The US House Intelligence Committee received a classified briefing Tuesday on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) and Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO) for the first time in a half-century to address potential foreign threats to the nation.
“The intelligence community has a serious duty to our taxpayers to prevent potential adversaries such as China and Russia from surprising us with unforeseen new technologies,” said congressman Rick Crawford, who is on the House Intelligence Committee.
UFO and UAP sightings have been around for decades but the intelligence community now wants to take a proactive approach to get ahead of any threats from potential adversaries.
“The intelligence community must balance addressing known threats to our national security with preventing technical surprise,” said Crawford. “The challenge associated with UAP is that they are completely unknown and require a more expansive collection and analysis effort.”
Lawmakers say it is important for the American public to know that the government is investigating unknown potential threats and while they cannot disclose all the classified details, lawmakers want to make sure the public understands the measures are for their benefit.
“When we spot something we don’t understand or can’t identify in our air space, it’s the job of those we entrust with our national security to investigate and to report back,” said committee chairman Adam Schiff.
“What are UAP? Put simply, UAP are airborne objects that when encountered, cannot be immediately identified,” said Ronald Moultrie, Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security.
He said the intelligence committee is collecting data and conducting scientific analysis on any potential threat that might be out there, large or small.
“Any object that we encounter can likely be isolated, characterized, identified, and if necessary, mitigated,” said Moultrie.
He said the goal is to remove the stigma of UFOs and UAPs so the military can address their significance to protect national security.
“Service members have encountered unidentified aerial phenomena, and because UAPs pose potential flight safety and general security risks, we are committed to a focused effort to determine their origins,” he said.
Intelligence officials said they want the public to know that the US will respond to any and every potential unknown risk to national security, especially those they do not fully understand.
“To facilitate the identification of previously unknown or unidentified airborne objects in a methodical, logical, and standardized manner,” added Moultrie./agencies
