Introduction
A further batch of UAP related Australian Department of Defence (DOD) emails has been provided to Melbourne researcher Grant Lavac, per DOD Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request number 003/22/23.
Grant's request was:
"I kindly request a copy of all emails and supporting file attachments to/from/bcc'd/cc'd Gene Elliott, Flight Lieutenant, Staff Officer to Director Air Defence and Space (DGADS-AF), Staff Officer to Director General Space Domain Review (DGSDR) for the period 27 October 2021 to 30 June 2022 (inclusive) that contain any of the following keywords; Unidentified Aerial Phenomena; UAP; Unidentified Flying Object; UFO; Unidentified Flying Objects; UFOs; Unauthorised Aircraft Movement; UAM; Unauthorised Aircraft Movements; UAMs; Unusual Aerial Sightings; Unidentified Phenomena; unusual air traffic; Whish-Wilson. I also kindly request personal details be limited to the full names of individuals included in any applicable FOI response."
67 pages of responsive documents were released. Many of these papers concern various Senate Estimate Committee hearings, which have been covered in previous blog posts. Therefore, in this post, I will report only on what I consider to be new material.
Selected emails
1. Email dated 28 October 2021 From [redacted] To [ ] cc [ ]
Subject: 211028 - e-mail [ ] many - 21-1441 - ABC News - Report to US Congress of UAPs (fBP2974990)
"OFFICIAL
Here is the list of all UAP/UFO recent submissions
MC21-002479
MC21-00290
MC21-002222
MC21-004149
The response has been consistent across all returns.
The Department of Defence has no protocol for reporting or recording of UAP/UFOs."
Comment
MC stands for Ministerial Correspondence.
2. Email dated 5 November 2021 3:25PM From [ ] To [ ]
Subject: FW: For Action - Question on Notice - UFO/UAPs - RAAF
"Good afternoon [ ]
Army's response to QON..."
Email dated 5 November 2021 3:35:29PM From [ ] To [ ]
Subject: 21105-e-mail [ ] - For Action - Question on notice - UFO/UAPs - RAAF
"They don't exist!"
Signature panel was [ ] Ministerial Liason Officer.
3. Email dated 17 February 2022 9:47:00AM From [ ] To [ ] CC [ ]
Subject: 220217 - e-mail [ ] Many - Emailing: Preliminary Assessment - UAP - 20210625
"OFFICIAL
Gents,
FYSA in case UAP comes up at estimates and we need a fast answer on something - this is the US Report that gets referred to all the time."
Comment
This is the 25 June 2021 Office of the Director of National Intelligence "Preliminary Assessment - Unidentified Aerial Phenomena" report.
4. Email dated 28 February 2022 From [ ] on behalf of RAAF MILO To [ ]
Subject: 22028.1048 - E-mail [ ]/Multiple recipients - Senate Estimates - Question on notice (SQ22-000026)
Speaks about one Senate estimates Committe hearing Question On Notice from Senator Whish-Wilson. "The QON is from Senator Whish-Wilson regarding UFOs/UAPs; though has a greater focus on safety/reporting over space issues. As the responsibility of UFOs/UAPs is still a bit fuzzy; I am doing a little bit of a wide spread approach for general awareness..."
Comment
This appears to indicate that there is still no central place with complete responsibility regarding this topic.
5. Email dated 16 March 2022 From [ ] To [ ] cc (multiple-KB)
Subject: 220316.0811- e-mail - [ ]/multiple recipients - RAAF Senate Estimates - April 2022 -16 March 2022 update
Discusses mock up pre-Senate Estimate Committee hearings where various DOD personnel pose questions and provide appropriate responses - one of the subjects is UFOs.
6. Email dated 22 April 2022 12:10PM From [ ] To [ ] CC RAAF FOI
Subject: FOIA 408/21/22 - Request for TPs
Please provide TP's
FOI Manager
Comment
Presumably, TPs stands for talking points.
Email dated 22 April 2022 2:04PM From [ ] To [ ]
Subject: FW:FOIA 408/21/22 - Request for TPs
"[ ] As discussed here are the TPs drafted ISO to the FOI request. AFHQ FOI Officer has gathered the date for the FOI paper (Binder 1 attached), our input is to provide TPs for MINDEF in the event this becomes a media sensitive issue - [ ] had previously had the hammer on this as DGSDR - but his direction is to transition this to Strat Plans - if we can't push further intentions of to Air Force or DASA."
