Another Australian Freedom of Information request re UAP: Defence 052/22/23

 FOIA requestors

A small number of Australian individuals, including Paul Dean and Grant Lavac in Melbourne, and myself in Adelaide, have been utilising the Australian Freedom of Information Act, (FOIA) to explore the extent, if any, to which Australian government departments and agencies, are engaged with the topic of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena" (UAP.) 

FOIA UAP responses from the Australian Department of Defence have been mainly negative, getting a "no responsive documents" answer. With the exception being the discovery of a Department of Defence Chief of Air briefing paper for Departmental personnel attending Senate Estimates Committee hearings, due to one of Grant's requests.

A new FOIA request

It is therefore, of interest that other Australian UAP researchers are submitting their own FOIA requests to the Australian goverment. Below, are details of one such request, and response from the Department of Defence. The individual who submitted the request wishes to remain anonymous, although I know their identity. They requested:

"...all official briefing slides, PowerPoints, images, footage, documents, reports, emails and letters from between the dates of of 1st January 2016 to 30th July 2022, that were exchanged between employees within the appropriate agency of the Australian Defence Force who is legally and/or contractually obligated to perform the function for government of undertaking:

The analysis of all or any data types derived from and associated with:

(i) the tracking of; and

(ii) the locating of; and

(iii) the coordination of the recovery of material debris associated with:

"Unidentified Aerospace-undersea Phenomena," "UAP," "Unidentified Aerial Phenomena," and/or "Unidentified Flying Objects."

AND/or

all official briefing slides, PowerPoints, images, footage, documents, reports, emails and letters that were sent to and/or received from, any employees of the Australian Defence Force in liaison with the appropriate agency within government who function as the overseeing department(s) and/or program(s) and who is legally and/or contractually obligated, including private contractors, both foreign and domestic, to perform the function of government for the undertaking of:

(i) the analysis of all or any data types derived from and associated with:

(ii) the tracking of, and

(iii) the locating of, and

(iv) the coordination of the recovery of material debris associated with "Unidentified Aerospace-undersea Phenomena," "UAP," "Unidentified Aerial Phenomena," "UFO," and/or "Unidentified Flying Objects"

in which said briefing slides, PowerPoints, images, footage, reports, emails and letters are only associated with, pertain to, and/or specifically mention

(i) DOD policy on reporting;

(ii) *significant events/discussions" and

(iii) all case studies with official DOD oversight regarding: "Unidentified Aerospace-undersea Phenomena," "UAP," "Unidentified Aerial Phenomena," and/or "Unidentified Flying Objects."

* By UAP, this request refers to nothing other than Australian Defence Force official terminology for "Unidentified Aerial Phenomena" the meaning of such term is outlined in Section 1683(1) of the US National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal year 2022 (50 USC 3373(1) and is referred to below, in two separate declarations of a cognizance of UAP by RAAF personnel:

(1) RAAF Chief of Air Marshal Mel Hupfield, with the following comment "through professional curiosity I did look at some of the videos (referring to videos of UAP filmed by US Navy pilots and released to the public via The New York Times in 2017, to Senator Peter Whish-Wilson during Senate questioning.

(2) R J Denney, Air Vice-Marshal Head of Air Force Capability, in his published comment contained within his response to Mr Grant Lavac which are here quoted "Concerning Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP); "the topic of UAP or UFO;" and "The United States Office of the Director of National Intelligence Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena."

*By "significant events/discussisons," I refer to nothing other than the "significant events/discussions" referred to by DOD in the official CAF brief content page, titled "Unidentified Aerial Phenomena" within Defence FOI 459/22/23 Item 1, document 1."

The DOD response

I extract the relevant portions of the DOD response letter.

"3. I identified no document as matching the description of the request."

"5. In making my decision, I had regard to...

d. advice received from Navy, Joint Operations Command, Australian Space Operations Centre and officers within the department."

"10. Accordingly I am satisfied that "all reasonable steps" have been taken to locate the document."

"Further information:

11. With reference to the "Unidentified Aerospace-undersea Phenomena" component of the scope, I engaged Navy who advised they do not retain any such reports.

12. Joint Operations Command advise they are unaware of the term "Unidentified Aerospace-undersea Phenomena." Further a definition was unable to be located via Google or the Australian Defence Glossary and as such Defence is unable to provide any information about the topic or locate any document in relation to it.

13. The Australian Space Operations Centre advised that they rely on unclassified sources that the applicant can potentially source, namely..."

14. Furthermore, Defence does not have a stand alone protocol for reporting or recording of UAP or UFOs. The Royal Australian Air Force ceased handling reports of UAP or UFO in 1996 after determining that there was no scientific or other compelling reason to continue to devote resources to the recording and investigation of UAP or UFO. It is a function no longer exercised by Defence and therefore, no documents will exist in Defence's possession in relation to the subject matter."

Comments:

1. The DOD is clearly maintaining that they have no interest in the topic of UAP.

2. I wonder what the DOD is making of the increased rate of FOI enquries, re UAP?

3. One interesting comment, is that DOD FOI checked with Navy on the term "Unidentified Aerospace-undersea Phenomena." I take the NAVY response that "they do not retain any such reports" to mean "they do not know of any such phenomena" not that they know of such reports, but do not (retain) keep them."

4. Also, I checked the Australian Defence Glossary. It is a list of terms and definitions used by Defence; approved Defence terms for such things as "area of intelligence interest," "end state," and "master target list." There are no entries under the letter U or elsewhere, for "Unidentified Aerial Phenomena" or "Unidentified Flying Objects" or any such equivalent terms.

5. In paragraph 14 of the DOD respones is "...no documents willl exist in Defence's possession in relation to this subject matter." However, Grant Lavac's finding of the CAF DOD UAP briefing paper for personnel attending the Senate Estimates hearings in 2022, show that this statement is incorrect. 

6. Thanks must go to the anonymous FOIA requestor, who submitted this latest FOIA request and received the response.

7. I would be interested in hearing from any blog reader who has also submitted a recent FOIA UAP request to any Australian government department, agency, or Minister. My encrypted email address is 

aristotle1947@protonmail.com

Two Freedom of Information requests, and the Australian Space Agency

 Background

The French government space agency, the National Centre for Space Studies (CNES- Centre National D'Etudes Spatiales) has operated a UAP study group for many years. Groupe d'Etudes et d'Information sur les Phenomenes Aerospatiaux Non-Identifies - GEIPAN, has a brief to investigate unidentified aerospace phenomena. Its database is open to the public.

In June 2022, the U.S. space agency NASA announced the establishment of a study team to examine Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) to commence around September 2022.

Introduction

Australia established its own space agency, the Australian Space Agency (ASA) in 2018. There have been at least two Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests seeking to determine whether or not, the ASA has any interest in UAP.

2019

An unknown individual submitted a request dated 30 April 2019. They asked for:

"Any reports, documents, guidelines and/or operational policies and procedures within the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science - The Australian Space Agency - relating to or pertaining to the terms of UFO Unidentified Flying Object, UAS Unusual Aerial Sighting, UAP Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, UAC Unusual Aerial Craft, or UAV Unusual Aerial vehicle."

