A former US air force intelligence officer has accused the country of concealing a long-standing program that retrieves and reverse engineers unidentified flying objects, in bombshell testimony to Congress.
Retired major David Grusch’s highly anticipated testimony before a House Oversight subcommittee on Wednesday (local time) was Congress’ latest foray into the world of UAPs – or “unidentified aerial phenomena, the official term the US government uses instead of UFOs.
“My testimony is based on information I’ve been given by individuals with a long-standing track record of legitimacy and service to this country, many of whom have shared compelling evidence in the form of photography, official documentation and classified oral testimony to myself and many various colleagues,” Mr Grusch said.
“I am asking Congress to hold our government to this standard and thoroughly investigate these claims.
“But as I stand here under oath now I am speaking to the facts as I have been told them.”
While the study of mysterious aircraft or objects often evokes talk of aliens, Democrats and Republicans in recent years have pushed for more research as a national security matter due to concerns that sightings observed by pilots may be tied to US adversaries.
Mr Grusch said he was asked in 2019 by the head of a US government task force on UAPs to identify all highly classified programs relating to its mission.
At the time, Mr Grusch was detailed to the National Reconnaissance Office, the agency that operates US spy satellites.
“I was informed in the course of my official duties of a multidecade UAP crash retrieval and reverse engineering program to which I was denied access,” he said.
Asked whether the US government had information about extraterrestrial life, Mr Grusch said the US likely has been aware of “non-human” activity since the 1930s.
The Pentagon has denied Mr Grusch’s claims of a cover-up.
In a statement, Defence Department spokeswoman Sue Gough said investigators have not discovered “any verifiable information to substantiate claims that any programs regarding the possession or reverse-engineering of extraterrestrial materials have existed in the past or exist currently”.
The statement did not address UFOs that were not suspected of being extraterrestrial objects.
Mr Grusch said he became a government whistleblower after his discovery and had faced retaliation since. He declined to be more specific about the retaliatory tactics, citing an ongoing investigation.
“It was very brutal and very unfortunate, some of the tactics they used to hurt me both professionally and personally,” he said.
Republican representative Glenn Grothman chaired the panel’s hearing and joked to a packed audience, “Welcome to the most exciting subcommittee in Congress this week”.
There was bipartisan interest in Mr Grusch’s claims and a more sober tone than other recent hearings featuring whistleblowers celebrated by Republicans and criticised by Democrats.
Lawmakers in both parties asked Mr Grusch about his study of UFOs and the consequences he faced and how they could find out more about the government’s UAP programs.
“I take it that you’re arguing what we need is real transparency and reporting systems so we can get some clarity on what’s going on out there,” representative Jamie Raskin said.
Some lawmakers criticised the Pentagon for not providing more details in a classified briefing or releasing images that could be shown to the public.
-with AAP
