In June 2021, a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was filed by The Black Vault with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) under case number 2021-006688. The request, filed on June 27, 2021, sought all communications between the FAA and the UAP Task Force, as well as communications between the FAA and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), which contributed to the creation of the UAP report released by the ODNI in 2021. Specifically, the FOIA request aimed to uncover any input the FAA provided to the UAP Task Force, including emails, memos, letters, reports, photographs, videos, charts, graphs, PowerPoint presentations, and other related documents.

The FAA took over three years to respond, issuing a formal denial on September 23, 2024. The denial cited Exemption 1 of the FOIA, which pertains to classified national security records, as the reason for withholding all requested documents. According to the FAA’s response:

The FAA’s response raises significant questions, given that the UAP report itself was released as an unclassified document to the public by the ODNI. Although there was a classified version of the report given to Congress, the FAA’s claim that all communications, input, and related documents are classified seems contradictory to the 2021 report’s public version which outlined the FAA’s role in UAP research. If the FAA’s contributions were entirely classified, this discrepancy is not only puzzling but also suggests that the FAA’s role in the UAP Task Force may involve sensitive or high-level information that was not disclosed in the unclassified version of the report. The involvement of the FAA’s Security and Hazardous Materials Safety (ASH) in UAP research or reporting is also now evident, an aspect that has not been widely recognized until now.

The ASH is responsible for overseeing and managing the security and safety aspects of aviation within the United States, particularly focusing on hazardous materials and national security concerns. This office plays a crucial role in ensuring the safety of the aviation system by enforcing regulations related to the transport of dangerous goods, implementing security measures, and responding to incidents that could pose threats to aviation safety. ASH also coordinates with other federal agencies on issues of national security, making it an integral part of the FAA’s broader mission to protect the nation’s airspace.

The denial’s citation of national security concerns and classified status under Executive Order 13526 reveals that the FAA’s contributions included classified information deemed too sensitive for public disclosure. This revelation may underscore the FAA’s deeper involvement in the UAP phenomenon, aligning the agency’s role closer to those of other national security bodies, which appears to differ from the publicly stated input to the UAP effort at the time.

According to the 2021 unclassified version of the UAP report:

The Black Vault has filed an appeal challenging the FAA’s refusal to release the requested documents. Additionally, a new FOIA request has been submitted, specifically targeting information from the FAA’s Security and Hazardous Materials Safety (ASH) office to further explore their role in UAP-related matters.

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FOIA Response Letter

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The post FAA Cites National Security to Withhold UAP Communications Despite Unclassified Report first appeared on The Black Vault.

Last week, George Knapp with KLAS-TV exclusively published the identity of one of the scientists working with the UAP Task Force. Now a disbanded effort to pave the way for a new organization called the “Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronization Group (AOIMSG),” Dr. Travis Taylor was said to be the “chief scientist.” According to LasVegasNow.com, Dr. Taylor played a role in, “…analyzing the 144 incidents, including dozens of bizarre objects that buzzed multiple Navy ships in 2019.”

Immediately after this article was published, The Black Vault reached out to the Pentagon the next morning to confirm some of the claims, but also, attempt to extract additional details about his work.

The Black Vault has decided to publish the entire statements from the Pentagon below, as provided by Susan Gough, Spokesperson for the Department of Defense, to ensure no context is changed and nothing is improperly omitted.

The questions listed are verbatim to what was submitted for comment. The answers have not been edited.

Q1. Based on this story, can it be confirmed that Dr. Travis Taylor was the “chief scientist” for the UAP Task Force? If so, just wanting for clarity reasons to confirm it was an official, and paid, position on the UAPTF? And can it be confirmed Jay Stratton was the one who hired him for the job?

“A1. The Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force (UAPTF) was and is (until the follow-on Department of Defense [DOD] organization is fully operational) a partnership across federal and DOD agencies, with a variety of organizations providing personnel as required. Dr. Taylor was a government employee assigned to the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC). SMDC provided Dr. Taylor on a time-limited basis as part of a larger number of contributing organizations across the DOD, the Intelligence Community (IC), and other parts of the federal government to assist with the stand-up of the UAPTF and its reporting requirements. It was not a full time assignment; he remained an employee of SMDC. In early 2021, following consultations with the UAPTF, SMDC worked to clarify and de-conflict assigned tasks, responsibilities, and outside activities to balance mission priorities.

At the time of Dr. Taylor’s initial work with the UAPTF, former Office of Naval Intelligence senior civilian John Stratton was leading the effort and informally referred to Dr. Taylor as his chief scientist as efforts to assemble a larger team were underway.”

Q2. Are there any details of his role that can be provided? In what capacity did he work; what were his duties as chief scientist; etc.?

A2. “Dr. Taylor worked with the UAPTF as a contributing scientist and engineer, bringing those skills to review the reports of UAP sightings by military personnel and the associated study of any related materials/data in an effort to identify the objects observed and possible approaches to obtaining improved technical data.”