The Department's response, in short, was:

"I am satisfied that reasonable searches have been conducted to locate documents - relevant to your request but they do not exist."

2021

In September 2021, the Department of Industry, Science and Resources responded to an FOIA request by an unnamed requester, and published the outcome, in their FOIA Disclosure log 21/056/69634. The request was simple "All files pertaining to UFO sightings as well as USO sightings also."

The Department responded with 86 pages of documents. I haven't presented the contents of all the resultant emails, merely the ones which I considered most relevant.

A. An email chain whose subject was "Enquiries re UFOs/UAPs."

B. An email chain titled "Media on UAP report to US Congress," or "Query re US UAP/UFO report."

C. Emails concerning a "New FOI request."

D. Publication - AIAA Daily Launch.

E. Publication - POLITICO SPACE

A. Emails "Enquiries re UFOs/UAPs."

(1) 17 June 2021. From Operations and Communications ASA To Five ASA [redacted] email addresses.

"All enquiries inbox people

Please note below. Will provide advice on how to co-ordinate responses should requests come in."

(2) 17 June 2021 From [redacted] To [ ] ASA

"CSIRO has raised with us that we're likely to get an influx of questions around UFOs next week(ish) when a report on UAPs/UFOs is released to the US Congress. We'd like to have a central point for those queries within the Australian government and [ ] suggested that Fred Watson the Astronomer-at-large could be a good central spokesman.

How do you feel about this - or do you have any additional information  - about central media points? I realise we've had the occasional questions before about UFOs, but this one is likely to be more concentrated and not something we can really brush-off."

A/g Assistant Manager, Communications, ASA.

(3) 17 June 2021 From [ ] To media-ASA cc [ ] @csiro.au

"Hi Team,

You're probably aware that a much anticipated "UAP/UFO report" will be released to the US Congress and made public. I've heard around 25 June. We have people who work on SETI - the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence which is an established area of radio astronomy research - and we are expecting an increase in enquiries. We don't want to talk about UFOs/UAPs but depending on the outlet and their questions can talk about SETI.

I'm wondering is there an official Australian government contact on UFOs/UAPs to whom we should pass on media enquiries? I'm  thinking it would likely be defence.org We are happy to make other enquiries with Australian government departments but thought you might already have this information to hand."

Communications Manager, Space, Astronomy and Scientific Computing, Corporate Affairs, CSIRO.

(4) 17 June 2021 From [ ] To [ ]

"Thanks, [ ] we can raise this with [ ] and will let you know what he says!"

(5) 17 June 2021 From [ ] ASA To [ ]

"Thanks [ ]  this is an unusual one!

As far as we know, there is no official government media contact for UFOs, though we thought that Fred Watson, the Astronomer-at-large could be a good contact person. However, as this is being presented to Congress, we want to check that the Minister's Office wouldn't prefer for the Agency to answer questions (although it's not really our remit.) We'll follow a few leads and get back to you."

A/g Assistant Manager, Communications, ASA.

(6) 22 June 2021 From [ ] To [ ] cc MediaASA

"Hi Team,

If/when enquiries come through about UFOs/UAPs, please send them through to Fred Watson, either via telephone [ ] or email [ ]. We'll also need to keep track of them for Departmental media reporting."

A/g Assistant Manager, Communications, ASA.

(7) 22 June 2021 From [ ] To [ ]ASA

"[ ] Fred is happy to be first contact. He'd like a briefing on CSIRO involvement with SETI - should I contact [ ]"

B. Emails titled "Media on UAP report to US Congress," or "Query re US UAP/UFO report."

(1) 21 June 2021 From [ ] To media@defence

"Good afternoon, I'm seeking your help to identify a key government contact for UFO enquiries [seriously!]..."

Manager Government Relations, Corporate Affairs, CSIRO.

(2) 22 June 2021  From [ ] To [ ]

"Please be aware and don't respond to quiries unless there is a legitimate enquiry."

Operations and Communications, ASA.

(3) 22 June 2021 From [ ] To AustralianSpaceAgencyLeadershipTeam cc media-ASA

"As you're probably aware, the US Congress is likely to be presented with a report on UAPs/UFOs soon. We are expecting some level of media enquiries surrounding this. The Minister's Office has agreed that the best central point of contact for media enquiries is Professor Fred Watson, Astronomer-at-large, with SKA Astronomy.

As always, if you are approached for any media, please send the request through to media@space.gov.au and we will collate and send through to Fred."

A/g Assistant Manger, Communications, ASA.

(4) 25 June 2021 From [ ]  To [ ] [ ]@industry

"Hi both,

An update on the Defence contact for UAP/UFO enquries is below [ ]  I'll share our SETI messages shortly." [ ]

Communications Manager, Space, Astronomy and Scientific Computing, CSIRO.

(5) 25 June 2021 From [ ] To [ ] Attachment CSIRO-brief-SETI-June 2021 -v2 docx.

"Hi all, attached is our brief on the report and our SETI work [ ] you're welcome to share it with Fred - and do let me know if you'd prefer we went to Fred directly with any media enquiries, or if you're happy to be the conduit. [ ] in my team is mooo contact and will reach out to me if there's anything I need to look at urgently [ ]"

Communications Manager, Space, Astronomy and Scientific Computing, Corporate Affairs, CSIRO.

(6) 25 June 2021 From media@defence.gov.au To [ ]

"Good morning, sincere apologies for the delay in responding to your enquiry. The Defence media team is the correct email for any UAP enquiry. We have received several so far."

C. Emails concerning new FOIA requests

(1) 2 August 2021 From [ ] To [ ]

[ ]

Operations and Communications, ASA.

(2) 15 May 2019

[summary] In 2013 the Australian SKA held an art competition and some of the entries mentioned UFO.

(3) 14 May 2019 From [ ] To [ ]

[summary] Quick review of any documents you have.

(4) 1 May 2019 From FOI To [ ] 

[Summary] Provide any documents you have.

D. Publication- AIAA Daily Launch

Emails dated 25 June and 29 June 2021, sent from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics  to someone [ ]  in the ASA, provided that ASA individual with AIAA news including in relation to UAP, and the 25 June 2021 Office of the Director of National Intelligence's "Preliminary Assessment" report.

E.  Publication - POLITICO SPACE

Emails dated 19 July, 20 July, and 23 July 2021, brought information from POLITICO SPACE including details of UAP related news, plus a number of messages from a forum held by the 2021 AIAA Aviation four hour presentation on UAP "Advocating for Scientific Studies of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena."

The CSIRO brief

The CSIRO brief mentioned in email B(5) was included in the 86 pages released. Dated June 2021, it was titled "Response to release of US report on UAPs." While most of the document deals with the topic of SETI, I extract the relevant mention of UAP.

"Background

Media outlets (eg Scientific American) have been speculating that the US government is expected to release an unclassified report into unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs, also known as UFOs) in late June 2021. Media reporting is also expected to be heightened around 2 July, which is known by some as 'World UFO day.'

