THERE’S AN INTERESTING debate going on in the fevered virtual world of Twitter, UFO podcasts and other social media outlets right now. There’s not long to go before the 180 day limit for the Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon Task Force (UAPTF) report publication date expires. This report is part of a committee comment attached to the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, itself part of the Coronavirus Relief Bill signed by former US President Donald Trump at the end of 2020. Opinions on what information the Office of Naval Intelligence’s UAPTF will give to the Senate Intelligence Committee should it meet the deadline in June, and more importantly for those of us observing from outside the corridors of power, how much of this will see the light of day, are inevitably split.

Some believe – or hope – that the UAPTF will unlock the secrets of the UFO enigma, this will allow full disclosure and we will be immediately propelled into a new world where we know we are not alone in this universe. Others think that any admission of strange aerial phenomenon signifies the beginning, if not full-scale implementation of the US government coming clean on what it knows. Some observers remain on the fence, preferring to await the report itself whilst others maintain various levels of scepticism, ranging from doubt through to full-scale distrust of the whole process. I’m firmly in the middle here. I hear things – they’re often contradictory and leave me no closer to finding answers from when I first heard the announcement that the UAPTF was being established.

No matter what their individual stance, most observers believe that some level of increased awareness of the UAP issue will emerge after the 180 day limit is passed. You can add me to that list. However, we need to exercise a little caution. Rather than being a law as such, the inclusion of the UAPTF report is essentially a request. Therefore we should be trying to manage our expectations accordingly, and not be too disheartened or annoyed if what emerges does not meet our individual wishes. Anything that appears as a result of the report is a bonus. After all, the UAP issue has been occupying minds since the early 1940s. If it provides what is being believed by some, then the report may be worth waiting just a little longer for.

There are grounds to be optimistic that at least some progress is finally being made in terms of public discourse on the issue of UAPs. Christopher Mellon, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intelligence in the Bill Clinton and George W. Bush administrations, gave a statement to The Debrief to this effect at the end of December 2020:

Assuming the Executive Branch honors this important request, the nation will at long last have an objective basis for assessing the validity of the issue and its national security implications. This is an extraordinary and long overdue opportunity.

Let us hope that Christopher Mellon’s assumption is correct.

Delay or Publish?

Whether or not the UAPTF report contains anything of substance is another question. A more fundamental question is should the UAPTF be forced to meet the 180 day deadline, or can this be extended so that a more comprehensive report be placed in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee?

Rumours of underfunding, under-resourcing and lack of access to sources of information have been rife for some time now. A report by Bryan Bender for the Politico website back in March 2021 quoted Christopher Mellon as saying the UAPTF were encountering obstacles:

I know that the task force has been denied access to pertinent information by the Air Force and they have been stiff-armed by them. That is disappointing but not unexpected.

Bryan Bender reported in the same article that the UAPTF were dealing with agencies that had showed reluctance, and even in some cases, outright resistance to sharing classified information. This followed reports that the Task Force itself was hamstrung by several factors. Bender’s article for Politico referenced Christopher Mellon’s assertions that the UAPTF was suffering from a lack of personnel and resources in addition to “stiff-arm tactics” from the United States Air Force.

None of this is encouraging to those hoping for progress on the UAP issue. If, as some commentators have gone as far as to suggest, the UAPTF is a single person writing the report in their own time, then the scope and detail included in their report to the Senate Intelligence Committee is likely to be very limited. Such a submission would be almost worse than useless. One could argue that a report that does not go into many details, cannot be backed up with evidence beyond which has already entered the public domain and lacks access to sensitive, restricted information will be looked upon by the Committee with disgust. It may even set back attempts to get the US Government to look seriously at the UAP issue for years, if not decades. Budgets are tight and some politicians may look at further spending on research and reporting as frivolous and unnecessary in the light of recovery efforts following the COVID-19 epidemic. The report therefore has to contain enough information and evidence so that the Senate Intelligence Committee cannot ignore or criticise it without good cause – and justifiable reasons of their own.

If the reports of the underfunding, under-resourcing and lack of access are indeed correct, then should the UAPTF be held to the 180 day deadline? Can a delay be authorised, or will those unnamed officials that are rumoured to be behind efforts to scupper any closer examination of the UAP issue force the report to be presented on time, no matter how lacking in substance it may be?

Assuming the Biden administration grants an extension, this would allow time for a re-evaluation of the UAPTF’s resourcing and access needs. If Christopher Mellon is correct – and there is no evidence to suggest otherwise – then the Task Force badly needs a shot in the arm in terms of personnel numbers and the necessary “clout” it requires to fulfil its remit. A delay would also allow elected officials across the United States to put pressure upon the unnamed agencies who are reportedly stonewalling the UAPTF’s efforts in obtaining the details it needs to provide the Senate Intelligence Committee with accurate, timely and useful information. Citizens across the United States are already mobilising to ask their elected representatives to engage with the UAP issue – you only have to look at The Big Phone Home for a positive example of this. A delay in the report would also allow public engagement with elected officials to translate into positive support for the UAPTF and its remit.

People who are invested in the UAP issue want more information. That’s understandable. We all want to know the truth about what is going on. But in the rush to find these answers, will that truth simply evade our clutches once again? Will it be far better to welcome a delay in the report’s submission, in the hope that it is much more detailed and effective?

One opinion worth listening to is that of Luis Elizondo, former director of the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP). He spoke to Mystery Wire recently about the forthcoming UAPTF report:

Best scenario is that this is an interim report that will meet the intent of Congress, with the promise to provide another report following this one.

An interim report, one that provides enough information to warrant allowing time, resources and access for a further, more detailed report, sounds like the best course of action at this time. Let us hope that the Biden administration sees the UAPTF and its objective in the same light.