(NewsNation) — On World UFO Day, the subject of unidentified objects is in the spotlight as legislators continue to push for more transparency on the issue.
It’s been nearly a year since whistleblower David Grusch stepped forward with claims that the Pentagon has been operating a secret UFO retrieval program. His comments sparked a congressional hearing, multiple government reports and testimony from others who have had unexplained experiences.
Despite repeated denials from the Defense Department, there is still skepticism that the agency is being fully transparent. Here’s where things stand in the search for truth about UFOs.
Secret UFO Retrieval Program
Grusch is a former Air Force intelligence officer who served as a representative to the Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon Task Force, the Pentagon office tasked with investigating UAPs, which most people refer to as “UFOs.”
Grusch went public last summer with the claims he had previously disclosed to the Intelligence Community Office of the Inspector General. He claimed that the Pentagon was operating a secret program dedicated to retrieving crashed UAPs and was in possession of nonhuman craft and biological remains of nonhuman beings. He also suggested white-collar crime was being committed to hide the program and even suggested people had been killed to protect the program.
As someone associated with the UAP Task Force, Grusch said he was denied access to the program. He based his claims on interviews with witnesses familiar with the program. Grusch also said he went to All-Domain Anomaly Office Director Sean Kirkpatrick with the information but did not get a response.
Congressional inquiry into UFOs
Grusch’s claims sparked a congressional hearing on the subject, the first in more than 50 years. In the hearing, Grusch testified with former Navy pilot Ryan Graves and Navy Commander David Fravor.
Fravor recounted his firsthand experience encountering a UAP, an incident seen in UAP videos released by the Pentagon in previous decades. Grusch repeated the claims in his whistleblower account, while Graves and Fravor expressed concern about the risks UAPs cause to the military, regardless of origin, and a need for more investigation into the subject.
Lawmakers focused on the alleged secret program as well as accusations that the Pentagon was keeping the program from Congress in a violation of oversight rules. The hearing also sparked the formation of a bipartisan UFO Caucus, informally led by Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn.
Sens. Chuck Schumer, D-NY, and Mike Rounds, R-SD, sponsored legislation that would mandate transparency on government records around UAPs. House lawmakers sponsored a competing version as well.
Pentagon report, denials of UAPs
The Pentagon eventually issued an official report from AARO that found there was no evidence of a secret program and stated the government has no evidence that UAPs are extraterrestrial in origin.
The DoD did admit to a proposed program known as Kona Blue, which was developed to reverse-engineer any alien technology recovered by the government. However, it never got off the ground because no such technology was ever located.
In another much-anticipated report, NASA also reported no evidence for extraterrestrial contact with Earth. The agency did state there needs to be more rigorous research in the area and called for destigmatizing the topic in hopes of leading to more scientific study.
UFOs get national attention
Grusch’s claims drew public attention to a subject that has long fascinated people. As lawmakers investigated claims of secret programs, videos purporting to show UFO encounters caught people’s attention.
Claims of UFO sightings were debunked by skeptics and supported as authentic by others. Other expert voices also stepped forward with support for Grusch’s claims, including Harvard scientist Avi Loeb and former Navy Rear Admiral Tim Gallaudet.
Some have even suggested that not only do aliens exist, but they are interacting with humanity and possibly even already living on Earth.
Searching for answers for UFOs, UAPs
Lawmakers and the public alike have been skeptical of government denials. Members of the UFO Caucus have had several closed-door briefings, but Burchett has suggested the government is purposefully sending people who don’t have the information they are seeking.
He and others in Congress have vowed to hold more hearings and continue to push forward when it comes to finding out the truth about alleged UAP programs. The attention has also led to a shakeup at AARO and a new way for the public to report sightings.
The U.S. isn’t the only country looking to the skies, either. Japan recently formed a body to investigate UFO reports after being labeled a hot spot for sightings.
In the meantime, the question of what, exactly, is behind unexplained objects seen in the sky remains unanswered.