Pentagon’s Inspector General Launches Probe Into Handling of UFO Encounters
Article by Adam Keyhoe May 4, 2021 (thedrive.com)
• In April 2020, the US Department of Defense (DoD) ‘officially released’ three UFO videos captured by Navy aviators off of the US East and West Coasts, including the ‘Tic Tac’ UFO video from 2004, although they had been previously ‘unofficially’ released in December 2017. The DoD re-released the videos “in order to clear up any misconceptions by the public on whether or not the footage that has been circulating was real, or whether or not there is more to the videos.”
• More recently, filmmaker Jeremy Corbell published “leaked” images of bizarre UFOs swarming US Navy destroyers off of Southern California in 2019. The DoD quickly ‘authenticated’ those images recorded by Navy personnel. Reporter George Knapp also recently published photos depicting a separate set of alleged UAP/UFO events that took place in recent years off the East Coast.
• Dod spokesperson Susan Gough said that the Navy UFO photos and videos were “provided to some web news outlets without following the proper procedures for authorized release of information.” Gough declined to comment on which outlets were “provided” with the information. Also, according to Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), Admiral Michael Gilday, the DoD has provided no details regarding the context of these confirmed UFO videos. The UFOs remain unidentified and the underlying facts surrounding these UAP/UFO incidents remain extremely limited. Gilday did note that “there have been other sightings by aviators in the air and by other ships not only of the United States, but other nations – and of course other elements within the U.S. joint force.”
• According to Gough, no formal investigation has been opened into the unauthorized release of the UFO photos and videos. The DoD has further declined to comment on the context of the videos, or the accuracy of media claims that these videos depict advanced craft.
• This repeated pattern of unaccountability has raised concerns that these airspace breaches arguably constitute a major intelligence failure. The confusing and often controversial nature of these UFO sightings may also contribute to a delayed or muted response by relevant governmental agencies.
• In an attempt to clear up some of this confusion, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence requested a public report on these strange UFO encounters, which is to be released in June. The committee’s request specifically acknowledged a lack of a “unified, comprehensive process within the Federal Government for collecting and analyzing intelligence on unidentified aerial phenomena, despite the potential threat.”
• On May 3, 2021, the apparent lack of seriousness surrounding this topic, as well as the lack of support in terms of Pentagon resources and expertise, prompted the DoD’s Inspector General to announce that it is opening an ‘evaluation’ into “the extent to which the DoD has taken actions regarding unidentified aerial phenomena”, i.e.: UFOs. The notice gives various organizations within the US military, including multiple entities in the US Intelligence Community, five days to designate a senior individual as a point of contact.
• The commands on the Inspector General’s list include the US Central Command, US Northern Command, and US Special Operations Command. However, the list does not include the US Indo-Pacific Command, which has seen unusual incidents involving unidentified aircraft in recent years.
• It is unclear whether the Department of Defense Inspector General’s evaluation will impact the timing of the release of the Senate Committee report. Hopefully, in the coming months the public will learn more facts about the UAP/UFO issue and the DoD’s response to it, or lack thereof. If new insights do not surface from the Senate report, they may well come from the DoD’s Inspector General’s report.
The Department of Defense Inspector General issued an announcement yesterday
that it is opening an evaluation into “the extent to which the DoD has taken actions regarding Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP).“ Importantly, the announcement specified an evaluation rather than an investigation, likely framing the inquiry in terms of policy instead of specific allegations of wrongdoing. The notice gave various organizations within the U.S. military, including multiple entities that are also members of the U.S. Intelligence Community, five days to designate a senior individual as a point of contact.
The distribution of the list notably includes the commanders of U.S. Central Command, U.S. Northern Command, and U.S. Special Operations Command. The list does not however include other combatant commands, such as U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, which has seen unusual incidents involving unidentified aircraft in recent years. The Department of Defense Office of Inspector General could not be reached for comment on why only some commands were included.
The Inspector General’s announcement comes at a time when this issue is receiving
high-profile media attention. The War Zone team has covered this topic for several years, including a recent story concerning a bizarre incident involving unidentified aircraft swarming U.S. Navy warships off the Southern California coast. Since our story, filmmaker Jeremy Corbell published leaked photos and videos apparently connected to the event. The photos and video were quickly authenticated by the Department of Defense as being recorded by Navy personnel, but no details regarding their context have been confirmed by the Pentagon. Reporter George Knapp also recently published photos depicting a separate set of alleged UAP events that took place in recent years off the East Coast.
Asked by The War Zone about the circumstances surrounding the apparent leak, Department of
Defense spokesperson Susan Gough told us that the photos and video were “provided to some web news outlets without following the proper procedures for authorized release of information.” She further stated that the Department of Defense concluded that confirming the cockpit photographs and night-vision video were taken by Navy personnel would “reduce public misperceptions regarding their authenticity.” Gough declined to comment on which outlets were “provided” with the information.
It is interesting to note that the Pentagon used very similar language to Gough’s statemen when it officially released three controversial UAP videos, seen below, including one with the filename “FLIR” that shows an object that is now commonly referred to as the “Tic Tac,” in April 2020. “DOD is releasing the videos in order to clear up any misconceptions by the public on whether or not the footage that has been circulating was real, or whether or not there is more to the videos,” a statement at the time read.
According to Gough, no formal investigation has been opened into the unauthorized release of the photos and videos. She further declined to comment on any questions regarding the context of the video, or the accuracy of media claims that these videos depict advanced craft.
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