Senator Speaks Out About Bipartisan Push to Set Up UFO Office for Investigation Program: ‘We Need to Know’

An amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act is being debated this week in the Senate that would establish an office focused on the investigation of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs), a.k.a. UFOs.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York spoke with Politico on Wednesday about the bipartisan proposal, noting that she finds it “fairly concerning” that there hasn’t been a larger number of hearings on the issue given the number of military sightings in recent years.

“If it is technology possessed by adversaries or any other entity, we need to know,” Gillibrand said. The Democratic senator also noted the myriad possible explanations for sightings that have remained in headlines since the release of footage made possible by To the Stars Academy of Arts & Science (TTSA), co-founded by Tom DeLonge, and the New York Times.

“Regardless of where you fall on the question of the unknown, you have to answer the rest of the questions,” Gillibrand said Wednesday. “That’s why this is urgent. That’s why having no oversight or accountability up until now to me is unacceptable.”

In the amendment, available to read here, the establishment of “structure and authorities to address” UAPs is mentioned. The proposed office’s name is also listed as the “Anomaly Surveillance and Resolution Office,” the launching of which would feature an analysis of data on UAPs collected via the following methods: geospatial intelligence, signals intelligence, human intelligence, and measurement/signals intelligence.

As detailed in the Politico report, this proposal is more expansive than both a provision in the House version of the relevant bill and other similar efforts. 

In a statement shared with Complex on Thursday, Luis “Lue” Elizondo—who previously worked with TTSA and also served as program director of the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program—responded to the latest update on the bipartisan push.

“For nearly a century, the US intelligence community has quietly been studying UAP and their implications for humanity,” Elizondo said. “During my time in government working this issue, I was privy to videos, photos and other data that should be made available to the American people. This bipartisan legislation is the catalyst that will get us there.”