We're expecting to receive media enquiries into whether CSIRO has been researching UAPs and whether our researchers think alien life exists elsewhere in the Universe...

CSIRO doesn't investigate or research UAPs, although our Space and Astronomy team does work on the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence...

CSIRO response ot the release of the report

CSIRO won't be commenting on the release of the report on UAPs, however our spokespeople can comment on the SETI research we do; they need to be prepared to deflect any questions they receive about the report, UAPs or details of the Science Program with Breakthrough Listen.

Key messages

*At CSIRO we don't investigate or research unidentified aerial phenomena but we support the search for extraterrestrial intelligence...

Othe spokespeople

* Media enquiries on the US report on UAPs can be directed to the Australian government's Department of Defence media team...

Comments

1. It was only when placing my own, August 2022, FOIA request to the Department of Industry, Science and Resources, that I became aware of two earlier requests to the ASA.

2. In December 2021, I had emailed both the ASA enquiries email address, and the media ASA email address, with two questions about UAP. After mentioning that the French space agency had a UAP study group, I asked:

"If the Australian Space Agency has any current activity, or projected future plan, regarding the scientific or defence study of UAP, within the context of Australian space studies? If not, what is the agency's position regarding the possible national security implications of UAP?"

Despite twice more submitting the same email, I never did receive any response.

3. The CSIRO's brief statement, "CSIRO doesn't investigate or research UAPs" is pretty definitive. In the past though, CSIRO has maintained files on this topic.  

4. In email A(3) dated 17 June 2021, the CSIRO states "We do not want to talk about UFOs/UAPs." However, there is no context for this statement. Is it because the CSIRO doesn't consider the topic worthy of scientific exploration? Or some other reason? It would be nice to know their rationale.

5. In the ASA emails, I do not see anywhere where they state their position on UAP. Obviously, someone within the ASA was keeping up todate with UAP information through subscriptions to both AIAA and POLITICO SPACE material. By submitting my December 2021 email to the ASA, I was attempting to determine their position on UAP. However, when they just don't answer your email, you can't work out what they think about the subject. A simple response such as "We have no interest or position on the subject" would have sufficed. What we can say was, at least, they were being informed on the topic by external material.

7. I await the outcome of my own 2022 FOIA request.

Update: 15 September 2022

I received a response to my 29 July 2022 FOIA request to the Australian Space Agency.The request was for:

"Any emails, sent to or from Senior Executive Service staff of the Australian Space Agency, between 26 June 2021 and 29 July 2022, which contain the keyword "Unidentified Aerial Phenomena" or the abbreviation "UAP."

The response, dated 5 September 2022 was from Dara Williams, Deputy Head, ASA. In short, it was "no such documents exist."

Addendum

Fred Watson, Australia's Astronomer-at-large, and Andrew Dunkley, produce a podcast called "Space nuts." Episode 305, dated 19 May 2022, included a piece on "UAP Senate inquiry underway" and the 16 June 2022, episode 309, featured a piece on NASA's UAP study team. So, it seems that Fred Watson is keeping up todate on the UAP topic. 

Dr. Paul E. Tyler's interest in UAP

Introduction

I was recently re-reading Jacques Vallee's book "Forbidden Science: Volume Four." I came across the name of Dr. Paul E. Tyler, in relation to Tyler's interest in the medical effects of UAP on humans. This set me off researching more on Tyler's UAP work. The following, is what I found.

1961-1962

"When Dr. Tyler was stationed in McMurdo, a small Antarctic station, in 1961-1962, he witnessed an inpressive UFO incident which was never explained. It was a saturday night in June. Most of the staff on base were occupied watching B-grade movies, a double feature. The radar operator was watching released weather balloons to see the direction they would go in for aiming the radar when he yelled for everyone to come out. There were three little lights going across the sky below the Aurora Australis. In Antarctica at that time of the year no planes could fly there - their engines would freeze up. The lights were seen on radar and visually. The scientists ( a joint US-New Zealand team) were there studying the aurora with a camera. They took photos in which the objects appeared as streaks.

This was an excellent sighting and it was duely reported. Has anyone heard of it? Did it appear in Project Bluebook? Dr Tyler's interest in UFOs was stimulated by the incident..."

The details of this incident from 1961-1962, observed by Dr. Tyler, rang some bells. I turned to the NICAP website, and in particular, two 1962 Antarctice observations that are documented on the website. I found none from 1961.

1. Thursday 7 June 1962 Hallett Station, Antarctica

"At 0105Z, a brilliant white light, approximately 20 times brighter than first magnitude stars, was seen at 250 degrees (true) azimuth, and 30 degrees' elevation. Over 5 minutes it remained stationary and was viewed both with binoculars and the naked eye. It appeared circular. It was a dazzling gold color, and seen between two mountain peaks. The sun at the time was below the horizon. After 5 minutes it moved in a southerly direction and was lost to view behind a peak. PBB concluded it was Jupiter."

2. Saturday 7 July 1962 1115Z Hallett Station, Antarctica.

"According to a radiogram signed by Claud Taylor, base commander, an object appeared over the region, crossing in 3 to 4 minutes the horizon in a S-N direction. That object showed three different parts sharply separated, one of them more luminous than the two others. A kind of 'grey shape' could be seen around the three bright parts, which the observers interpreted a to be a 'possible condensation trail.' When the object was N of the base it emitted a sudden flash of light, without any change in orbit or shape. No sound was heard.

The report also states that the object appeared to be well inside the atmosphere and certainly below the level of the austral aurora.

The most important part of the Hallett base observation was that the object's passage was registered by a special photographic instrument called "all sky camera," used for the study of polar aurora. The instrument has a semispherical mirror which makes possible photographs of the sky at frequent intervals. According to information released by the New Zealand Scientific and Industrial Research Department, the color photos obtained confirmed the visual observations of the UAO. One of the photos of long exposure, showed a luminous trail crossing the whole sky.

According to Dr. M. Gadsen, a scientist who was at Hallett base, the nature of the object could not be established because it was not a meteor and there was no information on the fall of a satellite in that region on that occasion."

Comments

1. The account of Dr. Tyler's 1961-1962 observation at the beginning of this post, was taken from a summary of a talk which Dr. Tyler gave to the New Mexico state branch of MUFON, in October 1993.

2. Unless there was an Antarctica base sighting reported, other than the ones on 7 June 1962 and 7 July 1962, as described on the NICAP website; the 7 July 1962 NICAP described event, seems to best match the information given by Dr Tyler in his 1993 talk, some 31 years after the incident. The location would then seem to be Hallett station and not McMurdo base. 

3. Was Dr. Tyler stationed at Hallett Station in 1962? A Google search located a page which stated that the Tyler Glacier, near Hallett Station was "...named by the US ACAN for Lt. Paul E. Tyler, MC USN OIC Hallett Station, winter party 1962." Winter in the Southern Hemisphere is defined as the calendar months June, July and August.

