(FiveNation.com)- On Tuesday, a House intelligence subcommittee held the first public congressional hearings on UFOs in more than a half-century, just when Americans are more focused on problems closer to Earth.
Great timing, guys!
Congress heard testimony from Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security, Ronald Moultrie, and Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence, Scott Bray. Moultrie and Bray are overseeing the Pentagon’s new task force to investigate “unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs)
While presenting his opening remarks, Bray acknowledged that UAPs are “serious hazards” and could present a potential national security threat.
Bray told the subcommittee that the Pentagon is working to “destigmatize” the reporting of UAPs and is now actively encouraging naval aviators to report sightings and encounters.
Last year, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence reported that there had been 144 UAP encounters from 2004 to 2021. Bray said on Tuesday, that the number of encounters logged in the UAP database is now about 400. However, since some of those were historical or anecdotal, Bray expects that number to drop over time.
The subcommittee was shown a video clip declassified by the Pentagon of one UAP encounter with a pilot at a US Navy training base. The clip showed a spherical object zooming past at an extremely high speed.
Another image released by intelligence officials showed strange glowing triangles in the sky. However, after investigation, those triangles were revealed to be unmanned drones, Bray explained.
Ronald Moultrie told the subcommittee that in addition to authenticating valid encounters, the UAP task force will also dispel false information regarding aerial phenomena. He said intentional false images or encounters are “harmful” to the task force’s investigation, sending them off on “spurious chases and hunts” that divert the task force from its purpose. Moultrie added that false information will undermine the American people’s confidence in their efforts.
Both Bray and Moultrie repeatedly assured members of the subcommittee that the task force would seek to be more transparent than the Pentagon has been in the past regarding UAPs. They told the lawmakers that information under their purview that does not pose a national security risk will be declassified.
