New UAP Documents Published
Just weeks ago, The Black Vault (
https://bit.ly/3796f0X) secured
a partial release of the classified UAP report given to Congress
on June 25, 2021. Now, newly released documents from the
National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) shed light on their
contributions to that report, and to the UAP research effort
underway by numerous corners of the U.S. military, government
and intelligence community.
Specifically, it sought the following:
a copy of all emails, sent to/from | bcc/ccd Director of the
National Reconnaissance Office, Christopher J. Scolese, that
contain the phrases and keywords: Unidentified Aerial
Phenomena and/or Aerial Phenomenon and/or UAP and/or
UFO and/or Unidentified Flying Objects and/or UAPs and/or
UFOs and/or UAP Task Force.
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was submitted to
the NRO by The Black Vault on July 22, 2021. It was given NRO
FOIA Case F-2021-00164, and zeroed in on the email box of the
Director of the NRO, Christopher Scolese.
The request sought after all e-mails and any attachments on both the
unclassified and classified levels.
The result was a small stack of documents, most of which at the TOP
SECRET level. The majority of what was released was an email with
the subject, Status of actions regarding UAPs, sent June 9, 2021,
just weeks before The Black Vaults FOIA request was filed.
The email was written by Thomas B. Bowman, who was revealed
within the released documents as the official NRO Point of Contact
or POC for efforts tied to the UAP Task Force. This email, originally
classified at the Top Secret level, was sent to Director Scolese, but
also to Dr. Troy E. Meink, NRO Principal Deputy Director, and Major
General Michael A. Guetlein, NRO Deputy Director.
This email broke down numerous pieces of information, and here are
some of the highlights. First, it broke down three efforts that
Bowman wanted to highlight.
https://bit.ly/3v68ZEj
As seen here, it reveals for the first time that NROs contribution
totaled four paragraphs of information within the seventeen page
classified UAP report. The second effort is entirely redacted for
national security reasons, but the third reveals that the DoDs
Inspector General (DoD/IG) interviewed several officers from
the NRO Mission Integration Directorate (MID). This was tied
to the DoD Inspector Generals evaluation into the handling and
response to the UAP topic which was launched in May 2021.
Another portion of the email breaks down the NROs input to
the classified UAP Task Forces final report to Congress. It states
the following:
https://bit.ly/378S8J9
As seen with the above, the NRO had to sign off on the final
version of the report thus approving their contributions, and this
released email also revealed some of the once classified Top Secret
contributions to the report.
Key takeaway, although easily assumed prior to this release,
solidifies the involvement of the National Geospatial-Intelligence
Agency (NGA) for GEOINT and the National Security Agency
(NSA) for SIGINT, collected for the UAP research effort. The
involvement of both agencies indicate that American spy satellites
and intercepted communications all play a role in unraveling the
UAP mystery.
Although a large portion of the email stays at the TOP SECRET
and SECRET levels, and is heavily redacted as a result; another
section that was not hidden does reveal small details on the
DoD/IG UAP project, and the NROs future involvement.
https://bit.ly/3Kx1TPG
As indicated with the above portion, the DoD/IG was going to
task a data call to the NRO about two weeks after the email was
written. This indicates much more involvement by the NRO in
the DoD/IGs effort, but it is unclear what the data call would
entail.
Following this email were ten pages denied in toto, primarily
withheld for national security reasons under exemption (b)(1).
These pages may be the detail of that data call or something else
entirely. It is only speculation on what is withheld.
The result of this request has spawned numerous cases filed by The
Black Vault today, to build off this case. The results of those cases,
when available, will be posted promptly.