4. Thanks to Melbourne researcher Paul Dean, who supplied a PDF copy of the relevant project Blue Book file on the 7 July 1962 event, I confirmed the details in the NICAP summary. There was also a statement that one of the indivduals who observed the phenomenon was "OINC" which I interpret as Office In Naval Charge" i.e. Tyler.

5.  If the Saturday 7 July 1962 NICAP listed event, was observed by Dr. Tyler, and started off his UFO interest, was the sighting in fact a UFO or something else? Researcher Brad Sparks on the NICAP website suggested that it may have been an observation of the re-entery of CIA-NRO spy satellite KH-45 Corona-M, launch M-6 designated 1962 Alpha Beta or 1962-026A.

In addition, Ted Molczan, a Canadian amateur satellite observer, has compiled a list titled "Visually Observed Natural Re-entry of Earth Satellites." This list details a 7 July 1962, 1115Z time, re-entry for 1962-026A Corona 9037, sighted from Antarctica Hallett Station located at 72 degrees 19 minutes 07 seconds South latitude and longitude 170 degrees 12 minutes 38 seconds East. He provides extensive references to the sighting.

It would certainly seem, that based on re-entry data about a spy satellite which wasn't known at the time, that the sighting was of a satellite re-entry. Ironic that an IFO started off "Dr Tyler's interest in UFOs was understandably stimulated by this incident."

Professional career - 1973 - 1979

As far back as 1973, Tyler was publishing work on biological effects. That year his "Overview of the Biological Effects of Electromagnetic Radiation" appeared in the March issue of IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems. In 1975,  Tyler was publishing work in the field of nonionizing radiation. In that year, he was editor of the book "Biological Effects of Nonionizing Radiation" a collection of papers presented at a conference held 12-15 February 1974 by the New York Academy of Sciences." He wrote reviews of books on this topic; e.g. in 1978.  I also located a July 1979 letter Tyler wrote to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, at which point Tyler was at the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute. 

1980 - the Cash/Landrum case

In his 2011 book "UFOs: Myths, Conspiracies and Realities" John B. Alexander wrote about the investigations conducted by Lt. Col. George Sarran into the Cash/Landrum incident. 

"George carried the investigation a step further asking for consultation from me, and two military medical doctors, U.S. Navy Captain Paul Tyler and Air Force Major Richard Niemtzow, both of whom specialized in radiation. Paul and I had worked together for several years in my interagency projects at INSCOM..."

In a 1994 publication of the New Mexico branch of MUFON, a summary appeared of a 1993 talk by Tyler. Included in the summary was:

"He personally investigated the Cash Landrum in which UFO witnesses were burned by some kind of radiation. He studied the hospital records and concluded that it wasn't microwaves but had to be some sort of ionising radiation. What was it? Nothing that we have or had at the time." 

1985 - The Advanced Theoretical Physics group

In footnotes to "Forbidden Science:Volume Four" Vallee, in writing about the alleged participants in John B. Alexander's ATP group, wrote, "Radiologist Paul Tyler."

In a March 2019 article on the Blue Blurry Lines blog, Curt Collins, in writing about John B. Alexander stated:

"One of these friends was Dr. Paul E. Tyler (1930-2013), a captain in the US Navy, and medical consultant on the government's remote viewing program. This circle of associates was valuable when Alexander put together the Advanced Theoretical Physics Working Group. The primary purpose of this group was to determine if there was a hidden UFO government agency, but their findings were negative. The team also studied a few UFO cases, and the Cash Landrum incident was one of particular interest."

6 December 1987 - Vallee

Talking about Richard Niemtzov and French Doctor Canonne who was interested in the physical effects of microwaves on human tissues. "Paul Tyler, a retired Navy medical expert, was mentioned."

[Vallee: Forbidden Science V4. p.306]

7 January 1990 - Vallee

Richard Niemtzow, speaking of Rima Laibow's TREAT conference, and the participants who attended. "...physicians like Paul Tyler, but no expert in treating the medical effects of UFOs..."

[Vallee: Forbidden Science V4. p.20]

5 May 1990 - Vallee

Vallee was attending a meeting of John B. Alexander's Advance Theoretical Physics Working Group. Ron Blackburn of Lockheed's Skunkworks spoke. "...he worked with a scientist named Paul Tyler who encouraged him to investigate UFOs from the point of view of 'energy, consciousness, and form - where form is negotiable...'"

[Vallee: Forbidden Science V4. p 35.]

1992 - MUFON Conference

The summary of Tyler's talk at the 20 October 1993 meeting of MUFON New Mexico noted that Tyler was the Master of Ceremonies at the 1992 International MUFON Conference. However, a check of my digital copy of the MUFON Journal for August 1992, which contained an extensive report on that conference, contained no mention of who was MC, and no reference to Tyler's name. 

1993 - a MUFON talk

Tyler gave a talk to the New Mexico branch of MUFON, a summary of which talk is to be found in a publication of the branch. I have already extracted details of part of the talk in sections above, and here will document some dot points arising from the speech's summary:

* Tyler spent 39 years in the U.S. military - Army and navy

* Tyler was a consultant for the CIA and other U.S. agencies

* "There were always people who were unofficially interested in UFOs...Was someone really looking at this? No one knew."

* At one stage Tyler was Head of Medicine for the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery. He ran the program on EM radiation

http://files.afu.se/Downloads/Magazines/United%20States/MUFON%20New%20Mexico%20(NM%20MUFON%20News)/NM%20MUFON%20News%20-%20no%2012%20-%201994%2001.pdf

* Does the U.S. government keep secrets? Yes, but not very well

* Studied alternative medicine

* Dr. Tyler's group looked at Project Blue Book cases

* "In every agency," said Dr. Tyler "I ran into people interested in UFOs. But it wasn't their job and there was no money to look into it, so tidbits got filed into personal file cabinets."

* Dr. Tyler feels [UFOs] are "...probably [guided by] intelligent beings capable of doing things that we can't."

* Will we ever know about UFOs? Dr. Tyler advises "Let's keep looking."

1993 -TREAT talk

According to the NM MUFON summary of his 20 October 1993 speech, Tyler was a speaker at the 1993 TREAT conference. In an earlier blog post, I had noted that the TREAT VI conference, "Treatment and Research of Experienced Anomalous Trauma" was held in Santa Fe, New Mexico. 

8 January 1995 - Vallee

"And Paul Tyler, director of the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute, wrote in 1986 of a technique 'to disrupt the electrical signal in cardiac muscle,' producing 'complete asystole with a resultant fatal outcome.'"

[Vallee: Forbidden Science V4. p 220.]

Comment: 

In a June 1986 book titled "Low-Intensity Conflict and Modern Technology" edited by Lt. Col. David J. Dean (USAF), Tyler wrote a chapter entitled "The Electromagnetic Spectrum in Low-Intensity Conflict." In that chapter appeared "The results of many studies that have been published in the last few years indicate that specific biological effects can be achieved by controlling the various parameters of the electromagnetic (EM) field."

