Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force

[[File:Prelimary-Assessment-UAP-20210625(1).pdf|thumb|right|165px|The USATF's 9-page magnum opus.]]
{{ufology}}
{{cquote|Maybe there is a completely boring explanation for it, but we need to find out.|||Senator [[Marco Rubio]], ''CBS Miami'', July 16, 2020<ref name="CBSMiami160720">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhtRYqqK04E Senator Marco Rubio on UAPs] (July 16, 2020) ''CBS Miami''</ref>}}

{{cquote|[[Disclosure]] could rob the [[True believers|believers]] of their best piece of evidence — which is to say, [[Absence of evidence|a dearth of good evidence]].|||Senior [[SETI]] astronomer Seth Shostak, ''NBC THINK!'', August 2, 2020<ref name="NBCThink020820">[https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/pentagon-admits-ufo-program-still-exists-navy-s-alien-sightings-ncna1235395 Pentagon admits UFO program still exists. But Navy's alien sightings don't quite add up.] by Seth Shostak (August 2, 2020) ''NBC THINK''</ref>}}

The '''Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force''' ('''UAPTF''') was a 2020–2022 Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) program setup at the behest of then Acting Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee Marco Rubio to detect, analyze, and catalog Unidentified Aerial Phenomenas (UAPs) that could potentially pose a threat to U.S. national security.<ref name="USCongress170620">[https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CRPT-116srpt233/pdf/CRPT-116srpt233.pdf Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021] (June 17, 2020) ''US Congress''</ref><ref name="Politico230620">[https://www.politico.com/news/2020/06/23/senators-ufo-government-reports-336021 Senators want the public to see the government’s UFO reports] by Bryan Bender (June 23, 2020) ''Politico''</ref><ref name="USDoD140820">[https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/2314065/establishment-of-unidentified-aerial-phenomena-task-force/ Establishment of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force] (August 14, 2020) ''U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense''</ref> The existence of this program, like its predecessor, the [[Advanced Aerospace Weapon Systems Applications Program|Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program]] (AATIP), which it may have been a direct continuation of, was publicly disclosed in a ''[[New York Times]]'' story co-written by Ralph Blumenthal and long-term UFO propagandist Leslie Kean.<ref name="NewYorkTimes230720">[https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/23/us/politics/pentagon-ufo-harry-reid-navy.html No Longer in Shadows, Pentagon’s U.F.O. Unit Will Make Some Findings Public] by Ralph Blumenthal and Leslie Kean (July 23, 2020) ''[[New York Times]]''</ref> The UAPTF's highly anticipated 2021 report was a damp squib and the program was soon superseded by the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO).

==The multi-agency task force is ongoing==
{{cquote|I don't think this [task force] is as significant as some people are suggesting. It's just a response to all the publicity generated by [[To The Stars]] leaking the three Navy infrared videos, which the Pentagon later released.|||UFO skeptic Robert Sheaffer, ''Space Insider'', May 18, 2021<ref name="SpaceInsider180521">[https://www.space.com/ufo-sightings-pentagon-task-force.html What does the Pentagon's new UFO task force mean? Experts weigh in.] by Leonard David (May 18, 2021) ''Space Insider''</ref>}}

