emails released. It is likely, though a guess, Elizondo reached out to Dietrich around the same time (See “Mr. Luis Elizondo Contacts Commander David Fravor, Pilot who Engaged 2004 USS Nimitz “Tic-Tac,” for the First Time” in this timeline).

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Circa September 2017 – around Luis Elizondo’s resignation. Exact date unknown.

Source: Commander David Fravor, The Fighter Pilot Podcast, January 2, 2019. Relevant portion of the interview:

“I had got a call from the other pilot and they said, ‘Hey, have you been talked to about the Tic Tac lately?’ And I said, ‘No.’ They said, ‘Well…you know, I’ve been asked to go to the Pentagon like five times.’ You know, and they said, ‘Well you had, you know, the most ACM’ cause I was actually the one that engaged it. And I said, ‘Well, just give ’em my name and I’ll talk to them.’ So that was Lue Elizondo, who was running the AATIP program at the Pentagon. So he had called me up and said, ‘Hey, we’re gonna come up and talk to you.’ I said, ‘Great. No problem.’ And, umm, I didn’t think much of it. I’m like, yeah, I’ll tell you what you got.  So about, um, I don’t know, probably a month later I had gotten information on the, “To The Stars” that was coming out with Tom DeLonge and I’m watching this clip that guy had sent me and Lue’s on it. So I call Lue. I go, ‘What’s going on?’ He goes, ‘I left the Pentagon.’ I said, well he goes, ‘We’ll be there like this weekend to talk to you.’ I said okay.

“So they came up here and talked to me about the whole incident and he told me what was going on. And, and, he actually explained why he had left the Pentagon. He was a little bit frustrated with basically the bureaucracy that he was having to deal with. And what he thought was very important. So, he called me up about a month later and said, ‘Hey, we want to do this article with the New York Times. Will you do it?’ And I said, ‘No.’ I actually said, ‘No, I’m not doing that.’ And he said, ‘No, no, seriously, dude we really need you to do this.’ I said, ‘Why do you need me to do this?’

In addition, Cmdr. Fravor detailed a journalist finding him and his wife eating at a coffee shop.

“I had a guy, literally, The Boston Herald guy track me down on Sunday and found me in a coffee shop on the north end with my wife and daughter.” … snip … “It is amazing because, you know, I’m not, it’s not like I’m publicizing this. I’ve actually tried to hide from a lot of people. And, uh, they find you. Now it makes it easy because there’s not a lot of David Fravors running around the United States. I won’t say how many but it’s very few. I asked the girl. I said, ‘How did you find me?’ And she goes, ‘Oh, it wasn’t hard. We have this database we can go to.’”

October 3, 2017

Source: OSD/JS FOIA Case #18-F-0324.

According to an official FOIA release, and confirmed by Mr. Luis Elizondo’s attorney, Todd McMurtry in a statement to The Black Vault, this letter was hand delivered by Elizondo to the DoD. It was handed to John Garrity, Elizondo’s supervisor at the time.

October 4, 2017

Source: Mr. Luis Elizondo Slide Presentation, MUFON Conference, July 29, 2018. Slide Graphic. Excerpt from the slide states:

“Oct 4, 2017 – AATIP Director resigns”

Note: Although Mr. Elizondo’s slide referred to himself as the AATIP Director, his resignation letter, did not. His signature line can be found here from that letter:

There is always the possibility Mr. Elizondo wore different hats and had multiple titles, though as of the writing of this entry, no official DoD document exists which labels him the Director of AATIP. 

“On or about” October 4, 2017

Source: OSD/JS FOIA Case #18-F-0324. Written in late December 2017 by Garry Reid, the then-Director for Defense Intelligence, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence (OUSD(I).

October 5, 2017

Source: OSD/JS FOIA Case #18-F-0324. Written in late December 2017 by Garry Reid, the then-Director for Defense Intelligence, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence (OUSD(I).

In Luis Elizondo’s DoD/IG complaint, he recollected the story this way:

October 11, 2017

Transcript Available Here

October 12, 2017

Source: OSD/JS FOIA Case #18-F-0324. Written in late December 2017 by Garry Reid, the then-Director for Defense Intelligence, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence (OUSD(I).

December 7, 2017

Source: OSD/JS FOIA Case #18-F-0324. Written in late December 2017 by Garry Reid, the then-Director for Defense Intelligence, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence (OUSD(I).

December 15, 2017

Source: OSD/JS FOIA Case #18-F-0324. Written in late December 2017 by Garry Reid, the then-Director for Defense Intelligence, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence (OUSD(I).

