2017 — Present· Government

The Disclosure Files

For decades, the U.S. government said UFOs weren't worth investigating. Then in 2017, the New York Times revealed the Pentagon had been secretly running a UFO investigation program for ten years. The accompanying Navy videos showed objects moving in ways no known aircraft could match. Within six years, Congress was holding public hearings and demanding answers.

Story

For decades, the U.S. government's official position on UFOs was dismissive. Project Blue Book closed in 1969 with the conclusion that UFOs posed no national security threat. The subject was effectively buried.

Then, in December 2017, the New York Times published a bombshell: the Pentagon had quietly run a UFO investigation program called AATIP since 2007, funded with $22 million. Accompanying the article were the now-famous Navy videos — FLIR1, Gimbal, GoFast — showing objects moving in ways that defied explanation.

The dam broke. In 2021, the ODNI released a preliminary assessment acknowledging 144 UAP encounters, most unexplained. NASA commissioned a study panel. Congress created AARO.

In July 2023, former intelligence officer David Grusch testified under oath that the U.S. government possesses retrieved non-human craft and biological materials, and that a secret reverse-engineering program exists. AARO's 2024 review found no verifiable evidence supporting Grusch's claims.

The government is now simultaneously investigating UFOs and fighting over what it already knows.

The WTF Fact

In July 2023, former intelligence officer David Grusch testified under oath to Congress that the U.S. government possesses non-human craft and non-human biologics — and that he had been retaliated against for reporting it.

Why it matters today

Disclosure is now a political and bureaucratic story as much as a paranormal one.

Supporting Evidence

What actually exists — and what it does not prove.

Interpretations

Broader Reading

—The government went from 'UFOs don't exist' to funding investigation programs and holding hearings — something forced that shift.
—Grusch is a decorated intelligence officer who filed through official whistleblower channels and testified under oath — lying to Congress carries severe legal consequences.
—The consistent pattern of classification, denial, and slow-drip disclosure mirrors how governments have historically handled sensitive information.

Conventional Reading

—AARO's own 2024 report reviewed decades of claims and found no verifiable evidence of extraterrestrial technology.
—Grusch's testimony is secondhand — he claims others told him about non-human craft but has not personally seen them.
—Congressional interest may reflect political opportunity and constituent pressure more than genuine evidence.

The same material can support very different conclusions.

Impact

Disclosure files matter because they moved UFO discussion into institutional records where claims can finally be compared against evidence.

Impact

The government is officially investigating UFOs now — but its own investigation keeps not finding aliens.

This is the most consequential era in UFO history because it's happening in the open. The Navy videos are authentic. The whistleblower testimony is on the record. But the government's own investigation office has examined the claims and found no verifiable extraterrestrial evidence. Something is happening in restricted airspace that the military can't explain — but 'secret alien craft in government hangars' remains unproven.