In a May 18, 2020 email, [[Pentagon]] spokesperson Sue Gough confirmed that, "The U.S. Navy and the Department of Defense take [UAP] reports very seriously and investigate each and every report. Documented reports of sightings by military personnel form the basis for the investigation process. The investigation of UAP sightings by the multi-agency task force is ongoing," seemingly contradicting previous claims that such investigation had ceased with the conclusion of [[Advanced Aerospace Weapon Systems Applications Program]] (AAWSAP) in 2012.<ref name="BBL180520">[https://www.blueblurrylines.com/2020/05/pentagon-answers-on-navy-uap.html The Pentagon's Investigation of Navy UAP Reports] by Roger Glassel (May 18, 2020) ''Blue Blurry Lines''</ref><ref name="TBV220520">[https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/dod-officially-acknowledges-unidentified-aerial-phenomena-task-force/ DoD Officially Acknowledges Unidentified Aerial Phenomena 'Task Force'] by John Greenwald (May 22, 2020) ''The Black Vault''</ref> Research by Tim McMillan later confirmed UAPTF briefings led by the likes of Ufology luminary Hal Puthoff on the findings of AAWSAP and AATIP going back to 2018.<ref name="TheDebrief021220">[https://archive.ph/Auwv1#selection-1237.54-1237.65 ‘Fast Movers’ and Transmedium Vehicles – The Pentagon’s Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force] by Tim McMillan (December 2, 2020) ''The Debrief'' (archived from December 2, 2020)</ref> A leaked UAP photo from one of these briefings bares an uncanny resemblance to a mylar balloon.<ref name="TheDebrief031220">[https://thedebrief.org/leaked-photo-surfaces-of-purported-unidentified-aerial-phenomena-leaked-ufo-photo/ Leaked UFO Photo Surfaces Showing Purported “Unidentified Aerial Phenomena”] by Tim McMillan (December 3, 2020) ''The Debrief''</ref> 

Senator Rubio's June 17, 2020, report on the ''Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021'',<ref name="USCongress170620" /> commended this UAPTF on its efforts "to standardize collection and reporting on unidentified aerial phenomenon, any links they have to adversarial foreign governments, and the threat they pose to U.S. military assets and installations," and instructed the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) to publish a report, "on unidentified aerial phenomena (also known as ‘‘anomalous aerial vehicles’’), including observed airborne objects that have not been identified," within 180 days.<ref name="NewYorkTimes230720" /> The program, headed by Brennan McKernan,<ref name="Politico230621">[https://www.politico.com/news/2021/06/23/ufos-catch-congress-interest-lawmakers-495778 ‘We’ve got to get an answer': UFOs catch Congress’ interest] by Andrew Desiderio (June 23, 2021) ''Politico''</ref> was then officially established on August 4, 2020 under the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security, by Deputy Secretary of Defense David L. Norquist,<ref name="USDoD140820" /> despite having seemingly already been in existence for sometime.<ref name="TheDebrief180820">[https://thedebrief.org/the-dod-has-officially-announced-it-has-a-uap-task-force-heres-what-that-means/ The DoD Has Officially Announced It Has a UAP Task Force] by Micah Hanks (August 18, 2020) ''The Debrief''</ref>

==Release the damp squib==
{{cquote|[[Conspiracy theory|Some people]] think that the government knows more about UFOs, or UAP, than the public, but it’s clear that they know less on the subject than our best civilian UFO investigators, not more.|||UFO [[Skepticism|skeptic]] Robert Sheaffer, ''[[Scientific American]]'', June 8, 2021<ref name="ScientificAmerican080621">[https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/experts-weigh-in-on-pentagon-ufo-report/ Experts Weigh In on Pentagon UFO Report] by Leonard David (June 8, 2021) ''Scientific American''</ref>}}

The UAPTF's much anticipated report, entitled ''Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena''<ref name="ODNI250621">[https://www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/assessments/Prelimary-Assessment-UAP-20210625.pdf Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena] (June 25, 2021) ''Office of the Director of National Intelligence''</ref> and weighing in at an impressive 9 pages, was released on June 25, 2021, to decidedly mixed reviews.<ref name="Space280621">[https://www.space.com/pentagon-ufo-report-reactions-uap Up in the air! US government's UFO report stirs range of reactions] by Leonard David (June 28, 2021) ''Space.com''</ref> For the report the UAPTF analyzed 144 incidents from 2004 to 2021 of which they successfully managed to resolve one as a large deflating balloon, leaving the other 143 still unidentified.<ref name="PopSci250621">[https://www.popsci.com/science/government-ufo-report-findings/ 5 explanations for 144 mysterious flying objects in the government UFO report] by Rachel Feltman (June 25, 2021) ''Popular Science''</ref><ref name="TheDebrief250721">[https://thedebrief.org/government-releases-highly-anticipated-report-on-unidentified-aerial-phenomena/ Government Releases Highly Anticipated Report On Unidentified Aerial Phenomena] by Tim McMillan and Micah Hanks (June 25, 2021) ''The Debrief''</ref> A success rate that led to some consternation from commentators:

