UAP Update: The UAP Disclosure Act of 2024
Check out the language used in this bill.
The text of the UAP Disclosure Act of 2024, sponsored by Senator Mike Rounds (R), and co-sponsored by Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, has just been released.
I think a lot of the language in this bill is so significant that it's worth looking at closely. A very similar bill was proposed in 2023 but was gutted at the last minute. The fact that this was co-sponsored by one of the most powerful officials in the government, Chuck Schumer, is also really important to keep in mind.
The full text of the bill can be found here:
https://www.congress.gov/amendment/118th-congress/senate-amendment/2610/text
Significant Excerpts:
“Legislation is necessary because credible evidence and testimony indicates that Federal Government unidentified anomalous phenomena records exist that have not been declassified or subject to mandatory declassification review as set forth in Executive Order 13526 (50 U.S.C. 3161 note; relating to classified national security information) due in part to exemptions under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.), as well as an over-broad interpretation of ``transclassified foreign nuclear information'', which is also exempt from mandatory declassification, thereby preventing public disclosure under existing provisions of law.”
Translation: Congress needs to pass a law relating to this stuff because the government has records of UAPs that have been kept secret using an overbroad interpretation of the Atomic Energy Act, and the public deserves to see these records.
“Legislation is necessary because section 552 of title 5, United States Code (commonly referred to as the ``Freedom of Information Act''), as implemented by the Executive branch of the Federal Government, has proven inadequate in achieving the timely public disclosure of Government unidentified anomalous phenomena records that are subject to mandatory declassification review.”
Translation: Whoever is holding those records have found a way to circumvent FOIA.
“Legislation is necessary to afford complete and timely access to all knowledge gained by the Federal Government concerning unidentified anomalous phenomena in furtherance of comprehensive open scientific and technological research and development essential to avoiding or mitigating potential technological surprise in furtherance of urgent national security concerns and the public interest.”
Translation: The authors of this amendment are very concerned that foreign nations have engaged in their own reverse engineering program that may soon result in the release of new technologies that have the potential to upend our national security priorities.
“Legacy program.--The term ``legacy program'' means all Federal, State, and local government, commercial industry, academic, and private sector endeavors to collect, exploit, or reverse engineer technologies of unknown origin or examine biological evidence of living or deceased non-human intelligence that pre-dates the date of the enactment of this Act.”
Translation: “Legacy program” is the term used by Congress to refer to what I simply call “The Program,” and is in reality a patchwork of public and private research into NHI materials and biologics. This excerpt spells out exactly what the Legacy program does.
“Non-human intelligence.--The term ``non-human intelligence'' means any sentient intelligent non-human lifeform regardless of nature or ultimate origin that may be presumed responsible for unidentified anomalous phenomena or of which the Federal Government has become aware.”
Translation: The Federal Government has probably become aware that some kind of NHI is responsible for UAPs.
“Technologies of unknown origin.--The term ``technologies of unknown origin'' means any materials or meta-materials, ejecta, crash debris, mechanisms, machinery, equipment, assemblies or sub-assemblies, engineering models or processes, damaged or intact aerospace vehicles, and damaged or intact ocean-surface and undersea craft associated with unidentified anomalous phenomena or incorporating science and technology that lacks prosaic attribution or known means of human manufacture.”
Translation: These are all the things the Legacy program has recovered from their various activities over the decades. The undersea vehicle aspect is particularly interesting as there has been a growing understanding that the undersea (also known as trans medium) craft play an important role in this.
“In general.--The term ``unidentified anomalous phenomena'' means any object operating or judged capable of operating in outer-space, the atmosphere, ocean surfaces, or undersea lacking prosaic attribution due to performance characteristics and properties not previously known to be achievable based upon commonly accepted physical principles. Unidentified anomalous phenomena are differentiated from both attributed and temporarily non-attributed objects by one or more of the following observables:
(i) Instantaneous acceleration absent apparent inertia.
