“More than 50 years ago, the U.S. Government ended Project Blue Book, an effort to catalogue and understand sightings of objects in the air that could not otherwise be explained.”
House Intelligence UAP Hearing - May 17, 2022
- Date
- 17 May 2022
- Venue
- House Intelligence Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Counterintelligence, and Counterproliferation
- Language
- en
- Status
- Extracted
308
statements
18
speakers
11
entities mentioned
Speakers
18 speakers, A to ZAdam SchiffChairman8 statementsChairman CarsonChairman21 statementsChairman SchiffChairman1 statementDr. WenstrupU.S. Representative (Ohio)10 statementsMr. BrayDeputy Director of Naval Intelligence96 statementsMr. CrawfordRanking Member18 statementsMr. GallagherCongressman13 statementsMr. HimesCongressman7 statementsMr. KrishnamoorthiCongressman14 statementsMr. LaHoodCongressman4 statementsMr. MoultrieUnder Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security48 statementsMr. SchiffChairman17 statementsMr. WelchCongressman6 statementsRonald S. MoultrieUnder Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security14 statementsScott W. BrayDeputy Director of Naval Intelligence8 statements
Unknown3 statements
Unknown (Testimony)17 statements
Unknown Questioner3 statements
Transcript
308 statements, in transcript orderEach entry is one claim, quoted word for word. These are extracted statements, not the full record: the original document has everything.
- 001
- 002
“For more than 20 years, that project had treated unidentified anomalies in our airspace as a national security threat to be monitored and investigated.”
- 003
“In 2017, we learned for the first time that the Department of Defense had quietly restarted a similar organization, tracking what we now call unidentified aerial phenomena, or UAPs.”
- 004
“Last year Congress rewrote the charter for that organization, now called the Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronization Group, or AOIMSG for short.”
- 005
“For too long the stigma associated with UAPs has gotten in the way of good intelligence analysis. Pilots avoided reporting or were laughed at when they did.”
- 006
“DOD officials relegated the issue to the back room or swept it under the rug entirely, fearful of a skeptical national security community.”
- 007
“Today we know better. UAPs are unexplained, it is true, but they are real. They need to be investigated, and any threats they pose need to be mitigated.”
- 008
“Secondly, you have to convince the audience today, and most especially our military and civilian aviators, the culture has changed, that those who report UAPs be treated as witnesses, not as kooks.”
- 009
“I am looking for you to assure us today that all conclusions are on the table.”
- 010
“We are mindful today that AOIMSG is not starting from scratch. This is the third version of this task force in DOD, and civil society groups like the Mutual UFO Network, Mr. Corbell, and others have been collecting data on this issue for years.”
- 011
“The last time Congress had a hearing on UAPs was half a century ago. I hope that it does not take 50 more years for Congress to hold another because transparency is desperately needed.”
- 012
“While this topic evokes the creative imaginations of many, aside from all the hype and speculation, there are important underlying issues posed by UAPs.”
- 013
“I have to say I am more interested in our understanding of Chinese and Russian hypersonic weapon development or understanding why this administration was so slow to share actionable intelligence with the Ukrainians.”
- 014
“However, in as much as this topic may help us better understand unknown activities of Russia and China, I am on board.”
- 015
“The Intelligence Community has a serious duty to our taxpayers to prevent potential adversaries, such as China and Russia, from surprising us with unforeseen new technologies.”
- 016
“As overseers of the Intelligence Community, this committee has an obligation to understand what you are doing to determine whether any UAPs are new technologies are not, and if they are, where are they coming from?”
- 017
“In general, the IC spends much of its time and resources trying to understand what we call known-unknowns. When it comes to foreign nations' weapons systems and sensors, known-unknowns are these features we don't fully understand yet. The challenge associated with UAP is that they are completely unknown and require a more expansive collection analysis effort.”
