Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force

The Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force (UAPTF) is a program within the United States Office of Naval Intelligence used to "standardize collection and reporting" on sightings of unexplained aerial vehicles. The program was detailed in a June 2020 hearing of the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.[2][3][4]

Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force
PredecessorAdvanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program
Formation2020
TypeUnited States governmental study
Legal statusActive
PurposeStudy of unidentified flying objects
Key people
David Norquist[1]
Parent organization
Office of Naval Intelligence
United States Department of Defense

History

In December 2017, the United States Department of Defense confirmed the existence of a defense program used to collect data on military UFO sightings, despite the disbandment of the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program in 2012. Like its predecessor program, the UAP Task Force is managed by the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence in collaboration with the Office of Naval Intelligence.

After the June 2020 Senate hearing, Senator Marco Rubio requested the release of video footage of unexplained aerial vehicles collected by the United States Navy, including the Pentagon UFO videos.[5][6]

On June 24, 2020, the Intelligence Committee voted to require United States Intelligence Community and the United States Department of Defense to publicly track and analyze data collected on unexplained aerial vehicles.[7] A report from the task force will be issued to the Intelligence Committee 180 days after the passage of the intelligence authorization act.[8][9]

Writing for Politico, Bryan Bender quoted Christopher Mellon, advisor to the UFO-promoting company To the Stars, as saying "It further legitimizes the issue," adding "That in itself is extremely important. People can talk about it without fear of embarrassment." Mellon also said "We are talking dozens of incidents in restricted military airspace over years."[10]

In July 2020, Rubio stated that he was worried that an adversary country had achieved “some technological leap” that “allows them to conduct this sort of activity,” while also saying that there might be a conventional explanation that was "boring".[9]

Program announcement

The program was officially approved on August 4, 2020 by the Deputy Secretary of Defense David Norquist, and announced on August 14, 2020. "The mission of the task force is to detect, analyze and catalog UAPs that could potentially pose a threat to U.S. national security."[11]

References
  1. Browne, Ryan (August 14, 2020) Pentagon to launch task force to investigate UFO sightings. CNN
  2. Cooper, Helene; Blumenthal, Ralph; Kean, Leslie (2017-12-16). "Glowing Auras and 'Black Money': The Pentagon's Mysterious U.F.O. Program". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
  3. Rogoway, Joseph Trevithick and Tyler. "Here Are The Air Force's Reports On Aircrew Encounters With Unidentified Flying Craft". The Drive. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
  4. Science, To the Stars Academy of Arts &. "TTSA Announces Support for UAP Task Force Inclusion in Intelligence Authorization Act for 2021". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2020-07-24.
  5. "Senators want public to see Pentagon UFO reports, citing "inconsistent" information sharing". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
  6. "Senate Intelligence Committee Confirms the US Navy Has a UFO Task Force". www.vice.com. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
  7. Williams, Erika (2020-06-24). "Senate Panel Votes to Let Public Access UFO Records". Retrieved 2020-07-23.
  8. Spocchia, Gino (June 24, 2020). "Pentagon UFO unit to publicly release some findings after ex-official says 'off-world vehicle' found". The Independent. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  9. Blumenthal, Ralph (July 23, 2020). "No longer in the shadows, Pentagon's UFO unit will make some findings public". The New York Times/The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  10. Bender, Bryan (June 23, 2020). "Senators want the public to see the government's UFO reports". Politico.com. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  11. Establishment of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force. defense.gov (August 14, 2020)
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