(ii) Hypersonic velocity absent a thermal signature and sonic shockwave.
(iii) Transmedium (such as space-to-ground and air-to-undersea) travel.
(iv) Positive lift contrary to known aerodynamic principles.
(v) Multispectral signature control.
(vi) Physical or invasive biological effects to close observers and the environment.”
Translation: These are the characteristics of UAPs observed by various agencies within the Federal Government.
“Unidentified anomalous phenomena record.--The term ``unidentified anomalous phenomena record'' means a record that is related to unidentified anomalous phenomena, technologies of unknown origin, or non-human intelligence (and all equivalent subjects by any other name with the specific and sole exclusion of temporarily non-attributed objects) that was created or made available for use by, obtained by, or otherwise came into the possession of--
(A) the Executive Office of the President;
(B) the Department of Defense and its progenitors, the Department of War and the Department of the Navy;
(C) the Department of the Army;
(D) the Department of the Navy;
(E) the Department of the Air Force, specifically the Air Force Office of Special Investigations;
(F) the Department of Energy and its progenitors, the Manhattan Project, the Atomic Energy Commission, and the Energy Research and Development Administration;
(G) the Office of the Director of National Intelligence;
(H) the Central Intelligence Agency and its progenitor, the Office of Strategic Services;
(I) the National Reconnaissance Office;
(J) the Defense Intelligence Agency;
(K) the National Security Agency;
(L) the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency;
(M) the National Aeronautics and Space Administration:
(N) the Federal Bureau of Investigation;
(O) the Federal Aviation Administration;
(P) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration;
(Q) the Library of Congress;
(R) the National Archives and Records Administration;
(S) any Presidential library;
(T) any Executive agency;
(U) any independent office or agency;
(V) any other department, office, agency, committee, or commission of the Federal Government;
(W) any State or local government department, office, agency, committee, or commission that provided support or assistance or performed work, in connection with a Federal inquiry into unidentified anomalous phenomena, technologies of unknown origin, or non-human intelligence; and
(X) any private sector person or entity formerly or currently under contract or some other agreement with the Federal Government.”
Translation: This is a list of agencies, offices, and organizations that Congress believes may have records pertaining to UAPs. Particularly notable is that the precursors to the Department of Defense and the CIA are specifically mentioned, suggesting that those precursor agencies generated records relating to UAPs while they existed, which begs the question of just how long this coverup has been going on.
“Establishment.--There is established as an independent agency a board to be known as the ``Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Records Review Board'' … Qualifications.--Persons nominated to the Review Board--
(A) shall be impartial citizens, none of whom shall have had any previous or current involvement with any legacy program or controlling authority relating to the collection, exploitation, or reverse engineering of technologies of unknown origin or the examination of biological evidence of living or deceased non-human intelligence;”
Translation: Congress doesn't want the same people who work for the Legacy program to be the people who oversee the collection and declassification of UAP records.
“SEC. __10. DISCLOSURE OF RECOVERED TECHNOLOGIES OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN AND BIOLOGICAL EVIDENCE OF NON-HUMAN INTELLIGENCE.
(a) Exercise of Eminent Domain.--The Federal Government shall exercise eminent domain over any and all recovered technologies of unknown origin and biological evidence of non-human intelligence that may be controlled by private persons or entities in the interests of the public good.”
Translation: Congress believes that private organizations have UAP records and direct evidence, and is willing to and/or needs to use the power of eminent domain to seize these records and/or materials.
This all seems like very strong and direct language to me. The term “Controlled Disclosure Campaign Plan” is used several times in the bill, and it's clear that this bill is part of that process. The board they are creating won’t just release everything overnight, but will create real Congressional oversight for the first time in regards to these programs, and will have a mandate to constantly reassess whether or not certain information can be deemed acceptable to release to the public.
To the skeptics: I ask you, why do you think that Chuck Schumer would co-sponsor a bill with language like this in it, if there weren't very real considerations here that people very high up in our government are taking extremely seriously?