On December 15, 2017, Dana White, Former Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, submitted an official comment to then Politico journalist Bryan Bender.

This is the first, on the record, statement about AATIP released by the Pentagon.

Bender responded the same day:

In the early morning hours of December 16th, 2017, Dana White, Former Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, told then Politico journalist Bryan Bender that the NY Times was running their article on AATIP in the Sunday edition of their newspaper, which was the next day.

December 16, 2017

Glowing Auras and ‘Black Money’: The Pentagon’s Mysterious U.F.O. Program, NY Times, By Helene Cooper, Ralph Blumenthal and Leslie Kean.

The Pentagon’s Secret Search for UFOs, Politico, By Bryan Bender

December 18, 2017

Source: OSD/JS FOIA Case #18-F-0324. Written in late December 2017 by Garry Reid, the then-Director for Defense Intelligence, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence (OUSD(I).

December 21, 2017

Source: OSD/JS FOIA Case #18-F-0324. Written in late December 2017 by Garry Reid, the then-Director for Defense Intelligence, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence (OUSD(I).

On January 9, 2018, the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) sent Senator John McCain a list of all products created under what they called the “Advanced Aerospace Threat and Identification Program (AATIP)”. This is believed to be written as the nickname for AAWSAP, and not necessarily its own program.

This was done so after a request from one of Senator McCain’s staff. Here is more research on that, along with the 38 DIRD reports.

On November 17, 2019, either a UFO briefing or UAP event presentation was created at the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO).

Nothing other than the title page was revealed in this case F-2020-00092, as filed by The Black Vault. But, is notated here for reference.

The following document is the House of Representatives, Committee on Armed Services, Summary of Progress of Specific Studies and Investigations for March of 2020.

This document reveals that on March 11th, 2020, the full Committee received a classified briefing on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena or UAPs, specifically, it was to the Future of Defense Task Force, as confirmed by a House spokesperson.

On November 3, 2020, The Black Vault also confirmed that the U.S. Navy was responsible for giving the briefing to the House Armed Services Committee.

Also on November 3, 2020, The Black Vault received the following statement from the Pentagon regarding the March 11 briefing:

“Navy officials provided a classified briefing to the House Armed Services Committee on March 11, 2020. Navy officials, as part of the UAPTF,  have and will continue to meet with interested Congressional members and staffers to provide classified briefings on the progress of our efforts to understand and identify these threats to the safety of our aviators and security of our operations. Follow-up discussions with other interested members and/or staffers will also continue as necessary or requested. We will not comment on the specific information provided in these Hill briefings.” — Susan Gough, Department of Defense Spokesperson

 House of Representatives, Committee on Armed Services, Summary of Progress of Specific Studies and Investigations for March of 2020 [13 Pages, 0.5MB]

Revealed in Navy FOIA case DON-NAVY-2021-009296, as filed by The Black Vault, on and around March 27, 2020, the UAP Security Classification Guide (SCG) was circulating withing certain U.S. Navy personnel for approvals and feedback. The list of recipients is unknown, beyond Scott Bray, as revealed by the release to The Black Vault of the final SCG much later on.

The Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon (UAP) Security Classification Guide, ID#04-030, Naval Intelligence Activity, released via Navy FOIA Case DON-NAVY-2022-000883 as filed by The Black Vault, was approved on April 16, 2020.

The only name revealed on the final document, was Scott Bray, Director of the Naval Intelligence Activity, who approved the final copy.

Back in December of 2017, the New York Times posted two videos depicting what was called Unidentified Aerial Phenomena or UAPs. Although the general public would more commonly refer to them as UFOs, they were labeled as the “FLIR1” and “Gimbal” videos and subsequently released by To The Stars Academy of Arts & Science, the source of where the New York Times originally received them. Since their publication, and a third known as “GOFAST” in March of 2018, there had been much mystery surrounding the videos, and their origin, including if they were ever “officially” released.

On April 27, 2020, that mystery was lifted when the U.S. Navy officially released the three videos. Although they were in the same quality as the leaked version, it represented a huge milestone.

See: Navy Officially Releases UFO/UAP Videos; Calls Them “Historical”

It is believed the release was tied to The Black Vault’s FOIA Case DON-NAVY-2019-008289, which forced the release of the three videos. Document release under FOIA referenced this case when reviews were being done internally to justify their release.

Exact Date of Briefing Unknown

The United States Strategic Command (STRATCOM) received a briefing from the group investigating UAP. Although it was called the “Unidentified Aerial Phenomenology (UAP) Joint Inter-agency Task Force (JIATF),” the Pentagon denies that existed, and stated it was a mistake.