- 018
“The IC must take it seriously when there are credible observations of phenomena that seem to perform in ways that could pose a threat to safe flight operations or that could be signs of a foreign adversary's attempt to develop a strategic technological surprise against the United States.”
- 019
“It is also essential that our pilots and others feel they can report UAPs they observe without any stigma for doing so.”
- 020
“This is the open, unclassified portion of our hearing. We will have a closed, classified part later. It is important for the public to know that the classification of information exists to protect national security, not to try to hide the truth.”
- 021
“When we are trying to determine if any UAPs are new technologies being developed by foreign governments, we are inevitably going to run into classified information about what new systems and technologies we do know are in the works here or abroad.”
- 022
“But more information does not risk national security. It should be shared with our allies and the public when feasible.”
- 023
“It is my hope that the Intelligence Community will continue to try to determine the nature of UAPs we have observed and will keep Congress fully apprised of all developments.”
- 024
“Thank you, Chairman Carson, for holding this open hearing on unidentified aerial phenomena and for your leadership on this issue.”
- 025
“Holding a portion of our discussion today in open session is critical to the cause of transparency and openness which was Congress' intent in authorizing and funding this new task force.”
- 026
“The larger effort that is being undertaken to study and characterize UAP reports is an important step towards understanding these phenomenon, what we know and don't know.”
- 027
“UAP reports have been around for decades, and yet we haven't had an orderly way for them to be reported without stigma and to be investigated.”
- 028
“UAP reports need to be understood as a national security matter. And that message needs to go out across DOD, the IC, and the whole of the U.S. Government.”
- 029
“When we spot something we don't understand or can't identify in our airspace, it is the job of those we entrust with our national security to investigate and to report back.”
- 030
“It is also the responsibility of our government and this panel to share as much as we can with the American people since excessive secrecy only breeds distrust and speculation.”
- 031
“Among the most fascinating questions: Are these phenomena that we can measure? That is, instruments report there is something there. It is not the human eye confusing objects in the sky. There is something there, measurable by multiple instrument.”
- 032
“And yet it seems to move in directions that are inconsistent with what we know of physics or science more broadly. And that, to me, poses questions of tremendous interest and as well as potential national security significance.”
- 033Ronald S. MoultrieUnder Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and SecurityFactual AssertionUnder oath
“Thank you. Chairman Schiff, Committee Chairman Carson, Ranking Member Crawford, distinguished members of the subcommittee, it is a privilege to be here with you today to address your questions regarding unidentified aerial phenomena, or UAP.”
- 034Ronald S. MoultrieUnder Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and SecurityFactual AssertionUnder oath
“I am pleased to be joined by Mr. Scott Bray, the Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence, who will speak to the Navy's Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force, which laid the foundation for the efforts we will discuss today.”
- 035Ronald S. MoultrieUnder Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and SecurityFactual AssertionUnder oath
“First, I would like to thank Congress for supporting the Department's UAP efforts. The NDAA for fiscal year 2022 has helped us to establish a dedicated office to oversee processes and procedures for the timely collection, processing, analysis, and reporting of UAP-related data.”
- 036Ronald S. MoultrieUnder Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and SecurityFactual AssertionUnder oath
“Put simply, UAP are airborne objects that, when encountered, cannot be immediately identified. However, it is the Department's contention that, by combining appropriately structured collected data with rigorous scientific analysis, any object that we encounter can likely be isolated, characterized, identified, and, if necessary, mitigated.”
- 037Ronald S. MoultrieUnder Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and SecurityFactual AssertionUnder oath
“We know that our servicemembers have encountered unidentified aerial phenomena and, because UAPs pose potential flight safety and general security risks, we are committed to a focused effort to determine their origins.”
- 038Ronald S. MoultrieUnder Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and SecurityFactual AssertionUnder oath
“Our effort will include the thorough examination of adversarial platforms and potential breakthrough technologies, U.S. Government or commercial platforms, allied or partner systems, and other natural phenomenon.”