Post 1995

I was unable to locate any references in the UAP literature, to the UAP interest of Tyler, post 1995. He would have been 65 years of age at that point. I would welcome hearing from blog readers who may be able to supply information on Tyler's interests post 1995. 

Tyler's passing

According to an obituary notice for Wynell June Baxter Tyler, age 86, Wynell married Dr. Paul E. Tyler MD USN on March 17, 1957. She passed away on 20 October 2021. Proceeding her in death, was her husband. A Blue Blurry Lines blog article cited the year of Tyler's birth as 1930 and the year of his passing as 2013. 

Acknowledgments:

1. Thanks to Curt Collins for his work on the Cash/Landrum case. His work on this, may be found at his Blue Blurry Lines blog. 

2. Thanks to Melbourne researcher Paul Dean, for a PDF copy of the relevant Blue Book file on the 7 July 1962 Hallett Station sighting. 

What we know about the Australian Department of Defence's (lack of) interest in UAP

Freedom of Information Act requests 

From Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests by Melbourne researcher Grant Lavac, and myself; correspondence between Grant Lavac and the Office of the Australian Minister for Defence; and other reporting, it can be stated that:

1. "Defence does not have a protocol that covers recording or reporting of UFO sightings." [June 2019.]

2. "Defence does not have a protocol that covers recording or reporting of unidentified aerial phenomena..." [June 2019.]

3. DOD has no internal emails, generated between 1 January 2021 and 16 June 2021, which refer to keywords "Unidentified drone;" "Unidentified aircraft;" "Unidentified object;" or "Unidentified Aerial Phenomena." [July 2021.]

4. The former Chief of Air Force Air Marshall Mel Hupfield said "...he had not seen any reports of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena or UAPs - in Australian airspace." [October 2021.]

Former Chief Of Air Force - Mel Hupfield

5. In early 2022, the DOD prepared an internal briefing paper on UAP, for possible use in responding to UAP related questions in Senate Estimates Committee Hearings. Included in this briefing paper were the following:

a. The RAAF ceased handling UFO reports in 1996.

b. "Defence Safety flight incidents, including those posed by UAP are handled by the Defence Aviation Safety Authority." [Note: Grant Lavac was advised by the DOD in an FOIA response, that no DASA reports between 2017 and 31 March 2022 referred to UAP.]

c. "...the United States nor any other nation or ally has requested or offered to collaborate on any UAP reporting or investigation."

d. "Defence has no desire to seek collaboration on this issue."

6. a. "Defence does not have a protocol for the reporting and researching of UAP and UFO sightings. At this point of time Defence will not be pursuing research into this matter."

b. "...that Defence has not briefed the Deputy Prime Minister with regard to the topic of UAP or UFO..."

c. "Whilst the Deputy Prime Minister has been engaging with his international counterparts on a range of topics in his capacity as both Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence this has not included the topics of UFO or UAP."

d. "The Deputy Prime Minister has not been provided the United States Office of the Director of National Intelligence Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial phenomena for review."

[July 2022.]

Comments

The DOD, as above, says it has no (overt) interest in the topic of UAP. Are there any other areas of the Australian government, today, taking an overt interest in the subject?

In previous times, 1951 to around the mid 1990's, the following government departments and agencies held files on UAP (which they called "Flying saucers;" "Unusual aerial sightings;" and "UFOs.")

The former Department of Supply. The former Department of Civil Aviation. The former Department of Territories. ASIO. The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation. The Army, Navy, RAAF and the Joint Intelligence Bureau/Joint Intelligence Organisation, within the Department of Defence.

Today, if they followed the lead set by the United States, the following Australian government departments and agencies, should have an interest, due either to air safety issues or national security.

Air Services Australia. 

Aviation Transport Safety Bureau. 

Civil Aviation Safety Authority. 

Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation. 

The Australian Space Agency. 

Within the Department of Defence, the Defence Aviation Safety Authority, Defence Science and Technology Group; Defence Intelligence Organisation, the Navy. and Defence Space Command. 

Defence Space Command - Air Vice-Marshal Roberts

However, I have seen no evidence that any of the above, have in fact, a current interest in UAP, despite what they may have undertaken in the past.

Catch 22

A catch 22 situation exists. Are Australian military personnel not reporting UAP encounters because there is no formal DOD protcol/system, for reporting such things; or do Australian military personnel not encounter UAP at all?

When there was a formal reporting system in place by the RAAF; according to the RAAF's own UAP files, Australian military personnel did report such encounters. Anecdotal accounts being provided to individuals such as Australian investigative reporter Ross Coulthart, as reported by Ross on a variety of podcasts and in his book "In Plain Sight," suggests that Australian military personnel continue to encounter UAP.

Australian Department of Defence UAP guidelines

What harm would it do, if the Australian Department of Defence instituted guidelines for its own personnel, encouraging the reporting of any UAP incidents? We would then soon see if such incidents are in fact occurring in Australian airspace/waters.  I am not advocating that the Department, once again, invites reports from civilians; merely from its own personnel. 

Update: 31 May 2023

As part of his presentation to today's NASA's public meeting concerning its UAP Study Team, Dr Sean Kirkpatrick of AARO mentioned that he had recently presented on UAP at a forum of the FIVE EYES intelligence sharing group. This includes Australia. It will be interesting to see if we can confirm this from Australian DOD sources, and then what Australia's response will be. 

Questions to the Australian Minister of Defence re UAP

Background

In June 2019 I posed a set of UAP related questions to the Australian Department of Defence, via its media section. Then, in June 2021 I posed a further set of questions via the same process. On 19 June 2022 I wrote a piece about the DOD's response to my FOIA query about "unauthorised aircraft movements." Finally, on 8 July 2022, I wrote an article providing details of Melbourne researcher, Grant Lavac's FOIA request to the Australian DOD which disclosed an internal multi page "briefing paper" on UAP. The purpose of my media questions, and FOIA requests has been to determine, what interest, if any, the Australian DOD has regarding UAP. Grant Lavac has been on the same track, looking to ascertain the Australian  DOD's interest in the topic. 

Emails to the Minister Of Defence

Grant has also been attempting to engage the political process, by communicating with the Office of the Minister for Defence. 

His first email, dated 6 June 2022 read:

"Dear The Hon Richard Marles MP,

I hope this email finds you well and wish to congratulate you on Labor's recent election win, and your recent appointment as Minister for Defence.

Following last October's Senate estimates hearing where Senator Whish-Wilson had the courage and gumption to raise the issue of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) and press RAAF Chief Air-Marshal Mel Hupfield on his knowledge of UAPs in an Australian context, I thought I would take this opportunity, as your constituent, to write to you and respectfully request your direct involvement with the UAP issue, and ask that you follow Senator Whish-Wilson's lead in getting the public answers about what really is going on in regard to this phenomena in Australia.

Although politicians and UAPs mix together like oil and water due to the stigma attached with the topic; I am here to say that should not be the case. I urge you not to fall victim to what has seermed to be the norm over the more than past seven decades, which would be a total disregard for the issue based solely on erroneous "facts" and undeserved labels that have plagued the topic.