Q3. In the story I linked above, it directly contradicts Scott Bray’s testimony that the triangular/pyramid shaped objects in the videos presented were drones. According to this story, “Dr. Taylor went into much greater detail about why the ‘drone’ scenario falls far short of explaining the 2019 UFO encounters.” It also states that UAP Task Force members “…were stunned to hear a Navy official tell a Congressional hearing last month that all of these were ‘drones, as if the mystery has been solved. Someone had to disregard the work of the task force to make that claim.”  Can you comment on the validity of these claims, and why this would contradict Scott Bray’s Congressional testimony under oath? If it is still the position, can it be said if the “drone” conclusion came after the UAPTF was disbanded, and if so, where did that conclusion come from that was given to Congress?

A3.  “Dr. Taylor’s work with the UAPTF focused on scientific and technical advice provided as a research scientist, and not on intelligence analysis. The UAPTF stands by the conclusions presented by Director Bray in his briefing.”

Q4. Dr. Taylor is a known television personality on shows like Ancient Aliens, Secrets of Skinwalker Ranch, and many others. Were there concerns by the Navy that his frequenting of shows like the aforementioned would be possible a conflict of interest of any kind; potentially create ethical issues; create concerns about his security clearance talking about UFO related issues on TV; or affect his work with the UAPTF?

A4. “As stated, Dr. Taylor was an employee of the U.S. Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC). His parent organization (SMDC) provided him to assist the UAPTF based on his education and experience as a scientist and engineer. In early 2021, following consultations with the UAPTF, SMDC took steps to clarify and de-conflict assigned tasks, responsibilities, and outside activities to balance mission priorities.”

Immediately following the receipt of the above statements, The Black Vault attempted one follow-up to this statement, “In early 2021, following consultations with the UAPTF, SMDC took steps to clarify and de-conflict assigned tasks, responsibilities, and outside activities to balance mission priorities.”

Gough was asked to clarify what she meant. “I am a bit unclear what you mean here. Clarify and de-conflict in what regard, and what changed thereafter?” was the follow up emailed.

The answer was the following:

“Broadly speaking, it means clarifying and de-conflicting his assigned tasks and responsibilities between SMDC, support to the UAPTF, and his outside activities. I can’t provide further details, as we do not comment on individual personnel matters.”

The Black Vault has reached out to Dr. Travis Taylor. Should any additional information relating to the above become available, it will be posted.

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The post Pentagon Releases Details about Dr. Travis Taylor’s UAP Task Force Involvement first appeared on The Black Vault.

In December of 2017, the “Gimbal” video was published by the NY Times. Since then, it has captivated believers and has become a target by the debunkers. Yet, despite the drastic difference in regards to interpretations by both sides, one fact remains: the video is intriguing. Now, new documents released to The Black Vault may reveal that the Weapons Systems Officer (WSO) who encounter the craft, and took the video, appeared before Senate staffers in 2019 to brief them on the event.

The Black Vault sought records over the course of three years, and followed a paper trail that led to the below release of formerly SECRET e-mails. Although redacted, there are some new details revealed, and the likelihood that the encounter, along with the WSO, were all connected to the 2015 “Gimbal” encounter.

The documents are below.

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DON-NAVY-2022-001613 [7 Pages, 1MB]

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The post New Details Emerge About “Gimbal” UAP Encounter; Briefing Breakdown first appeared on The Black Vault.

That denial came in November, which I appealed: https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/every-ufo-case-sent-to-uap-task-force-considered-entirely-classified-and-exempt-from-disclosure/

I appealed – and I won.

Next week (week of January 3, 2022), the review of those responsive documents once denied in full… starts again!

That’s a huge win.

Here is a full video breakdown:

The post FOIA Appeal Win May Help UFO Transparency – Here’s the story… first appeared on The Black Vault.

Here’s what he said about the AOIMSG.

The post Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby on the UAP Task Force Successor, November 29, 2021 first appeared on The Black Vault.

The following was published by the Department of Defense on August 14, 2020, about the establishment of an Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) Task Force (UAPTF).

On Aug. 4, 2020, Deputy Secretary of Defense David L. Norquist approved the establishment of an Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) Task Force (UAPTF).  The Department of the Navy, under the cognizance of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security, will lead the UAPTF.  

The Department of Defense established the UAPTF to improve its understanding of, and gain insight into, the nature and origins of UAPs.  The mission of the task force is to detect, analyze and catalog UAPs that could potentially pose a threat to U.S. national security.

As DOD has stated previously, the safety of our personnel and the security of our operations are of paramount concern. The Department of Defense and the military departments take any incursions by unauthorized aircraft into our training ranges or designated airspace very seriously and examine each report. This includes examinations of incursions that are initially reported as UAP when the observer cannot immediately identify what he or she is observing.

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The post UAP / UFO Task Force Information Released by Pentagon first appeared on The Black Vault.