- 039Ronald S. MoultrieUnder Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and SecurityFactual AssertionUnder oath
“We also understand that there has been a cultural stigma surrounding UAP. Our goal is to eliminate the stigma by fully incorporating our operators and mission personnel into a standardized data-gathering process.”
- 040Ronald S. MoultrieUnder Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and SecurityOpinionCertainty: BelievedUnder oath
“We believe that making UAP reporting a mission imperative will be instrumental to the effort's success.”
- 041Ronald S. MoultrieUnder Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and SecurityFactual AssertionUnder oath
“To optimize the Department's UAP work, we are establishing an office within the Office of the Secretary of Defense. That office's function is clear: to facilitate the identification of previously unknown or unidentified airborne objects in a methodical, logical and standardized manner.”
- 042Ronald S. MoultrieUnder Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and SecurityFactual AssertionUnder oath
“These goals will ensure that we are working closely with operational personnel on training and reporting requirements, developing data and intelligence requirements, standardizing and integrating processes and procedures for collection, operational surveillance, analysis, and reporting, leveraging our research and development capabilities to improve detection, characterization, and identification of UAPs, developing mitigating solutions and procedures, and identifying strategy and policy solutions.”
- 043Ronald S. MoultrieUnder Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and SecurityFactual AssertionUnder oath
“This effort will maximize collaboration and build upon already existing relationships with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the FAA, DHS, and the FBI. We are also committed to strong partnerships with the Department of Energy, NOAA, the DEA, NASA, and the National Labs and, just as importantly, our international partners and allies.”
- 044Ronald S. MoultrieUnder Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and SecurityFactual AssertionUnder oath
“With regard to the importance of transparency, the Department is fully committed to the principle of openness and accountability to the American people. However, we are also mindful of our obligation to protect sensitive sources and methods.”
- 045Ronald S. MoultrieUnder Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and SecurityOpinionCertainty: BelievedUnder oath
“Our goal is to strike that delicate balance, one that enables us to maintain the public's trust while preserving those capabilities that are vital to the support of our service personnel.”
- 046Ronald S. MoultrieUnder Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and SecurityFactual AssertionUnder oath
“In closing, the Department is committed to this effort and welcomes the challenge. We thank you for your committed support and look forward to your questions.”
- 047
“Chairman Schiff, Chairman Carson, Ranking Member Crawford, and committee members, thank you very much for the opportunity to be here today to highlight the ongoing work of the Department of Defense regarding unidentified aerial phenomena.”
- 048
“Since the early 2000s, we have seen an increasing number of unauthorized and/or unidentified aircraft or objects in military-controlled training areas and training ranges and other designated airspace.”
- 049
“Reports of sightings are frequent and continuing.”
- 050
“We attribute this increase in reporting to a number of factors including our work to destigmatize reporting and increase in the number of new systems such as quadcopters and unmanned aerial systems that are in our airspace, identification of what we can classify as clutter, mylar balloons and other types of air trash, and improvements in the capabilities of our various sensors to detect things in our airspace.”
- 051
“Almost 2 years ago, in August of 2020, Deputy Secretary of Defense Norquist directed the establishment of the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force within the Department of the Navy.”
- 052
“The UAP Task Force was built on the foundation of the Navy's initial efforts to respond to the reports from our aviators on unidentified objects observed in our training ranges.”
- 053You followed a link to this statement
“The basic issues then and now are twofold. First, incursions in our training ranges by unidentified objects represent serious hazards to safety of flight.”
