The US federal government possesses evidence of the existence of UFOs, including satellite images of vehicles that appear not to be man-made, an expert familiar with the documents told the New York Post.Christopher Mellon, former deputy assistant secretary of defense intelligence during the Clinton and Bush administrations, said the government’s trove of UFO documents was enormous and included photos and videos. Public disclosure of the information would take UFO discourse “to another level,” he said.
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Under President Trump’s order two weeks ago, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth will direct the release of “files relating to” aliens, UFOs, and “all other information associated” with the “extremely complex” topic, the president wrote on Truth Social.
While the announcement prompted federal agencies, including the White House and the Pentagon, to act, there has been no official word on what will be released and when.Mellon claimed that the most convincing data were clear satellite images of vehicles in space above Earth that were clearly not man-made. “We have satellite images of the vehicles that certainly don’t look like anything we’ve ever built or constructed,” Mellon said.
He said the same images of vehicles engaging in “acts that are difficult to explain” were referenced by former Director of National Intelligence and current CIA Director John Ratcliffe in a 2021 Fox News interview.In 2017, Mellon played a key role in the release of three US military radar images of unidentified aerial phenomena, or UAPs, referred to as “Tic Tac,” “GOFAST,” and “Gimbal.” There are more like those on government hard drives, he said.Mellon said the government now prefers the term “UAP” or unidentified aerial phenomena to “UFO.”“There is a large number of videos from the same sources that were ruled unclassified in 2018 – weapons cameras on F18s, [Forward Looking Infrared Radar] “Videos — that have been withheld from the public,” he said.“I know there are some of these clips because I’ve seen some of them, and there’s no logical reason for me to think about why these videos were blocked,” Mellon said.Mellon said that some provocative images should be included in the release, but he did not expect there to be files confirming the existence of alien civilizations or contact with them.The War Department, National Intelligence Administration, National Security Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency, Energy Department and National Nuclear Security Administration all have UFO files related to the release ordered by Trump, Mellon said.He added that publishing secret and sensitive materials was an “unnatural act” for the intelligence services. “I have a feeling that the bureaucracy will react slowly, and I don’t think they will deliver the best things quickly, if they do at all,” he said. “Congressional vigilance is needed to ensure a comprehensive and effective process.”Sen. Mike Rounds (R-South Dakota), a ranking member of the Senate Armed Service Committee who introduced the UAP Disclosure Act with Minority Leader Chuck Schumer in 2023, said he hopes for a broad version that would ensure U.S. military secrets are preserved.Rounds said he hopes to get “as much disclosure as possible in terms of just being honest with the American people about what we think we don’t know about or what we’re learning about.”“And I just want to make sure that anything we put forward does not impact our national security capabilities.”