David Grusch, a former Air Force intelligence officer, testified to Congress that the United States government is operating a secret program to seek out Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs), officially known as Unidentified Anomalous Phenomenon (UAPs). Grusch went to Congress with two former fighter pilots who reported to have firsthand experience with UAPs. The Pentagon has since denied Grusch’s claims of this secret program; however, Grusch testified that he believes the American government has been aware of non-human life since the 1930s, according to apnews.com and cbsnews.com.

Though the Pentagon denied the claim of a government cover-up, they did not deny the existence of UAPs. Moreover, National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications, John Kirby confirmed that the government has acknowledged these UAPs in the past, yet never dedicated intensive research to them, according to whitehouse.gov.

However, there have been some investigative efforts into these UAPs. In July 2022, Congress established the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office to investigate these strange flying objects, where nearly 800 reports of UAP sightings have been surveilled and cataloged as of May 2023, according to defense.gov and cbsnews.com.

Since Grusch’s testimony and the recent UAP publicity, Congress has been working towards more transparency regarding these aerial objects due to their potential threat to flight paths and national security. Both NASA and the president are also working towards a solution to these issues.

“We do not assess that these most recent objects posed any direct threat to people on the ground, and we are laser-focused on confirming their nature and purpose, including through intensive efforts to collect debris in the remote locations where they have fallen,” Kirby said in a White House press briefing, according to whitehouse.gov.