The exact date is not determined from the papers released, but it is believed to be on or just prior, to July 24, 2020.

This was revealed in Navy FOIA case DON-NAVY-2022-010335 and STRATCOM case 23-F-049, filed by The Black Vault.

On August 20, 2020, Admiral Charles “Chas” Richard, Commander of USSTRATCOM, received a classified UAP briefing. Details are limited.

This was revealed in Navy FOIA case DON-NAVY-2022-010335 and STRATCOM case 23-F-049, filed by The Black Vault.

On October 15, 2020, Assistant Inspector General for Evaluations – Space, Intelligence, Engineering, and Oversight, Randolph Stone, meets with an unknown person to discuss UAP.

Details are limited, but this was revealed in DODOIG-2022-000314, filed by The Black Vault.

On April 26, 2021, Harry Reid re-issued his past claim to Gadi Schwartz at NBC that Luis Elizondo DID lead the AATIP program. The claim remains in dispute by the Pentagon, but this letter is often touted by Mr. Elizondo and his supporters as proof of his claims.

The DoD Office of the Inspector General – Office of Legislative Affairs and Communication (OLAC) – has a weekly meeting, wherein on April 26, 2021, part of that meeting was the “roll out confirmation.”

Details are limited, but this was revealed in DODOIG-2022-000314, filed by The Black Vault.

Luis Elizondo, the man who claimed he formerly ran a UFO program inside the Pentagon, filed his DoD/OIG complaint, making detailed allegations against the DoD.

Politico covered the story, and stated:

“The former Pentagon official who went public about reports of UFOs has filed a complaint with the agency’s inspector general claiming a coordinated campaign to discredit him for speaking out — including accusing a top official of threatening to tell people he was “crazy,” according to documents reviewed by POLITICO.

Lue Elizondo, a career counterintelligence specialist who was assigned in 2008 to work for a Pentagon program that investigated reports of “unmanned aerial phenomena,” filed the 64-page complaint to the independent watchdog on May 3 and has met several times with investigators, according to his legal team.”

The entire, redacted, version of Mr. Elizondo’s complaint was published by the NY Post. It is available here:

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On May 3, 2021, Assistant Inspector General for Evaluations – Space, Intelligence, Engineering, and Oversight, Randolph Stone, issues a memorandum beginning the DoD/OIG’s Evaluation of the DoD’s Actions Regarding the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, Project No. D2021-DEV0SN-0116.000.

The DoD Office of the Inspector General – Office of Legislative Affairs and Communication (OLAC) – has a weekly meeting, wherein on May 3, 2021, part of that meeting was the “roll out confirmation” with dates set for May 3 and 4.

Details are limited, but this was revealed in DODOIG-2022-000314, filed by The Black Vault.

The DoD Office of the Inspector General – Office of Legislative Affairs and Communication (OLAC) – has a weekly meeting, wherein on May 5, 2021, part of that meeting was about the response from Capitol Hill and the media in regards to the UAP evaluation.

Details are limited, but this was revealed in DODOIG-2022-000314, filed by The Black Vault.

In 2021, a highly classified system within the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) detected what it described as a small (<10m) “tic tac” shaped object which “did not match the visual signature of typical aircraft detections.”. The system observing this object is called “Sentient,” and this program within the NRO, wherein details remain highly classified, sounds like something you’d hear about described in a science fiction movie, rather than in full operation by the American intelligence community.

“Sentient is (or at least aims to be) an omnivorous analysis tool, capable of devouring data of all sorts, making sense of the past and present, anticipating the future, and pointing satellites toward what it determines will be the most interesting parts of that future,” wrote journalist Sarah Scoles in a 2019 article published in The Verge, describing Sentient.

Details about the system, and its true functionality, remain scant.

But at least one of Sentient’s capabilities was revealed by a 2022 release of multiple documents under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA): It can see and detect UFOs.

KEEP READING…

On May 10, 2021, the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI), requested a briefing from the DoD/OIG on the UAP issue. The exact date of the request is unknown, though both requests for the briefing were discussed in the DoD/OIG OLAC meeting held on May 10th. The official request likely came shortly prior to that meeting.

Details are limited, but this was revealed in DODOIG-2022-000314, filed by The Black Vault.

On May 19, 2021, the Department of Defense, Office of the Inspector General interviewed Luis Elizondo regarding his Inspector General complaint filed.

In FOIA cases DODOIG-2023-000010, DODOIG-2023-000018, and DODOIG-2023-000019, as filed by The Black Vault, the transcript along with other documents were released. To read the transcript, and see the other documents released pertaining to this, CLICK HERE.

