Important UAP legislation has now been passed by Congress
The US Senate has just passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2022, having earlier gone through the House of Representatives. The NDAA importantly includes a groundbreaking UAP amendment.
We recently reported an attempt by the US Department of Defense to circumvent and undermine Congress by announcing a bare-bones successor to the UAP Task Force. It would seem that Congress has ignored this and instead pushed through legislation for far wider proposals.
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
The Gillibrand-Rubio-Gallego UAP provisions for further investigation must be applauded. It is a bipartisan victory in favour of rational investigation - to move beyond the stigma and taboo that has previously been such a blockage to study what is happening in the skies above us.
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has said:
I’m proud that my amendment to establish a permanent office to investigate Unidentified Aerial Phenomena is in the NDAA. Burying our heads in the sand isn’t an option. The United States needs a coordinated effort to take control and understand whether these aerial phenomena belong to a foreign government or something else altogether. I am proud to have worked alongside Congressman Gallego to include this amendment that will help remove the stigma surrounding UAPs, protect our nation, and keep those who serve safe.
Senator Marco Rubio
Senator Marco Rubio - who has played a huge part in advocating for more to be done about UAP - has commented:
It is my hope that the creation of a new joint Defense Department and Intelligence Community office focused on UAPs will provide the resources, analytics and attention needed to determine what is loitering around our military training ranges. The DoD and IC need to ensure a more uniform collection strategy is in place and that we continue to destigmatize reporting on UAPs, particularly from military aviators. Significantly, we also maintain the transparency and accountability that my provision in last year’s Intelligence Authorization Act report provided, by ensuring ongoing unclassified reporting.
Congressman Ruben Gallego
Congressman Ruben Gallego has shared similar sentiments:
Protecting our national security interests means knowing who and what are flying in U.S. airspace. Right now our system of tracking and identifying UAPs is scattered throughout the Department of Defense and other departments and agencies of the federal government. Based on briefings I’ve received as Chairman of the House Intelligence and Special Operations Subcommittee, I firmly believe that the Department of Defense and the Intelligence Community need to come together and create a permanent, synchronized structure to collect and analyze UAP data. I’m excited that the amendment I introduced alongside Senator Gillibrand was included in the final version of the NDAA.
So the politicians have done their bit, giving all of us who want to see serious data collection and analysis an early Christmas present. This has to be a welcome step in the right direction. The new office will be required to provide an unclassified annual report to Congress, in addition to biannual classified briefings to the relevant lawmakers.
Written by Jessica Nelson, 16th December 2021