That needs to change.

Based on official and verifiable evidence alone, the United States government has seemingly misled its citizens, allies and the broader global community about UAPs and the absolute truth behind it for decades. Although it sounds like conspiracy-talk, it is downright proven with declassified documents obtained through the US Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) from agencies including, but not limited to, CIA, NSA, DIA, DoD, Navy, Air Force.

These documents along with recent revelations by renowned Australian investigative journalist Ross Coulthart prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that there is an ongoing cover-up and deception about the topic. The question I have, as a both concerned Australian and global citizen, is why? And my government has never adequately answered this question.

If you are not familiar with Australian investigative journalist Ross Coulthart's work on this topic, I would encourage both you and your fellow Senators to review his book, "In Plain Sight" and supporting documentary, "THE UFO PHENOMENON," which first aired on Australian TV channel 7's SPOTLIGHT program in late May. The documentary is readily accessible via YouTube and can be viewed via the following link...

My trust in the government has regrettably waned as a result of the ongoing deception and based on the evidence I've taken the time to review todate. I feel strongly there is not enough being done about this topic, and it is my hope that this is where you can come in.

I hope both you and Senator Whish-Wilson can help by pushing for open, public, parliamentary hearings on the UAP issue and follow our US ally and Five Eyes partner's lead to tackle the topic seriously and treat it with respect and scientific scrutiny it deserves. I believe you will find  overwhelming documented evidence presented, but more so, you will likely hear directly from men and women in the Australian Defence Force that have had firsthand encounters with objects - whether formally reported or not - that cannot be explained by conventional means. Case in point: The still secretive Australian Navy communications station - Harold E Holt is the site of numerous past and ongoing strange sightings of anomalous craft, including but not limited to, that of a glowing orb observed in October 1973.

While there is now a concerted effort within the U.S. Department of Defence, under the auspices of the Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronization Group (AOIMSG), along with the recent US public congressional hearing on UAP (the first U.S. public hearing on the topic in more than 50 years), designed to formally investigate and identify UAPs; secrecy is still paramount and the public is left in the dark. Answers are few and far between, and the June 2021 report (Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena) by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) provided to the US public and international community about this issue produced more questions than answers.

I trust that you will succeed where your predecessor, the Hon Peter Dutton MP failed in taking this issue seriously in an Australian context, and hope you will take my name and add it to the countless others writing to their electoral leaders to continue to ask questions and demand answers on UAPs.

Thank you for your attention and I look forward to your response."

Response

R J Denney https://www.airforce.gov.au/our-people/our-leaders/head-air-force-capability

A letter dated 7 July 2022, from R. J. Denney, Air Vice-Marshal, Head of Air Force Capability provided a response. It read:

"Unidentified Aerial Phenomena

Thank you for your correspondance of 6 June 2022 to the Deputy Prime Minister, Richard Marles MP, concerning Unidentified Aerial Phenomema (UAP) and Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs). I appreciate the time you have taken to bring this matter to my attention.

Defence does not have a protocol for the reporting and researching of UAP and UFO sightings. At this point in time, Defence will not be pursuing research into this matter.

I understand that the Uinted States Congress recently held a hearing on UAP and UFO sightings. As this is a matter from a foreign government I am unable to provided you with any further insights.

I understand that this may be disappointing to you, however, I thank you for your ongoing interest and passion in this matter."

Follow up email

Grant sent a further email, dated 26 June 2022:

"Dear The Hon Richard Marles, MP

I hope this follow-up email finds you well.

As it's coming up on 3 weeks since my initial email (refer below) and I've not yet received a response from you, I thought I'd take this opportunity to follow-up and enquire as to when I can expect to hear from you.

I also thought I'd take this opportunity to remind you that both of Australia's Five Eyes partners, the US and Canada are now taking the issue of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) very seriously. In addition, the government of Brazil has also voiced its concern by formally holding a public congressional hearing on the topic in just the last week.

The landscape around the UAP topic has changed considerably since the Australian Department of Defence formally terminated its Unusual Aerial Sightings (UAS) policy back in 2013. As such and following your recent series of meetings with various international leaders and Department of Defence counterparts, I would greately appreciate your response to the following pertinent questions.

1. In your capacity as Deputy Prime Minister and/or Minister for Defence, have you engaged international leaders and/or your Defence counterparts respectively on the UAP issue?

2. Have you been formally briefed on the UAP issue?

3. Have you formally reviewed the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence's "Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena"?

4. In the light of the stance our US ally and Five Eyes partners has taken on the UAP topic, will the Australian Department of Defence, under your leadership finally review its position on the UAP topic in 2022 and communciate this to the Australian public?

I eagerly await your response."

Second DOD response 

On 26 July 2022, R. J. Denney, Air Vice-Marshal, Head of Air Force Capability, responded to Grant.

" Request for Open, Public, Parliamentary Hearings on  UAPs

Thank you for your correspondence of 26 June 2022 to the Deputy Prime Minister, the Hon. Richard Marles MP, concerning Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) and Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs.) Your correspondence has been passed on to me for response.

In response to your first and second question, I wish to inform you that Defence has not briefed the Deputy Prime Minister with regard to the topic of UAP or UFO. Whilst the Deputy Prime Minister has been engaging with his international counterparts on a range of topics in his capacity as both Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, this has not included the topics of UFO or UAP.

The Deputy Prime Minister has not been provided the United States Office of the Director of National Intelligence Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial phenomena for review.

The Five Eyes is an intelligence alliance comprising of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. Air Force does not lead on these forums. Air Force does not consider this the appropriate platform to discuss the topic of UAP or UFO.

I understand the Air Force has previously responded to your queries regarding this topic on a number of occasions. I am satifisfied we have sufficiently addressed your query and as a result, this will be our final correspondence relating to this matter.

Any new questions or concerns will be addressed by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister or the Department of Defence, should the matter fall into our scope of responsibilities."

Grant has submitted a further set of questions, which I will report upon when a government response becomes available. 

Update: 16 September 2022

Twitter user @glensamson86 contacted his Australian parliamentary representative Senator Katy Gallagher. Senator Gallagher forwarded the representation to the Mnister for Defence.

On 13 September 2022, Richard Marles, Minister for Defence, rsponded to Glen Samson. The letter read:

"Thank you for your correspondence of 25 August 2022 to Senator the Hon. Katy Gallagher about Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP.) Your correspondence has been forwarded to me for response.

As you are aware, the Air Force ceased the reporting and recording of UAP in 1996. Defence continues to assess that there is no scientific or other compelling reason to divert resources to the recording and investigation of UAP. They align resources with the priorities, mission and objectives of Defence. 

The United States' approach to UAP, including its international engagement, is a matter for the United States. As a close partner and ally, Australia and the United States consult regularly on a range of shared security and strategic interests.

I appreciate your vested interest in this topic, and I trust this information is of assistance."