On May 19, 2021, the Department of Defense, Office of the Inspector General initiates contact with Luis Elizondo, with the intent to interview him about the UAP “evaluation” they were doing. The conversation unfolds in the days and weeks to come.

This was revealed in DoD/OIG FOIA Case DODIG-2022-000313, as filed by The Black Vault. It appears from the evidence this took place the same day as his interview with the Inspector General’s office regarding his complaint submitted. For clarity, those were two separate inquiries by the DoD/OIG. One was the investigation into Elizondo’s complaint, while the other was the “evaluation” into the DoD’s handling of the UAP matter.

According to FOIA case DODOIG-2023-000021, filed by The Black Vault, the DoD Office of the Inspector General met with Neill Tipton, Director for Defense Intelligence, Collection and Special Programs.

The email, sent by a person who’s name was redacted, stated that it was in regards to the DoD/OIG’s “Evaluation of the DoD’s Actions Regarding the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena.”

OSD/JS FOIA Case 23-F-0377 filed by The Black Vault further confirmed this with the release of the actual calendar details in the files of Mr. Neill Tipton.

On April 12, 2022, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson holds a UAP Meeting in his office at 9:30am, set to last for 90 minutes.

The details about the meeting are unknown. This meeting was revealed in FOIA Case 22-HQ-F-00488, as filed by The Black Vault.

On May 25, 2022, UFO Whistleblower David Grusch submitted a PPD-19 Complaint of Reprisal to the Intelligence Community Inspector General. Through his attorney Charles McCullough, it was alleged that Mr. Grusch had been “subjected to numerous adverse security clearance actions. Exact details were not given in the initial complaint.

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On day 3 of the ASEB/SSB Joint Meeting for 2022 held in June by the National Academy of Science (NAS), Dr. Thomas Zurbuchen gave a “Update and Discussion with NASA Science Mission Directorate” presentation. Within that presentation was information about UAP, and the fact that was was commissioning a UAP independent study.

The Black Vault published those PowerPoint slides HERE.

NASA commissioned a study team to start early in the fall to examine unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs) – that is, observations of events in the sky that cannot be identified as aircraft or known natural phenomena – from a scientific perspective. The study will focus on identifying available data, how best to collect future data, and how NASA can use that data to move the scientific understanding of UAPs forward.

The entire announcement from NASA can be seen here.

On June 21, 2022, George Knapp with KLAS-TV exclusively published the identity of one of the scientists working with the UAP Task Force. Now a disbanded effort to pave the way for a new organization called the “Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronization Group (AOIMSG),” Dr. Travis Taylor was said to be the “chief scientist.” According to LasVegasNow.com, Dr. Taylor played a role in, “…analyzing the 144 incidents, including dozens of bizarre objects that buzzed multiple Navy ships in 2019.”

The Black Vault pushed the Pentagon for more information, and they released numerous answers to questions submitted. Read those here.

On July 15, 2022, Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks, in coordination with the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), amended her original direction to the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence & Security by renaming and expanding the scope of the Airborne Object Identification and Management Group (AOIMSG) to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), due to the enactment of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2022, which included a provision to establish an office, in coordination with DNI, with responsibilities that were broader than those originally assigned to the AOIMSG. 

See more here.

On July 20, 2022, the House Intelligence Committee approved the Fiscal Year 2023 Intelligence Authorization Act, authorizing funding for initiatives that will improve the IC’s ability to collect data on hard targets, modernize the Intelligence Community’s use of emerging technology, recruit and retain top talent to the IC, and strengthen congressional oversight. The measure was passed through a bipartisan voice vote and now heads to the House floor for final passage.

Here is the complete text.

On September 7, 2022, The U.S. Navy denied the release of all UAP related videos via FOIA. The effort took more than 2 1/2 years by The Black Vault, but after the case was processed, the Navy refused to release any visuals they, “… are classified and are exempt from disclosure in their entirety under exemption 5 U.S.C. § 552 (b)(1) in accordance with Executive Order 13526 and the UAP Security Classification Guide.”

An appeal of this decision was later denied by NAVY JAG.

Click here for more of the story.

As revealed in NASA FOIA Case 23-00245-F-HQ, and subsequently through the DoD’s FOIA case 23-F-1040, there was a meeting between Sean Kirkpatrick, Enigma Labs, and likely member(s) of NASA’s UAP study group. The contents of this meeting are unknown. The Black Vault reached out to Enigma Labs’ CEO in August of 2023, but no response was ever received.

NASA 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 full list of members is available here.

