Editor’s note: You can watch the hearings LIVE here.
Join Ross Coulthart for a LIVE Q&A on NewsNation’s YouTube, X and Facebook pages at 4p/3C Wednesday following a House hearing on UAPs. Coulthart will break down testimony from former NASA administrator Michael Gold, Pentagon insider Lue Elizondo, journalist Michael Shellenberger and Retired Navy Rear Adm. Tim Gallaudet.
(NewsNation) — The House of Representatives has set a Nov. 13, 2024, date for the next hearing on unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs), aka UFOs, with a witness list that includes a former Navy admiral.
The hearing follows one held in the summer of 2023 after whistleblower David Grusch alleged the Pentagon has been operating a secret UFO retrieval program.
Held by the House Oversight Committee, the hearing, titled “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Exposing the Truth,” will begin on the 13th at 11:30 a.m. ET, and one witness said to be there is retired Navy Rear Adm. Timothy Gallaudet, who has spoken about his experiences with UAPs and unexplained submerged objects.
A full witness list has not been released, and in previous hearings, witnesses have expressed fears of intimidation or stigma associated with speaking openly about UAPs.
The Defense Department has repeatedly denied that there are secret UFO or UAP programs in existence, though it did admit to plans for the Kona Blue program, which would have reverse-engineered UAP technology.
According to the Pentagon, the program was never stood up because no such technology was ever recovered.
Former Navy rear admiral supports whistleblower claims
Retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Tim Gallaudet, who was formerly an administrator of the government’s lead meteorological agency, told NewsNation he believes Grusch’s claims of a secret UFO retrieval program run by the Pentagon.
Gallaudet said he is convinced the story Grusch is telling is true based on his experience in the military and government. He also told NewsNation correspondent Ross Coulthart there were attempts to cover up UFO sightings by members of the military. NewsNation is not able to independently verify the evidence that Gallaudet said led him to this conclusion.
Gallaudet said the planet has been visited by entities he described as “non-human.” He said he absolutely believes non-human intelligent beings are real.
“We’re being visited by non-human intelligence with technology we really don’t understand and with intentions we don’t understand either,” he said.
Ex-Pentagon official: UAP disclosure not ‘a sprint’
Grusch’s testimony was a “profound moment” for former Pentagon official Lue Elizondo. He told NewsNation it was amazing to hear him speak publicly about an alleged “multi-decade UAP crash retrieval and reverse engineering program.”
“You had three military personnel testifying on the reality of UAP,” Elizondo said. “Now that’s historic.”
For some, it felt like a dam was breaking and full disclosure was about to happen. But it didn’t work out like that.
First, the Office of the Secretary of Defense’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, or AARO, denied Grusch’s claims. Then, as happened with Elizondo, details about Grusch’s past began to surface.
“They start seeing dissension, and they start misinformation and trying to question his loyalty … his credibility,” Elizondo said. “And they try to discredit him just like they tried to do me, just like they try to anybody else who comes out and steps out of rank.”
Reports citing police records obtained through public records requests noted that Grusch was committed to a mental health facility after making a “suicidal statement” when his wife suggested he seek help.
A report from the department’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) said that most UAP reports were cases of mistaken identity involving drones or top-secret technology. The office said there is no evidence that UAPs are alien in nature.
Following last year’s initial public hearing, a bipartisan group of lawmakers has continued to have closed-door hearings on the subject, expressing frustration at the lack of transparency around UAPs.
What is ‘Immaculate Constellation’?
Recent reporting from independent journalist Michael Shellenberger revealed the existence of a whistleblower report that names, for the first time, an alleged Pentagon UAP program: Immaculate Constellation.
According to the whistleblower, the Pentagon program collects and quarantines information on UFO (also commonly known today as “UAPs,” or “unidentified anomalous phenomena”) sightings and encounters.
The program allegedly includes information from different types of intelligence, including high-quality image intelligence and measure and signature intelligence.
The individual whistleblower in that report has not been identified, and it is not clear if they will be among the witnesses in the upcoming hearing.
How NASA can help: ex-administrator
Former NASA admin Michael Gold, who was a part of the agency’s 2022 UAP report, is scheduled to testify Wednesday.
He plans to address the stigma surrounding UAP research and offer suggestions, including the use of artificial intelligence to scour archived data to look for UAPs.
Gold also plans to suggest creating a uniform reporting system for civilian pilots to report UAP sightings.
NewsNation’s Ross Coulthart contributed to this report.