- Claim type
- Factual Assertion
- Certainty
- Certain
- Tone
- Assertive
- Specificity
- 0.85
- 054
“In every”
- 055Unknown (Testimony)Factual AssertionUnder oath
“Deputy Secretary of Defense Norquist directed the establishment of the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force within the Department of the Navy”
- 056Unknown (Testimony)Factual AssertionUnder oath
“The UAP Task Force was built on the foundation of the Navy's initial efforts to respond to the reports from our aviators on unidentified objects observed in our training ranges”
- 057Unknown (Testimony)Factual AssertionUnder oath
“Incursions in our training ranges by unidentified objects represent serious hazards to safety of flight. In every aspect of the naval aviation, safety of our air crews is paramount”
- 058Unknown (Testimony)Factual AssertionUnder oath
“Intrusions by unknown aircraft or objects pose potential threats to the security of our operations. Our aviators train as they would fight. So any intrusions that may compromise the security of our operations by revealing our capabilities, our tactics, techniques, or procedures are of great concern to the Navy and the Department of Defense”
- 059Unknown (Testimony)Factual AssertionUnder oath
“We instituted a data-driven approach to the investigations where we could collect as much data as possible and use all available resources to analyze and make informed decisions on the best ways to address our findings”
- 060Unknown (Testimony)Factual AssertionUnder oath
“Our main objective was to transition UAP efforts from an anecdotal or narrative-based approach to a rigorous science and technology engineering focused study”
- 061Unknown (Testimony)Factual AssertionUnder oath
“We also spent considerable efforts engaging directly with our naval aviators and building relationships to help destigmatize the act of reporting sightings or encounters”
- 062Unknown (Testimony)Factual AssertionUnder oath
“Navy and Air Force crews now have step-by-step procedures for reporting on a UAP on their kneeboard in their -- in the cockpit and in their postflight debrief procedures”
- 063Unknown (Testimony)Factual AssertionUnder oath
“The direct result of those efforts has been increased reporting with increased opportunities to focus a number of sensors on any objects”
- 064Unknown (Testimony)Factual AssertionUnder oath
“The message is now clear: If you see something, you need to report it. And the message has been received”
- 065Unknown (Testimony)Eyewitness AccountUnder oath
“In fact, recently I received a call from a senior naval aviator with over 2,000 flight hours. He called me personally from the flight line after landing to talk about an encounter that he had just experienced”
- 066Unknown (Testimony)Factual AssertionUnder oath
“We also made a concerted effort to assemble subject-matter experts from across the Department of Defense and the Intelligence Community and other U.S. Government agencies and departments”
- 067Unknown (Testimony)Factual AssertionUnder oath
“We forged partnerships with the research, development, and acquisition communities, with industry partners, and with academic research labs”
- 068Unknown (Testimony)Factual AssertionUnder oath
“Subject-matter experts from a wide variety of fields, including physics, optics, metallurgy, meteorology, just to name a few, have been brought in to expand our understanding in areas where we may not have organic expertise”
- 069Unknown (Testimony)Factual AssertionUnder oath
“Any given observation may be fleeting or longer. It may be recorded or not. It may be observable by one or multiple assets. In short, there is rarely an easy answer”
- 070
“There it was. That is in many cases that is all that a report may include, and in many other cases, we have far less than this”
- 071
“This often limited amount of high-quality data and reporting hampers our ability to draw firm conclusions about the nature or intent of UAP”
- 072
“If and when individual UAP incidents are resolved, they likely fall into one of five potential explanatory categories: airborne clutter, natural atmospheric phenomena, U.S. Government or U.S. industry developmental programs, foreign adversary systems, or an other bin that allows for a holding bin of difficult cases and for the possibility of surprise and potential scientific discovery”
- 073
“We stand by those initial results”
- 074
“Since the release of that preliminary report, UAP database has now grown to contain approximately 400 reports”
- 075
“The stigma has been reduced”
- 076
“We have also made progress in resolving the character of a limited number of UAP encounters”
- 077
“In this video, U.S. Navy personnel recorded what appears to be triangles, some flashing, recorded several years ago off the coast of the United States”
- 078
“This was the recorded while the U.S. Navy ship observed a number of small, unmanned aerial systems in the area”
- 079
“The video was taken through night vision goggles with a single-lens reflex camera”
- 080
“These remained unresolved for several years”
Showing 80 of 308
Entities mentioned
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