By Tim Binnall
UFOs were once again the talk of Congress on Wednesday as the U.S. House of Representatives held yet another hearing on the phenomenon with the specific goal of pulling back the curtain of secrecy surrounding the topic. Organized by the Oversight and Accountability subcommittee, the gathering was tantalizingly titled 'Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Exposing the Truth.' To that end, the two-hour-long hearing featured testimony from witnesses who shared insights on UFO events and programs that, they contend, are being hidden from the public by the proverbial 'powers that be.'
Retired Navy Rear Admiral Tim Gallaudet recounted a 2015 incident wherein, while overseeing a strike group exercise, he received a secure email "from the operations officer of Fleet Forces Command." Labeled 'urgent,' the missive cautioned that "we are having multiple near-midair collisions" with unidentified objects and "if we do not resolve it soon, we will have to shut down the exercise." Eerily, Gallaudet said, the email vanished from his inbox the following day with the topic never being broached by the operations officer nor their superior. He indicated that "this incident disturbed me" throughout the rest of his time in service, which ultimately led him to becoming an advocate for greater government transparency about the topic of UAPs.
Other witnesses at the hearing were former intelligence officer Luis Elizondo, who decried what he described as "grave misdeeds against loyal civil servants, military personnel, and the public" brought about by "excessive secrecy" aimed at concealing "the fact that we are not alone in the cosmos." Meanwhile, journalist Michael Shellenberger told the subcommittee about an alleged government program known as 'Immaculate Constellation,' which his sources revealed to him, though its existence has been denied by the Pentagon. Finally, former NASA Associate Administrator for Space Policy and Partnerships Michael Gold argued for further study of the phenomenon by the space agency.
As one might imagine, members of the subcommittee had an array of questions for the witnesses concerning their respective testimonies. Some representatives understandably expressed consternation that the subject remains shrouded in secrecy as the phenomenon could represent a serious national security threat. As opposed to previous Congressional UFO hearings, the gathering was similar to last summer's Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs event in that it did not shy away from the possibility that UAPs may represent some kind of non-human intelligence. When asked if this might be the case, Gallaudet and Elizondo argued that there was "strong evidence" for it, while Gold mused that we "don't know, but we must find out."
Among the more remarkable moments during the lengthy hearing, which constitutes a must-watch for any serious student of the UFO phenomenon, was Representative Anna Paulina Luna asking if UAPs could be "living craft" in light of how they seemingly maneuver in ways that would kill an occupant piloting the vehicle. In response, Elizondo observed that such a scenario cannot be ruled out, given the nature of biological diversity. Meanwhile, in perhaps the most eyebrow-raising exchange, Representative Lauren Boebert brought up "rumors" of a "secretive project within the Department of Defense" involving the creation of human-ET hybrids. Alas, none of the witnesses could speak to the veracity of the claim that has been bandied about in UFO circles for decades.
While the hearing was not the blockbuster disclosure event that UFO enthusiasts have sought for decades, the gathering could be viewed as another incremental step towards that ultimate goal with all of the witnesses expressing their unwavering belief that the government is "hiding the truth" from the American people. For their part, the representatives commendably treated the subject with the kind of seriousness that many have long argued that the phenomenon deserves. What happens next is anyone's guess, though, given the nature of the subject and the attention that Wednesday's hearing received, it is a safe bet that the gathering was not the last time that Congress casts its collective eye upon the UFO mystery in the hopes of finally finding some answers.