Meeting today in the House Intelligence Counterterrorism, Couunterintelligence and Couunterproliferation Subcommittee on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, the committee did not meet to confirm the presence of extraterrestrial life. “Unidentified aerial phenomena [UAPs] are a potential national security threat, and they need to be treated that way,” said Rep. Andre Carson (D-Ind.), referring to the new term replacing “unidentified flying objects [UFOs].” Unlike pop culture that likes to leap to conclusions that UAPs, reported by the Air Force and other public observations, are visitations by extraterrestrial creatures, the House wants to simply see them as national security threats. By national security threat the House means the UAPs could be spy satellites, balloons, drones or other monitoring devices used by America’s enemies or allies to gain information not generally available.
When former President Gerald Ford, then a Michigan congressman, conducted the last Congressional hearing 50 years ago, the country had a lot more questions over questionable reports about a UFO [a high altitude weathr balloon] crashing in Roswell, New Mexico in 1947. “In the firm belief that the American public deserve a better explanation that thus far given by the Air Force. I strongly recommend that there be a committee investigation of the UFO phenomenon. I think we owe it to the people to establish credibility regarding UFOs and to produce the greatest possible enlightenment on this subject,” said Rep. Gerald Ford (R-Mich.) in 1966. Ford wanted to take UFOs out of the area of science fiction and put it into legitimate investigation, especially when it comes to national security. No one knows the origin of UFOs but could certainly be the latest spying technology from U.S. enemies.
Popular media astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson acknowledged UAPs but said they were a quantum leap from proving the presence of extraterrestrials . DeGrasse Tyson, like most space scientists, want verification or proof before jumping to any conclusions. “For too long, the stigma associated with UAPs has gotten in the way of good intelligence analysis,” said Carson. “Pilots avoided reporting or were laughed at when the did. DOD relegated the issues to the backroom or swept it under the rug entirely, fearful of skeptical national security community,” Carson said, making the point that Congress needs to let the Air Force and National Security agencies know that it’s a legitimate area of inquiry. Studying UAPs or UFOs is a matter of national security because no one knows whether some adversary wants specific information gained from sending an UAP to spy on U.S. territory.
Ford back in the day was more concerned about new spying technology than about determining the presence of extraterrestrials. “Today, we know better,” Carson said. “UAPs are unexplained. It’s true, but they are real. They need to be investigated, and any threat they pose need to be mitigated,” referring to possible domestic or foreign spying. “The intelligence community has a serious duty to our taxpayers to prevent potential adversaries such as China or Russia from surprising us with unforeseen new technologies,” said Rep. Rick Crawford (R-Ak.), more interested in unbiased research than speculating about extraterrestrials. Today’s committee seeks to destigmatize the investigation of UAPs so any government or non-government observer can come forward without ridicule. Between 2004 and 2021, a government report documented 144 UAPs reports, largely by Air Force pilots.
Pentagon officials announced in Nov. 2021 Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronization Group to help track UAPs. “We know our service members have encountered unidentified aerial phenomena, and because UAP pose potential flight security risks, we are committed to a focused effort to determine the origins,” said Richard Moultrie, undersecretary of defense for intelligence and security, testifying before the subcommittee. “We want to know what’s out there as much as you want to know what’s out there. We get the questions not just form you . We get it from family, and we get them night and day,” saying more investigation is needed to rule out any possible explanations for UAPs. Scott Bray, deputy director of naval intelligence said there are some 400 reports of UAPs, but confirmed that no reports any attempt to communicate with the UAPs.
Whether or not the subcommittee’s work sheds any light on some 400 UAP sighting in the last 20 years, Congress is committed to making sure that anyone reporting on UAPs face no ridicule but a encouraged to at the existing database. When reports over Chicago’s O”Hare Airport suggests a flying saucer, Ford wanted to get to the bottom of it. Fifty-years later, Congress wants to destigmatize any Pentagon employee who either observes or files photographs or video of their observations. Whatever crash happened in Roswell, New Mexico in 1947, it inspired generations of pop culture, including Fox Studios popular “X-Files,” one of the longest running dramas in TV history. When the government dismissed the 1947 crash as a “weather balloon,” the vast majority of U.S. citizens didn’t believe it, screamed conspiracy. Today’s new subcommittee can hopefully shed more light on UAPs.
