Episode Details

Since May 2022, Congress has held three hearings looking into Unidentified Aerial Phenomena and the possibility of non-human intelligent life flying aircraft on Earth. In this episode, hear testimony from three Defense Department officials and three credible whistleblowers, whose testimony is often as contradictory as it is shocking. Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Contribute monthly or a lump sum via PayPal Support Congressional Dish via Patreon (donations per episode) Send Zelle payments to: Donation@congressionaldish.com Send Venmo payments to: @Jennifer-Briney Send Cash App payments to: $CongressionalDish or Donation@congressionaldish.com Use your bank's online bill pay function to mail contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North, Number 4576, Crestview, FL 32536. Please make checks payable to Congressional Dish Thank you for supporting truly independent media! View the show notes on our website at https://congressionaldish.com/cd278-all-three-uap-hearings Background Sources Whistleblower Protections "Whistleblower Protections for Employees of Government Contractors Under the NDAA." Clayton E. Wire. 2020. Ogborn Mihm LLP. Security Classifications "Chapter 7: Classification Levels." Security Classification of Information, Volume 2. Principles for Classification of Information. Arvin S. Quist. Oak Ridge National Laboratory: 1993. UAP Background "Military whistleblower claims US has UFO retrieval program." Brian Entin. June 6, 2023. NewsNation. "Intelligence Officials Say U.S. Has Retrieved Craft of Non-Human Origin." Leslie Kean and Ralph Blumenthal. June 5, 2023. The Debrief. " Navy pilots describe encounters with UFOs." May 16, 2021. 60 Minutes. "On the Trail of a Secret Pentagon U.F.O. Program." Ralph Blumenthal. December 18, 2017. The New York Times. "Glowing Auras and 'Black Money': The Pentagon's Mysterious U.F.O. Program." Helene Cooper et al. December 16, 2017. The New York Times. Independent Research and Development "Independent Research and Development." National Defense Industrial Association. SCIFs "Inside the fortified rooms securing U.S. secrets." Derek Hawkins et al. April 26, 2023. The Washington Post. Kirkpatrick Response Letter "AARO DIRECTOR ISSUES STATEMENT ON U.S. HOUSE SUBCOMMITTEE'S UFO HEARING…" D. Dean Johnson (@ddeanjohnson). Twitter. Audio Sources Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Implications on National Security, Public Safety, and Government Transparency July 26, 2023 House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs Watch on YouTube Watch on C-SPAN Witnesses: Commander David Fravor (Ret.), Former Commanding Officer, United States Navy Ryan Graves, Executive Director, Americans for Safe Aerospace David Grusch, Former National Reconnaissance Office Representative, Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force, Department of Defense Clips timestamps reflect C-SPAN video 4:30 Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-WI): The National Defense Authorization Act of 2022 established the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office or AARO to conduct or to coordinate efforts across the Department of Defense and other federal agencies to detect, identify and investigate UAPs. However, AARO's budget remains classified, prohibiting meaningful oversight from Congress. 19:50 Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA): We know the Senate is taking up an amendment to their defense authorization bill which will create a commission with broad declassification authority and we should all agree that that is an important step. 27:40 Ryan Graves: Excessive classification practices keep crucial information hidden. Since 2021, all UAP videos are classified as secret or above. This level of secrecy not only impedes our understanding, but fuels speculation and mistrust. 27:55 Ryan Graves: In 2014, I was an F-18 Foxtrot pilot in the Navy fighter attack Squadron 11, the Red Rippers, and I was stationed at NAS Oceana in Virginia Beach. After upgrades were made to our jet's radar systems, we began