Documents / Hearing transcript
This is the transcript of a joint hearing held November 13, 2024 by two subcommittees of the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, chaired by Rep. Nancy Mace. The witnesses were Tim Gallaudet, Luis Elizondo, Michael Shellenberger and Michael Gold. They addressed government secrecy, AARO's transparency, a Pentagon document on the alleged Immaculate Constellation program, threats to pilot safety, and UAP activity near nuclear and military sites. Members also discussed UAP disclosure legislation.
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47 And, of course, our national security is a huge issue, because if there is technology that could harm us or allies that are in the hands of our adversaries, we obviously want to stay ahead of that to the best of our ability to ensure that that technology is not in the hands of someone who could use it against us or our allies any- where in the world. So, Mr. Ogles, you are just in time, babe. I will recognize you for 5 minutes of questioning before we head on out today. Mr. OGLES. Well, thank you all for being here. And, Madam Chairwoman, I am out of breath because I sprinted to get here. But this is an important hearing. I think we all know that there is something going on. Mr. Elizondo, based on your knowledge of UAP sightings, do you believe it is fair to say that they are especially common near nu- clear sites? Mr. ELIZONDO. Yes, sir, Mr. Congressman, I absolutely am con- vinced of that, as are my colleagues inside the government. Mr. OGLES. And the reason why I pose that question—and this has been one of my talking points from the beginning—is, you know, Oak Ridge is in Tennessee. The so-called weather balloon that drifted, that we now know was controlled, it passed near Oak Ridge. It obviously is a sensitive site, both of interest to our adver- saries and to whatever else this is. Because we know that at military installations, at sensitive loca- tions such as nuclear facilities, that we are seeing this take place. So, the question is, what is it? Do you believe they have caused irregular activity? And why might they be interested in those sites? Mr. ELIZONDO. Sir, in some cases, actually, regular activity. You would be surprised. There is actually documentation right now that has been submitted. It is not just Oak Ridge. It is Savannah River Site, SRS. It is also Los Alamos. A lot of our sensitive R&D loca- tions appear to be under some sort of surveillance and monitoring. Why? Well, because a lot of innovation comes out of those areas. A lot of new technologies, a lot of, if you will, disruptive tech- nologies that we use for our national defense originates out of those locations, and advanced concepts and physics as well. So, if I was doing any type of reconnaissance, even on a foreign adversary, that is a great target to start with. Mr. OGLES. Sure. And, again, this has been one of my talking points. I do have questions, what role might the Department of En- ergy or its subsidiaries or affiliates have in this type of technology or possessing this type of technology, whether it’ is ours or others? Mr. Gallaudet, I think your testimony has been pretty clear, but would you please reiterate: Do you believe UAPs pose a threat to pilots? Dr. GALLAUDET. Yes, sir, absolutely. They were threatening Navy pilots during the exercise that my people were involved with in 2015, and it is my understanding that they are risking pilot safety, commercial and military, today. Mr. OGLES. Well, considering—and I understand that there is a need, in some cases, to keep certain technologies secret. But you believe that it is posing a threat to our personnel, correct? Dr. GALLAUDET. Yes, sir.
Hearing transcript, from the hearings collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is under it. 52 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.