Although the Pentagon has previously announced that they disbanded programs concerning unidentified flying objects (UFO), reports show that it is not the case. UFO programs apparently reside within the Office of Naval Intelligence.
A Senate committee report last month presents the country's intelligence expenditures for this upcoming year. In the report, an Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon Task Force was mentioned. It is tasked "to standardize collection and reporting" regarding unexplained aerial vehicles. This task is about gathering intelligence that might be related to "adversarial foreign governments." The UAPTF will assess "the threat they pose to U.S. military assets and installations."
A 3/5 scale model of a proposed VTOL 'flying saucer' aircraft, the Couzinet Aerodyne RC-360, on display at a workshop on the Ile de la Jatte in Levallois-Perret, Paris, 1955.
The Select Committee on Intelligence's Directive
The Select Committee on Intelligence recognizes the sensitivity of some information obtained by the UAPTF. However, it still requires the task force to submit a report every six months. The Director of National Intelligence, the Secretary of Defense, and other relevant agency heads will be overseeing the report.
The New York Times also noted retired officials involved in the task force. Former Senate majority leader Harry Reid hopes that the program could gather proof of "vehicles from other worlds." Although, its main focus remains on keeping an eye on any other nation that gets its hands on new aircraft that could pose a threat to US interests.
This month, Republican Senator Marco Rubio (FL) expressed interest in having naval intelligence prepare a public report. In an interview with CBS4, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence's acting chairman emphasized that "we have things flying over our military bases and places where we're conducting military exercises." Sen. Rubio added that we don't know what these things are and that they're not projects of the United States, making them genuine security concerns.
When Jim DeFede asked who would be looking into the matter, Sen. Rubio answered that it is under the Office of Naval Intelligence. He explained that this "unidentified aerial phenomenon" has mostly affected the navy.
A Successor to the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program?
Back in December 2017, The New York Times first broke the news about the Pentagon's secret UFO Program. It has tracked $22 million lost in the $600 billion annual Defense Department budgets. The near-impossible chunk of the budget reportedly went to the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program.
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In the exclusive report, The New York Times detailed how the mysterious government program began in 2007 with support from then-Nevada Senator Harry Reid. The allotted budget reportedly went to an aerospace research entity run by a Robert Bigelow, billionaire businessman and a longtime friend to the senator.
The Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program has produced documentation on reported aircraft sightings. The task force reports and details an aircraft seemingly moving "at very high velocities with no visible signs of propulsion." It also noted aircraft that "hovered with no apparent means of lift."
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The publication obtained a series of contracts. It shed light on a congressional budget of almost $22 million from 2008 to 2011. The funding reportedly went to Bigelow Aerospace, working with subcontractors and researchers to study and assess the threats posed by the unidentified flying objects.
