Among the reports delivered to Congress last June, one was extraordinary: An assessment by the Director of National Intelligence on unidentified aerial phenomena, or UAPs, better known as UFOs. The assessment could not identify a staggering 143 of the 144 UAP sightings it examined.
Unsatisfied, the Senate is now debating legislation in the annual defense authorization act to require comprehensive reports on UAPs. That legislation is not alone: Each chamber’s version of the annual intelligence bill orders, in addition to reports, all UAP information inside the intelligence community handed over “immediately” to the Defense Department’s temporary UAP task force. The defense act, which passed the House, goes further still, establishing a permanent Pentagon office to supersede the task force.
So would a groundbreaking amendment to that bill introduced by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. Enjoying strong bipartisan support, it promises a whole-of-government approach by creating an Anomaly Surveillance and Resolution Office to investigate UAPs, standardize and centralize government data collection, and, ultimately, answer to Congress. The new office also would consult with the scientific community and foreign allies to understand the technology behind UAPs and whether they pose a threat.
Taken together, the various UAP provisions in must-pass legislation show that Congress is determined to extend its authority over this matter. In fact, Senators Dicker Durbin, Mark Warner, Marco Rubio, and Martin Heinrich have urged more transparency on UAPs. Senator Mitt Romney described “technology which is in a whole different sphere than anything we understand.” Representative Ruben Gallego, who heads a House defense subcommittee, has criticized the government for its “total lack of focus” on the issue. Meanwhile, Representative Andre Carson, chair of a House Intelligence panel, is planning a “series of hearings” on UAPs.
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