Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Implications on National Security, Public Safety, and Government Transparency (hearing transcript)

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it is transparent, and that it also provides appropriate answers as
our Oversight body always demands.
Now, it is really important that we are here in a bipartisan way
to have this conversation which really to the heart of it is about
national security and key to the Subcommittee’s core purpose.
This is the Subcommittee on National Security of the Oversight
Committee.
Now, our witnesses will testify today that UAPs have posed a se-
rious safety threat and we must understand this. More broadly, we
are dealing with real questions that get to the heart of our faith
in government.
Faith in our institutions, as we all know, is at an all-time low.
Partisanship and alternative facts make it too easy to doubt nar-
rative or our institutions. But this hearing will offer the public
unique perspectives, building on years of reporting by both Federal
agencies and the independent media.
Now, some of the earliest reporting on this issue was a
groundbreaking 2017 New York Times report which revealed re-
search as we know now on unidentified anomalous phenomena or
as many call UFOs by the Defense Intelligence Agency.
Mr. Graves and Commander Fravor’s experiences with UAPs
have also been documented by the public, not just by the New York
Times but CNN and many other national news outlets.
Now, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence has pub-
lished public reports documenting UAPs and on June 9, 2022,
NASA announced that the agency is commissioning a study to, of
course, examine unidentified anomalous phenomena.
Now, the sheer number of reports, whistleblowers, and stories of
unidentified anomalous phenomena should raise real questions and
warrant investigation and oversight and that is why we are here
today.
Now, pilots have reported encounters for years and because of
the stigma around reporting these incidents we still do not have a
complete picture of actually what is going on, particularly, as your
witnesses will testify, on the civilian side and that is a real prob-
lem that we have today in the country.
Now, it is very important that we show that Democrats and Re-
publicans in Congress can come together in a bipartisan way to cut
through misinformation and to look at the facts in a serious and
thoughtful manner.
If we are to advance oversight and public disclosure, we must
also gain the broad support of the public. We will succeed getting
facts out to the public faster if there is a broad public support as
part of the process.
Now, I understand fully the Department of Defense is hesitant
to share information that could also undermine our national secu-
rity by revealing information on the capabilities of our own aircraft,
our sensors, and other sensitive material.
At the same time, many people believe that we are withholding
information from them and that is dangerous also. I believe in
openness and transparency. That is also the role of Congress, and
I want to trust that the American people will be able to weigh the
evidence and make up their own minds.