On December 15, Congress passed the $770 billion National Defense Authorization Act, a defense package that now goes to President Biden’s desk for his signature. Among other things, the legislation provides a requirement for further UFO investigations.
Savannah Behrmann of USA Today writes, “The legislation requires the secretary of defense and the director of national intelligence “to take actions to address unidentified aerial phenomena” – also known as UFOs – and report back to Congress the findings in annual and biannual briefings and reports.
Teams of officials and experts from the intelligence community would rapidly respond to military UFO sightings and conduct investigations through the recently passed legislation.
A report examining “unidentified aerial phenomena” from the office of the director of national intelligence made public in June told Congress that it could not draw “firm conclusions” on more than 140 instances.”
Under Section 1683, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and National Intelligence Director Avril Haines must establish an “office, organizational structure, and authorities to address unidentified aerial phenomena” within 180 days of when President Biden signs the bill into law. Among its duties, the new agency will “evaluate links between unidentified aerial phenomena and adversarial foreign governments, other foreign governments, or nonstate actors” and “the threat that such incidents present to the United States.” It will also have to submit annual reports to “the appropriate congressional committees” and give the committees classified briefings twice a year.
Last month, the Pentagon quietly announced it had formed the Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronization Group to oversee UFO investigations, which critics attacked as an attempt to limit transparency on the subject.
No surprise there.