Comment
Not sure what ISO is short for; but MINDEF is Minister of Defence. FOIA 408/21/22 was someone asking for the DOD's response to Senator Whish-Wilson's request Estimates hearings QON 29 and 90; where Senator Whish-Wilson followed up on his questioning of then, Chief of Air Mel Hupfield. The DOD was concerned that the Minister of Defence be briefed on Whish-Wilson's questions; in case the Minister was asked questions by the media.
Email dated 26 April 2022 4PM From [ ] To [ ] CC [ ]
Subject: 220426 - e-mail -[ ] FOI 408/21/22 Request for TPs.
"TPs being provided to departmental vice ministerial due to careftaker government."
7. Email dated 13 May 2022 From [ ] To [ ]
"Subject: re - UAPs
I do know MECC/RAAF have prepared lines for UAP, be there any attention. Would you like me to pull these for you?"
Comment
MECC is short for Minsterial & Executive Coordination and Communications Division, DOD.
Email dated 13 May 2022 From [ ] To [ ]
Subject: 220513 - e-mail - [ ]/Many - UAPs
"[ ] - no need, I drafted all the UAP points for MECC/RAAF."
8. Email dated 13 May 2022 7:03AM From [ ] To [ ]
"[ ] wrote
Sir, All jokes aside, I think this might end up causing us some work.
This article calls out AUKUS directly regarding a more collaborative approach to this:
Email dated 13 May 2022 7:39AM From [ ] To [ ]
Subject: Re: UAPs
"[ ] you're right, it may trigger more UFO flavoured interest. The truth is out there, I'll just need to determine if interest in this sci-fi is a HAC or CDSpC lead."
Comment
HAC Is Head Air Force Capability. CDSpC is Commander Space Command.
Email dated 13 May 2022 7:49AM From [ ] To [ ]
Subject: Re: UAPs
"Sir, ack. I know historically we have aimed to push the response off to Air Force, specifically DASA if the main theme of questioning is about aircraft/flight safety. Similarly we could aim to push the response to the Intelligence Community/Air Force if the main theme is national security/advanced technologies/control of the air.
The name is Unidentified Aerial Phenomena after all and the USSF isn't the lead agency in this [ ]"
Comment
USSF is short for United States Space Force.
9. Email dated 19 May 2022 7:19AM
Subject: 220519 e-mail -ABC News - US Congress holds first hrearing on UFOs in decades.
"Wait for it, wait for it...
US Congress holds first hearings on UFOs in decades..."
10. Email dated 23 June 2021 From [ ] To Various addressees
Subject: FOR RAAF ACTION -Priority 2 media query - 21-1441-ABC News - Report US Congress on UAPs
"Space Domain, Hi Sir and team,
As discussed would appreciate a draft response to subj ME - see q's from Matthew Eaton, ABC News below..."
What is all this FOIA material telling us about the DOD's interest in UAP?
It is simply reinforcing the view that the topic of UAP is of no interest to the DOD. However, as the DOD have no mechanism for the gathering of UAP reports from service personnel, they do not know whether or not there is a safety or national security issue.
Recent ABC Stories on UAP
25 June 2021 "US report on Pentagon-documented UFOs leaves sightings unexplained."
27 Oct 2021 "Defence won't follow Pentagon to launch an investigation into UFO sightings or Unexplained Aerial Phenomena."
There are now the following (more to come) UAP relevant entries on the official DOD FOIA Dislosure log
16 June 2022 - 408/21/22 Portfolio q's 29 & 90 -UFOs.
30 June 2022 - 425/21/22 Space Based Infra Red System and Australian Mission Processor.
1 July 2022 - 459/21/22 Unidentified Aerial Phenomena and Unidentified Flying Objects.
20 July 2022 - 002/22/23 Unidentified Flying Object (UFO), Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP), Unauthorised Aircraft Movement (UAM) correspondence.
1 August 2022 010/22/23 Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Brief.
1 Sept 2022 013/22/23 Standard Operating Procedure 1 Remote Sensing Unit.
Please click on any of the links above to view the relevant documents. You are encouraged to have a read, to see if you can pick up any further points of interest.
"Email dated 5 November 2021 3:35:29PM From [ ] To [ ]
ReplyDeleteSubject: 21105-e-mail [ ] - For Action - Question on notice - UFO/UAPs - RAAF
"They don't exist!"
Signature panel was [ ] Ministerial Liason Officer."
The ADF will be COMPLETELY PARALYZED when the UAP presence is proven.
I bet there are no contingencies in place for that eventuality.