Establishment of the US Department of Defence All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office

Media release

On 20 July 2022, the U.S. Department of Defense published a media release titled "DoD Announces the Establishment of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office." The text of the release reads:

https://media.defense.gov/2021/Mar/03/2002592680/-1/-1/0/210212-A-BI463-0003.JPG

"On July 15, 2022, Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks, in coordination with the Director of National Intelligence [DNI], amended her original direction to the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security by renaming and expanding the scope of the Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronization Group [AOIMSG] to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office [AARO], due to the enactment of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2022, which included a provision to establish an office, in coordination with DNI, with responsibilities that were broader than those originally assigned to the AOIMSG.

Today, USD (I&S) Hon Ronald S.  Moultrie informed the department of the establishment of AARO within the office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security, and named Dr. Sean M. Kirkpatrick, most recently the Chief Scientist at the Defense Intelligence Agency's Missile and Space Intelligence Center, as the Director of AARO.

The mission of the AARO will be to synchronize efforts across the Department of Defense, and with other US federal departments and agencies, to detect, identify and attribute objects of interest in, on or near military installations, operating areas, training areas, special use airspace and other areas of interest, and, as necessary, to mitigate any associated threats to safety of operations and national security. This includes anomalous, unidentified space, airborne, submerged, and transmedium objects.

The AARO Executive Council [AAROEXEC], led by Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security [USD(S&I)] Ronald Moultrie, will provide oversight and direction to the AARO along these primary lines of effort:

1. Surveillance, Collection and Reporting.

2. System Capabilities and Design. 

3. Intelligence Operations and Analysis.

4.  Mitigation and Defeat. 

5.  Governance. 

6.  Science and Technology.

See Deputy Secretary of Defense Hicks‘s AARO establishment memo here.

See USD [I&S] Moultrie's AARO establishment memo here.

Read Dr. Kilpatrick‘s bio here.

AARO Establishment Memo

Deputy Secretary of Defense Hick's AARO  establishment memo, dated 15 July 2022, reads;

Memorandum for senior Pentagon leadership

Commanders of the Combatant Commands

Defense Agency and DoD Field Activity Directors.

Subject; Establishment of the all the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office

On November 23, 2021, I directed the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security [USD [INS]] to establish the Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronization Group [AOIMSG] to synchronize efforts across the Department of Defense [DoD] and with other federal departments and agencies to detect, identify, and attribute objects of interest in special air space. I also established the Aerial Object Identification and Management Synchronization Group Executive Council [AOIMSEXEC) to provide oversight and direction to the AOIMSG.

Prior to the establishment of AOIMSG the National Defense Authorization Act [NDAA] for fiscal year [FY] 2022 was enacted with a proviso that requires the Secretary of Defense to establish an office, in coordination with the Director of National Intelligence [DNI], with responsibilities to include those that were to be assigned to the OAIMSG. Therefore, following coordination with the DNI, I hearby approve the following amendment to my original direction in Deputy Secretary of Defense Memorandum, “Establishment of the Airborne Object Identification and Synchronization Management Group,“ November 23, 2021, to meet the DoD requirements in section 1683 of the NDA for FY 2022.

The All-domain Anomaly Resolutions Office [AARO] will be established a carry out the duties that were to be fulfilled by the AOIMSG. The mission of the AARO will be to “synchronize efforts across the department and with other federal departments and agencies to detect, identify, and attribute objects of interest, on, or near military installations, operating areas, training areas, special use air space and other areas of interest, and, as necessary to mitigate any associated threats to safety of operation or national security. This includes anomalous, unidentified space, airborne, submerged or transmedium objects. 

The AOIMEXEC is renamed the AARO Executive Council (AAROEXEC.) The mission of the AAROEXEC will be to provide oversight and direction to the AARO.

I direct the USD [I&S] to establish the AARO, in coordination with the Director of Administration and Management. Consistent with section 1683 of the NDAA for FY 2022, I also direct the Secretary of the Navy to disestablish  the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force [UAPTF] no later than the date the AARO is established, and to support the orderly transition of the UAPTF, including the transfer of any data, analysis, or other relevant material, to the AARO.

The AARO  will serve as the authoritative office of the Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon (UAP) and  UAP-related activities for the DoD.The AARO is the DoD focal point for all UAP and UAP-related activities and may represent the department for such activities to the interagency, Congress, media, and public, in consultation with the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs and Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs. Any DoD component acting on behalf of the UAPTF, or who has data, analysis, contacts, or other material related to UAP, will immediately synchronize their efforts with AARO.

USD(S&I) memo

https://media.defense.gov/2021/Sep/03/2002847568/-1/-1/0/210819-D-IF881-2001.JPG

The USD (I&S) Ronald S. Moultrie, then issued his own memo, dated 20 July 2022, which reads:

"Memorandum for senior Pentagon Leadership

Commanders of the Combatant Commands

Defense Agency and Field Activity Directors

Subject: Establishing, Resourcing and Leadership of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office.

References: (a) Deputy Secretary of Defense Memorandum "Establishment of the Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronization Group," November 23, 2021.

(b) Deputy Secretary of Defense Memorandum "Establishment of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office" (AARO) July 15, 2022.

Pursuant to references (a) and (b), I establish the All-domain Anomaly Resolution office within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security. The AARO will synchronize efforts across the Department and with other U.S. federal agencies to detect, identify, and attribute objects of interest in, or near military installations, operating areas, training areas, special use airspace and other areas of interest, and, as necessary, to mitigate any associated threats to safety of operations and national security. These includes anomalous, unidentified space, airborne, submerged and transmedium objects.

The AARO will leverage Department of Defense capabilities and synchronize with the Intelligence Community to tackle the unique challenges posed by  the presence of anomalous objects across all domains. I will manage the processes to enable the AARO Executive Council to provide oversight and direction to the AARO along the following primary lines of effort:

1. Surveillance, Collection and Reporting.

2. System Capabilities and Design.

3. Intelligence Operations and Analysis.

4. Mitigation and Defeat.

5. Governance.

6. Science and Technology.

My office will provide necessary administrative support, to the AARO, including facilities management, budgets, contracts, human resources, security, congressional affairs, and information technology. My office will also advocate for resources to support the operations of the AARO and the executive of the AARO mission across the Future Years Defense Plan.

During the transition from the Navy UAP Task Force to the AARO, I expect the DoD components to continue to meet their responsibilities for timely reporting of UAP, as they have done to this point. We will provide implementation guidelines as we move forward with the AARO establishment, and we look forward to working with the DoD to streamline reporting processes and procedures.

It is vital to our national security and the safety of our military personnel that we maintain awareness of anomalous objects in all domains. We must also keep pace with the development and employment of novel technologies by our adversaries. In doing so, we are committed to providing maximum transparency while safeguarding classified information and controlled unclassified information. The establishment of the AARO is a significant step forward in developing the capabilities and processes that are necessary to achieve these goals."

Twitter

On the 22 July 2022, Ronald S Moultrie tweeted:

"Dr. Kirkpatrick and I had a very productive discussion with Senator Gillibrand and her staff yesterday regarding @DoD_AARO and look forward to continuing our work on this important effort."

