Mysterious saucer-shaped objects have been documented by people all around the world throughout history, dating back centuries. Information disclosing unidentified flying objects (UFOs), also known as unidentified aerial phenomenons (UAPs), has rarely ever been presented to the public by military or governmental leaders, with many instances in the mid-20th century labeled as top secret.
In 2020, UAP footage recorded by two Navy pilots was released and declassified by the U.S. Pentagon showing a saucer-shaped object moving at erratic speeds over the coast of the Pacific in southern California. The initial release of the video was a leak and only later confirmed as unidentifiable by the Pentagon in 2021. Scientists have gone on record stating that the confirmation and declassification of the footage was a solid step in the military and government’s transparency to the people. Even with the footage being released, though, information about what appears on it has not been disclosed and left many questions, if any further information is even available.
However, on November 13, 2024, a congressional hearing was held discussing top secret UAP programs held by the U.S. government. The testimony was held by former member of NASA Tim Gallaudet, former member of the Department of Defense Luiz Elizondo, New York Times reporter Michael Gold and political author Michael Shellenberger. Gallaudet in 2015 was the chief Meteorologist for the Navy during the “Go” footage that was later released in 2020. In the testimony, he stated that UAPs are a safety risk for navy pilots and requested more transparency from the government discussing UAP information.
Gallaudet made additional accusations on record stating that the government held a campaign to discredit whistleblowers of previous UAP encounters. Elizondo provided his testimony too, stating that the government’s secrecy is used to hide the fact that we are not alone in the universe.
“I think it’s very interesting seeing people of this [importance] talk about UAPs and actually taking action, claiming their existence,” Adam Smith (12) said.
Both testimonies claim possible extraterrestrial life, but is this necessarily the case? In November 2024, large unidentified drones were spotted in New Jersey and along the east coast of the United States. Questions that arose among the community of the east coast in response to the sightings of the drones, however, were mostly unanswered, with both the local and federal governments providing little information about the origin of them. Officials from both the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security stated that the drones do not pose a threat to national security or the public. The government has taken little to no action in removing these drones from residential areas.
“It’s strange that the government seems so unconcerned with the drones especially since I feel like that would bother the residents if the drones keep appearing,” Will Lacy (12) said.
Overall, the congressional hearing aims to shed light on the government’s lack of public information involving UAPs. As sightings become more discussed there is also a growing number of absurd supposed “whistleblowers.” A supposed new whistleblower came through by the name of Jake Barber, who presented a video of a supposed UAP spacecraft. The “spacecraft” in the video, however, is obviously not real footage as it appears to be an egg attached to a string with someone out of frame puppetting it, mimicking a UFO’s common shape and movements. He has nevertheless fooled many news sources despite also being skewered or ignored by so many other outlets.
The flurry of competing claims, from the outlandish to the surprisingly convincing, so often competes with the truths of the UAP sightings throughout the years. With the amount of baggage and continued secrecy, even with official hearings in Congress, it’s unlikely that the U.S. government will be able to persuade the public at large about anything regarding these sightings.