For months, a group called UAPx that specializes in investigating the phenomena, and “providing direct access to the general public of reviewed and analyzed data,” prepared a private briefing about UFOs to the Intelligence & Special Operations Sub-committee of the House Armed Services Committee.

That briefing was given on November 9, 2022, and the group offered The Black Vault an exclusive inside look at what all went down. See here to read more about this.

On November 22, 2022, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released their cost estimate for S. 4503, Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023, along with establishing, “a secure system to collect information about unidentified aerospace-undersea phenomena (UAP).”

See the entire text here.

A “media roundtable” took place on December 16, 2022, and was an invite-only event that was not advertised until after it took place.

The Black Vault was invited by the Pentagon to attend (as were many others covering the issue). It was attended via conference telephone call.

A full transcript of the roundtable is available here.

According to FOIA case 23-F-0446, filed by The Black Vault, the DoD Office of the Inspector General reached out to Neill Tipton, Director for Defense Intelligence, Collection and Special Programs, as OSD/JS.

The email, sent by a person who’s name was redacted, stated that it was in regards to the DoD/OIG’s “Evaluation of the DoD’s Actions Regarding the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena.” Oddly, the DoD/OIG had already reached out prior in 2021. It is unclear why there was a second reach-out and a likely classified teleconference.

On January 12, 2023, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) released their second UAP report to the general public. This was originally due on Monday, October 31, 2022, but was delayed.

The entire report is available here.

January 19, 2023

NASA FOIA request 23-00245-F-HQ yielded an interesting discovery. Part of which was already known, Enigma Labs gave NASA a presentation on UAP on January 19, 2023. This was first reported by Bryan Bender. However, it appears that the USAF likely participated, as well.

In one email seeking presentations that were still not uploaded to NASA’s location for proper setup, two addresses from the USAF were included, indicating they were involved in giving a presentation. FOIA requests were filed to track down both presentation material from the Headquarters of the USAF (as address) but also the Air Force District of Washington A2, as addressed. Names were redacted, however, the FOIA requests should be able to access the material with the information received on this FOIA.

June 11, 2023

We are not alone: The UFO whistleblower speaks is published on NewsNation. Video embedded at the link.

• Former intelligence officer makes claims of potential extraterrestrial life
• Whistleblower: U.S. has “quite a number” of “non-human” vehicles
• David Grusch: “We’re definitely not alone”

The Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs held a hearing titled “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Implications on National Security, Public Safety, and Government Transparency.” The subcommittee hearing explored firsthand accounts of unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and assess the federal government’s transparency and accountability regarding UAPs’ possible threats to U.S. national security. This hearing highlighted legislative efforts to bring transparency to UAPs and require the federal government to provide the American people with information about potential risks to public safety and national security.

WITNESSES:

• Ryan Graves, Executive Director, Americans for Safe Aerospace
• Rt. Commander David Fravor, Former Commanding Officer, Black Aces Squadron, U.S. Navy
• David Grusch, Former National Reconnaissance Officer Representative, Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Task Force, Department of Defense

On August 22, 2023, the following press release was sent out by U.S. Congressman Tim Burchett. It explains the letter, and more detail about the Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Caucus.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn., (Aug. 22, 2023) – U.S. Congressman Tim Burchett (TN-02) recently launched the Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Caucus and led five of his colleagues on the caucus in a letter to the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community Thomas A. Monheim. The members asked for follow-up information regarding David Grusch’s testimony in the recent hearing on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs).

During the hearing on July 26, 2023, in the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, Air Force veteran and former intelligence officer David Grusch said he could not provide specific details regarding UAP crash retrieval programs or UAP reverse engineering programs because those details are classified. However, he testified that he provided the details to the Intelligence Community Inspector General’s office.

Rep. Burchett and his colleagues requested information from the Intelligence Community Inspector General regarding which people and facilities are involved with UAP crash retrieval programs and reverse engineering programs.

The letter was sent by: U.S. Reps. Tim Burchett (TN-02), Jared Moskowitz (FL-23), Anna Paulina Luna (FL-13), Nancy Mace (SC-01), Eric Burlison (MO-07), and Andy Ogles (TN-05)

Today the department launched a website on the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office to provide the public with information concerning AARO and its efforts to understand and resolve unidentified anomalous phenomena.

This website will provide information, including photos and videos, on resolved UAP cases as they are declassified and approved for public release. The website’s other content includes reporting trends and a frequently asked questions section as well as links to official reports, transcripts, press releases, and other resources that the public may find useful, such as applicable statutes and aircraft, balloon and satellite tracking sites.

FULL DOD PRESS RELEASE