Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (hearing transcript, Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Counterintelligence, and Counterproliferation, 17 May 2022)

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Chairman Carson. The gentleman yields back.
Now I will turn to our distinguished chairman, Adam Schiff, for any commence he
wishes to make.
Mr. Schiff. Thank you, Chairman Carson, for holding this open hearing on
unidentified aerial phenomena and for your leadership on this issue.
Holding a portion of our discussion today in open session is critical to the cause of
transparency and openness which was Congress' intent in authorizing and funding this
new task force.
The larger effort that is being undertaken to study and characterize UAP reports is
an important step towards understanding these phenomenon, what we know and don't
know. And I look forward to hearing more during both the open session and the closed
setting about how DOD and the IC are undertaking that task.
UAP reports have been around for decades, and yet we haven't had an orderly
way for them to be reported without stigma and to be investigated. That needs to
change. UAP reports need to be understood as a national security matter. And that
message needs to go out across DOD, the IC, and the whole of the U.S. Government.
When we spot something we don't understand or can't identify in our airspace, it
is the job of those we entrust with our national security to investigate and to report back.
That is why it is important that we hold this open hearing for the public to hear directly
from the Department of Defense on the steps it is taking to track, analyze, and
transparently communicate the work that is being done on this issue.
It is also the responsibility of our government and this panel to share as much as
we can with the American people since excessive secrecy only breeds distrust and
speculation.
I look forward to hearing how the UAP task force is being stood up, what