Recent Pentagon press briefings mention UAP

Pentagon press briefings

Pentagon Press Secretary, John F. Kirby holds regular press briefings. In  the past few days, some of the questions directed to him, have referred to UAP. I thought it would be useful to document some of these exchanges for the record.

John F. Kirby, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs

1 June 2021

"Q: A quick question on the coming UAP reports. There's been some reporting that this could be coming as soon as this week or maybe even tomorrow, can you say anything about what timing we should actually expect?

Mr Kirby: The what report Matt?

Q: The UAP report? UFO report?

Mr Kirby: That is really for the DNI to speak to, Matt. As you know, this is a report - a Congressionally mandated report, the DNI is in the lead.  It will be DNI who will be making that report, obviously DoD has a role in helping flesh out the information that will be in that report, but as for specific timing I'd refer you to the DNI."

"Paul from U.S. News

Q: And then one last question on the Pentagon's contributions to the UFO report. I've been speaking with a series of experts abroad who have expressed some concern about similar investigations in other countries having too much of a military focus and not enough input from civilian scientists. I wonder if that's a concern that the pentagon has shared and whether that came up at all during this most recent process?

Mr Kirby: What we're participating in a DNI-led study, again, on-mandated by Congress. We're providing context and information that we have on these phenomena and our focus is on, again on supporting the DNI's efforts to produce this report. That's - that's where our focus is. And - and again, that's our - that's our lane. That's our place to be in is to provide the kind of context that we have and the information that we have to help the DNI produce this report for Congress."

Avril Haines - Current DNI

 4 June 2021

"Q: Hey, John, happy birthday. There's no way I can like sugarcoat this. I was talking to a gentleman about the UAP report, and he contends the Pentagon has alien bodies and crafts. So I just wanted to run this past you. Does the DoD have these things? And if so, where?

Mr Kirby: The UAP Task Force is really designed to take a look at these unexplained aerial phenomena, try to help us get a better understanding of them. Again, I'm not going to get ahead of the report that DNI will submit that we are helping obviously, and providing input to. And I'll just leave it at that, Jeff, Yeah."

"Luis?

Q: Thanks, John. Can you specifically address the reporting that's come out about this UAP report, the reporting that these UAPs - they don't appear to be alien spacecraft, that there's not enough information to actually address what exactly they are and that they're not a U.S. secret black program?

Mr Kirby: yeah, look, I've seen the press reporting on this, Luis, but I'm not going to comment one way or the other about the reporting or certainly about the work of the task force and the coming report by the Director of National Intelligence. I won't get ahead of that process.

Q: So can you rule out specifically that these are not alien spacecraft?

Mr Kirby: I think I've answered your question. I'm not going to get ahead of a report that hasn't been filed to Congress and I'm certainly not going to speak about intelligence issues here from the podium. I've, again seen the press reporting but I'm not going to be able to comment beyond that."

"Q: John, I'll start off with a UFO question, how about that?

Mr Kirby: Go for it.

Q: Has Secretary Austin been briefed on this report that's required by Congress and also just more broadly, does Secretary Austin see this - what apparently is an increasing number of reported incidents - a a safety report for the military in terms of pilot training and so forth as well as a national security threat?

Mr Kirby: He has received a briefing on the work that the tsk force has so far conducted. The report as you know is being crafted and will be delivered by the Director National Intelligence, but he has received a briefing on the work so far. And as we've said before, we take all incursions into our operating spaces seriously. So, I mean, like everybody else here at the Defense Department, certainly we are taking the entire matter seriously - regarding the potential for safety concerns.

Q: In other words, regardless of what the explanation may be or if there is none of what they, there are incidents in which pilots are seeing things that are close enough that could be a safety - well it is a safety problem?

Mr Kirby: It could potentially involve safety and/or national security concerns absolutely."