{{Quotebox|The DOD employs some very competent photographic analysts and other technical experts, “none of whom obviously were consulted in this comedy of errors,” Sheaffer says. “The Pentagon has already suffered enough embarrassment from the [apparent] incompetence of its UAP Task Force.” He says it is time to rein in such “rampant foolishness” and ensure that proper experts will shape the task force’s conclusions rather than “clueless, self-important people who don’t even recognize out-of-focus images when they see them.” — Leonard David, June 8, 2021, ''Scientific American''.<ref name="ScientificAmerican080621" />}}

The UAPTF drew up a list of possible UAP classifications, which stopped mercifully short of [[aliensdidit]] (but only just):<ref name="PopSci250621" /><ref name="TheDebrief250721" />
*Airborne Clutter (including [[birds]], balloons, drones, [[plastic]] bags, etc.)
*Natural Atmospheric Phenomena (including ice crystals, moisture, and thermal fluctuations)
*Classified U.S. Government or Industry Developmental Programs
*Foreign Adversary Systems (deployed by [[China]], [[Russia]], another nation, or a non-governmental entity)
*Other (beyond the analysis of current science)

Rubio called it, "an important first step in cataloging these incidents, but it is just a first step."<ref name="PopSci250621" /> Any and all future steps would, however, be taken by the UAPTF's soon to be formed replacement: the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO).

==This comedy of errors==
{{cquote|I'm starting to see why the Task Force was so unsuccessful in identifying its UAPs!|||UFO [[Skepticism|skeptic]] Robert Sheaffer, ''Bad UFOs'', June 23, 2022<ref name="BadUFOs230622">Meet the Face of the Pentagon's "UAP Task Force" - Dr. Travis Taylor! by Robert Sheaffer (June 23, 2022) ''Bad UFOs''</ref>}}

The reasons for UAPTF's abject failure became clearer in June, 2022, when OG UFO propogandist George Knapp revealed that the task force had been led by former AAWSAP member Jay Stratton with TV's Travis Taylor of ''[[Ancient Aliens]]'' and ''The Secrets of Skinwalker Ranch'' fame as its so-called "chief scientist".<ref name="Science290622">[https://archive.ph/TqYpq#selection-1185.0-1185.69 Pentagon UFO study led by researcher who believes in the supernatural] by Keith Kloor (June 29, 2022) ''Science Magazine'' (archived from July 22, 2022)</ref>

{{Quotebox|A former DOD official, who worked with the task force and spoke to The Post on the condition of anonymity, said Stratton was “a complete nutjob” and that most of what the task force did was a “complete and utter waste of money. The official claimed Stratton would talk about “the wolf man stalking his house” and other spooky stories stemming from Skinwalker Ranch. Shocked and fed up, the source and others protested about their “crazy” boss to Pentagon brass. “We had to go to leadership and tell them we’re done with his s–t,” the source said. — Todd Farley & Steven Greenstreet, March 21, 2023, ''New York Post''.<ref name="NewYorkPost210323">[https://nypost.com/2023/03/21/ufo-believing-pentagon-bosses-missed-spy-craft-for-years/ ‘Crazy’ UFO-believing Pentagon bosses missed spy craft for years] by Todd Farley and Steven Greenstreet (March 21, 2023) ''[[New York Post]]''</ref>}}

Following the {{wpl|2023 Chinese balloon incident||,}} accusations implicated Stratton and the UAPTF in co-opting and re-characterizing reports of foreign drones and spy balloons going as far back as 2019 in order to advance their UFO agenda,<ref name="WashingtonExaminer010323">[https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/1456861/congress-told-of-likely-chinese-spy-balloon-threat-as-early-as-2019/ Congress told of likely Chinese spy balloon threat as early as 2019] by Tom Rogan (March 1, 2023) ''Washington Examiner''</ref> distracting the media and Congress from a genuine foreign espionage threat.<ref name="NewYorkPost210323" />

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

[[Category:Government incompetence]]
[[Category:Ufology]]

Categories: Government incompetence, Ufology