It’s the supernatural phenomena we can’t explain, yet alone get answers for. Source: US Department of Defense
The US House committee is set to hold an open public hearing on unidentified flying objects (UFOs) for the first time since an inconclusive investigation in 1969.
A subcommittee set up to tackle counterterrorism, counterintelligence and counterproliferation will undergo the open hearing in Washington to promote “transparency” and shed some light on what the Department of Defense officially calls unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP).
The meeting will occur at 11pm AEST, and can be watched here.
Indiana Representative André Carson has been appointed chair for the hearing.
“The American people expect and deserve their leaders in government and intelligence to seriously evaluate and respond to any potential national security risks – especially those we do not fully understand,” Mr Carson said in a statement.
“Since coming to Congress, I’ve been focused on the issue of unidentified aerial phenomena as both a national security threat and as interest of great importance to the American public.”
Mr Carson jumped on Twitter to share his thoughts on why the hearing is necessary, and that the national security risk these UAPs potentially pose would be on the table for discussion.
Congress hasn't held a public hearing on unidentified aerial phenomena (UFO's) in over 50 years. That will change next week when I lead a hearing in @HouseIntel on this topic & the national security risk it poses. Americans need to know more about these unexplained occurrences.
— André Carson (@RepAndreCarson) May 10, 2022
CNN reported yesterday that US Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security Ronald Moultrie and Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence Scott Bray will also be “keynote” speakers at the hearing.
The public hearing will then be followed by a classified hearing between officials regarding the Pentagon program, which will be closed to media and the public.
Interviews with former Defense employees and the release of classified documents earlier this year seems to have pushed officials to share more government information on UFOs.
The subject is one of heated debate, with many seriously believing in their existence, whilst others simply dismiss it as a conspiracy theory or laughable at best.
What you can’t laugh at is the preliminary assessment of 144 reports of UAPs since 2004, with the Pentagon then releasing a separate report detailing how UAPs could threaten flight and pilot safety.
In terms of timelining, this will be the first open-session hearing held since the US Air Force closed an inconclusive project called Project Blue Book, which ceased operations in late 1969 or early 1970.
After categorising that UFO sightings were a combination of the following factors in 1969, it seems that there might be life in some of these claims yet …
- A mild form of mass hysteria
- Individuals who fabricated such reports were attempting to perpetrate a hoax or seek publicity
- Psychopathological persons
- Misidentification of various conventional objects
