The Pentagon's Secret UFO Programme
In 2017 the New York Times revealed the Pentagon had quietly been studying UFOs, along with videos filmed by Navy jets.
What was reported
On 16 December 2017, the New York Times and Politico reported that the US Department of Defense had run a little-known programme, the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program, from about 2007 to 2012, with around $22 million in funding championed by Senator Harry Reid. A former official linked to it, Luis Elizondo, said he had resigned in protest at the secrecy.
The reports came with cockpit videos of unidentified objects filmed by Navy fighter jets, including the 'Tic Tac' of 2004. In 2020 the Navy officially released them.
Explanations offered
The revelations led Congress to set up new offices to study what are now called UAP, unidentified anomalous phenomena. A 2024 Pentagon report found no evidence that any sightings involved alien technology, explaining many as balloons, drones and other ordinary objects, while some remain unresolved. Critics say important information is still being withheld.
- When
- 16 December 2017
- Where
- The Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia, USA
- Witnesses
- Former officials, Navy pilots and journalists
- Status
- Disputed
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.