Why Now?

Instance 1: The 2017 New York Times Article

In December 2017, the New York Times published a bombshell article written by ELENE COOPER, RALPH BLUMENTHAL and LESLIE KEAN called, Glowing Auras and ‘Black Money’: The Pentagon’s Mysterious U.F.O. Program.The article revealed that the Pentagon had operated a largely secret program called the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP), which investigated reports of unidentified flying objects and unusual aerial encounters. The article described military pilot encounters with unexplained aircraft, including a famous incident involving a “Tic Tac”-shaped object that appeared to move in ways beyond known aviation capabilities. Former intelligence official Luis Elizondo claimed the program continued informally after funding stopped. This article is important because it was one of the first major acknowledgments by the U.S. government that it had seriously investigated UFO phenomena as a potential national security concern.

Instance 2: “Whistleblower” Testimonies in Congress

There is a reason why I write “whistleblower” in quotations. Again, I will explain this later. Since 2017, several credible whistleblowers, who are highly credentialed former US military personnel, have come forward and testified under oath in front of the US Congress about the existence of UAP, recovered craft with unknown origin, recovered “biologics” from crashed crafts a.k.a. alien bodies, and eyewitness testimony of technologically advanced aerial craft that move in ways that seemingly defy the laws of physics. For example:

Former Navy pilot Ryan Graves:

“The objects that are being seen … are performing maneuvers that are unexplainable due to our current understanding of our technology.”

Former Navy commander David Fravor:

“We have nothing that can stop in mid-air and go the other direction.”

He also added:

“We have nothing” that can “come down from space … and go back up.”

Whistleblower David Grusch testified:

“I was informed … of a multi-decade UAP crash retrieval and reverse-engineering program.”

Former Pentagon official Luis Elizondo:

testified that some reported objects demonstrated performance “far beyond current human technology,” including accelerations that would be fatal to human pilots. 

These UAP have also been known to turn off (and on!!) nuclear weapons belonging to the United States and Russia. They dance around the most advanced military aircraft that humanity has ever made, as if these military craft are mere Hot Wheels to their Ferrari’s. 

The main through-line of these congressional hearings frames UAPs as a potential national security issue, with many viewers interpreting the testimonies as meaning: if such objects were genuinely hostile and the reports accurate, the U.S. military, which is the most advanced military on the planet, currently would not have an effective defense against them.

Elizondo and others have repeatedly emphasized several specific national-security concerns:

• Repeated incursions into military training ranges and restricted airspace

• Potential surveillance of U.S. military capabilities

• Unknown propulsion or sensor technology vastly exceeding known systems

• Pilot safety risks from near encounters

• Capability to manipulate our missiles and nuclear weapons.

To watch the congressional hearings yourself, please follow these links:

May 17, 2022 — First House UAP Hearing in Decades

This was the first open congressional UFO/UAP hearing in over 50 years, featuring Pentagon officials discussing Navy sightings and the newly formed investigative office.

July 26, 2023 — House Oversight Hearing: “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Implications on National Security, Public Safety, and Government Transparency”

Witnesses included David Grusch, David Fravor, and Ryan Graves

November 13, 2024 — House Hearing: “Exposing the Truth” 

Focused heavily on transparency, whistleblower protections, alleged crash retrieval programs, and military encounters. Witnesses included former Pentagon official Luis Elizondo and Rear Adm. Tim Gallaudet. 

September 9 2025 UAP Transparency Hearing

Led by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, focusing on whistleblower protection and alleged classified programs.

In February 2026, Barack Obama appeared on the Brian Tyler Cohen Podcast. During a rapid-fire question segment, Brian Tyler Cohen asked him, 

“Are aliens real?”

To which Obama responded, “they’re real, but I haven’t seen them. They’re not being kept in Area 51 … unless there’s this enormous conspiracy and they hid it from the president of the United States.”

The clip went viral as many took that to mean a tongue-in-cheek form of disclosure from a former American president. In response to the viral clip, President Donald Trump was asked by a reporter whether he had seen evidence of nonhuman visitors to Earth. Trump responded: “Well [Barack Obama] gave classified information. He’s not supposed to be doing that.” 

Within days, Trump directed federal agencies to begin declassifying and releasing more government UFO/UAP records. The administration later created a centralized disclosure effort called the “Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters” (PURSUE), coordinating releases from the Pentagon, NASA, FBI, ODNI, and other agencies. 

Hence, War.gov/UFO.

On May 8 2026, the first tranche of disclosure documents were released. The second tranche was released on May 22 2026.

You can see the documents on https://www.war.gov/UFO/.