In response, on 25 July 2022, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand tweeted:

"Thank you for taking the time to speak to me - I look forward to continuing this important work with you."

The All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office has its own Twitter account.

Update: 23 October 2022

A job advert appeared for an AARO Senior Intelligence Collection Officer.

AARO synchronizes, in coordination with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, efforts across the Department of Defense and with other US Federal departments and agencies to detect, identify, attribute, and mitigate objects of interest in or near military installations, operating areas, training areas, special use airspace, and other areas of interest.The Senior Intelligence Collection Officer serves as the principal collection subject matter expert responsible for supporting the Director and Chief of Operations, maximizing and improving collection, across all intelligence disciplines, in support of the DoD detection (search & discover), tracking, characterization, identification, attribution, and mitigation of anomalous objects of interest across US National Security areas.The Senior Intelligence Collection Officer fosters and cultivates strategic alliances and professional networks with interagency partners and other US Government elements to align and integrate the enterprise's array of collection capabilities against the Nation's most urgent and important UAP data and intelligence requirements.The incumbent drives adequate resource availability and priority attention on the Defense Department's UAP data requirements.They partner with the AARO staff and the collection enterprise to develop and implement the Defense Department's integrated UAP collection strategy, collection emphasis messages, integrated collection plans, and other activities to support organizational missions and goals and to drive resolution of complex operational, legal, policy, oversight, and compliance issues.In conjunction with the Director, the Senior Intelligence Collection Officer provides direction and guidance to mission partners with regard to UAP collection. The incumbent liaises with the ODNI, with IC Functional Committees, with the Defense Intelligence Enterprise, and with other departments and agencies engaged in collection and/or reporting activities to coordinate joint actions; to ensure alignment of programs, procedures, guidelines, and systems; and to ensure proper awareness with and among mission partners and stakeholders. AARO synchronizes, in coordination with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, efforts across the Department of Defense and with other US Federal departments and agencies to detect, identify, attribute, and mitigate objects of interest in or near military installations, operating areas, training areas, special use airspace, and other areas of interest.

The Senior Intelligence Collection Officer serves as the principal collection subject matter expert responsible for supporting the Director and Chief of Operations, maximizing and improving collection, across all intelligence disciplines, in support of the DoD detection (search & discover), tracking, characterization, identification, attribution, and mitigation of anomalous objects of interest across US National Security areas.

The Senior Intelligence Collection Officer fosters and cultivates strategic alliances and professional networks with interagency partners and other US Government elements to align and integrate the enterprise's array of collection capabilities against the Nation's most urgent and important UAP data and intelligence requirements.

The incumbent drives adequate resource availability and priority attention on the Defense Department's UAP data requirements. They partner with the AARO staff and the collection enterprise to develop and implement the Defense Department's integrated UAP collection strategy, collection emphasis messages, integrated collection plans, and other activities to support organizational missions and goals and to drive resolution of complex operational, legal, policy, oversight, and compliance issues.

In conjunction with the Director, the Senior Intelligence Collection Officer provides direction and guidance to mission partners with regard to UAP collection. The incumbent liaises with the ODNI, with IC Functional Committees, with the Defense Intelligence Enterprise, and with other departments and agencies engaged in collection and/or reporting activities to coordinate joint actions; to ensure alignment of programs, procedures, guidelines, and systems; and to ensure proper awareness with and among mission partners and stakeholders.

Required Languages-----
Desired Languages-----
Minimum Qualifications Required• Expert knowledge of and broad experience with addressing intelligence collection-related issues, and in-depth expertise on domestic, defense, national, and foreign partners' intelligence collection activities, capabilities, programs, and organizations. • Demonstrated senior-level experience as a manager or non-technical/technical collection expert. • Prior collection management experience with multiple intelligence disciplines and working in a cross domain environment. • Superior ability to lead senior-level interagency teams or bodies successfully and to achieve decisive results. • Demonstrated managerial expertise, including the ability to develop near- and long-term strategies, set goals, establish metrics, oversee projects and initiatives, measure progress, and oversee budgets. • Superior interpersonal and organizational skills, including the ability to conceptualize and lead complex projects with little supervision and juggle multiple, competing priorities. • Demonstrated team-building skills, including the ability to work within small dynamic and high-performing teams. • Superior critical thinking and communication skills, including the ability to communicate effectively with individuals at all levels of leadership.
Conditions-----
Other CommentsAfter completing this JDA tour, the member will have an expanded understanding of: - The different roles, responsibilities, programs, and collection processes and capabilities of different members of the DIE and the IC; - DoD operations, chains of command and operational reporting processes; - DoD, DIE and IC intelligence tasking, collection, processing, exploitation and dissemination processes; - OSD roles and missions, and relationships with DoD components; - Congressional affairs interactions and procedures; - The different roles, responsibilities and relationships of other USG departments and agencies and their relationship with the DoD; - The different roles, responsibilities and capabilities of DoD Components, to include Military Departments and the Joint Staff; - OSD staffing processes and procedures.
How to ApplyAPPLICATION PROCESS: 1. IC employees must apply by the vacancy close date. The IC employee application should include the following ... a. A brief (two-page limit) candidate resume or biographical summary. b. A short narrative describing the applicant's qualifications (general and specific) for the joint duty rotational assignment. 2. IC employees must be nominated by their employing (home) element within 10 calendar days of the vacancy close date in order to be considered by the gaining element. Please contact your employing element's Joint Duty Program Office for nomination procedures as some agencies may require written supervisory endorsement at the time of application. IC Element Joint Duty Program Office contact info can be found at: https://ichas.dni.ic.gov/JDAT/Contacts.aspx. Any application sent directly by an IC employee to the gaining element will not be considered.Update: 12 January 2023The Director of AARO will speak at the Transportation Research Board Annual meeting in WashingtonHere is the link to the presentation.
Update: 21 February 2023In a 19 February 2023 article, US researcher Robert Hastings, advised that AARO had been in contact with him. As a result, a number of veterans with accounts of encounters with UAP near military nuclear weapons facilities had spoken to AARO. Update2: 21 February 2023US Senators Gillibrand and Marco are reportedly leading a group of 16 Senators pushing for full funding for AARO.Update3: 15 March 2023A paper titled "Physical constraints on unidentified aerial phenomena" by Avi Loeb of Project Galileo and Sean Kirkpatrick of AARO has been made available. Update 4: 19 April 2023On the 19th April 2023, the AARO Director presented to the Senate Armed Services Committee's sub-committee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities. There was both a closed and an open segment to the hearingYou can read his statement here.You can view the video of the entire hearing here. Update 5: 9 May 2023A vacancy notice for a Deputy Director of AARO, recently appeared.Update: 31 May 2023Dr Sean Kirkpatrick presented at today.s NASA's public meeting on their UAP Study Team. Update: 30 June 2023Senate Gillibrand secures full funding for AARO.  Update: 6 July 2023The Aerospace Corporation in the US advertises jobs supporting AARO.