Written by Christopher Sharp - 3 May 2022

• A Pentagon insider has told Liberation Times that Congress is “extremely upset” about the current situation regarding the DoD’s stance on investigating Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP)

• The insider added that he would not be surprised if there were open hearings in the near future

• A spokesperson for Representative Tim Burchett has also confirmed to Liberation Times that the Congressman would prefer hearings, “sooner rather than later”

• Former AATIP Director, Lue Elizondo, has spoken to Liberation Times about the key role amnesty can play in any possible public hearings

• Talk about possible public hearings follows an explosive POLITICO article, which revealed the frustrations of Congress regarding the lack of progress in investigating UAP

• In February 2022, Liberation Times revealed via DoD spokesperson Susan Gough, that the DoD was still in the process of implementing the intent of Congress with regard to AOIMSG and that UAP incursions are still being investigated at 2021 levels - when pressed for a further update, Gough had nothing further to announce

• In addition to hearings, the recent dismissal of AOIMSG Executive Secretary, Garry Reid, may spark calls to move the new UAP Office from OUSD(I&S) to another component within the DoD, such as Space Force.

According to a U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) insider, Congress is “extremely upset” about the current situation regarding the DoD’s stance on investigating Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) through its new Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronization Group (AOIMSG).

And because of this, Congress may be close to pulling the trigger on public hearings regarding UAP.

Speaking to Liberation Times, the insider stated:

“Congress is extremely upset with how unhurried DoD has been with regards to standing up and empowering AOIMSG. Senators and their staffers are wanting answers about what UAP are and where they are from.

These same Senators have seen the classified videos of UAP displaying performance capabilities well beyond anything in our arsenal and they want answers.

The videos, as remarkable as they are, only lead to more questions, questions such as how are they doing what they are doing, where are they from, and why are they acting in the manner we have seen.

Congress cannot make informed decisions without this data and the DoD bureaucracy cannot move as rapidly as Congress needs it to. Congress will hold people and programs accountable, I would not be surprised if there were open hearings in the near future, the people want and deserve them.”

Also, a spokesperson of UAP advocate Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) has confirmed to Liberation Times that the Congressman supports public UAP hearings “sooner rather than later”.

Liberation Times spoke to former AATIP Director, Lue Elizondo, about the prospect of hearings. Elizondo cautioned that amnesty would play an important role in the success of any possible hearings, commenting:

“Equally important is providing Congress and the American people with any information concerning UAPs obtained through legacy efforts to include insights gleaned and lessons learned. Furthermore, in our fervor to understand the truth, we must ensure this does not become a witch-hunt, especially if public hearings become a reality.

Instead, I suggest we offer some sort of amnesty in order that individuals who may have historically been associated with this topic can provide their insights freely and without fear. Only then can we ensure Congress, the Executive Branch, and the American people receive the information that they deserve.”

Discontent Within Congress

Recent discontent from Congress about the UAP issue and the DoD’s attitude towards it was reported this week by POLITICO journalist Bryan Bender.

Speaking on the issue to POLITICO, one aide of Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), who sits on the Senate’s Armed Services and Intelligence Committees, stated:

“Senator Gillibrand believes that the DoD needs to take this issue much more seriously and get in motion.”

They have had ample time to implement these important provisions, and they need to show us that they are prepared to address this issue in the long-term.”

A similar sentiment is thought to be shared by Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, the Vice-Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, who is said to be “definitely frustrated,” and has (according to an aide) claimed, “they are not moving fast enough, not doing enough, not sharing enough.”

As reported by Liberation Times in February 2022, politicians want to see results quickly and won’t stand by whilst bureaucrats stifle and obfuscate progress.

That article quoted Pentagon UAP spokesperson Susan Gough, who confirmed that the DoD was still implementing guidance across the department and with interagency partners to ensure that the AOIMSG meets congressional intent.

Gough also confirmed that UAP incursions are still being investigated at 2021 levels.

Liberation Times spoke to Susan Gough following the release of POLITICO’S article, but Gough had nothing new to announce - suggesting no progress has been made since President Joe Biden signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) into law in December 2021.

Is The White House Partially To Blame?

And it now appears that the Executive Branch is starting to feel the heat on UAP too.

Marco Rubio’s aide was quoted in POLITICO’S article as stating, “the administration is aware of the concerns,” before adding, “it is not at the level it needs to be.”

Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, Christopher Mellon, later tweeted POLITICO’S article and commented:

“For a start, Congress absolutely needs to know who in the executive owns the UAP issue and what they are doing to identify the mysterious 'drones' that have been stalking U.S. warships and disrupting training activities in military airspace.”

On the topic of ownership from the Executive Branch of the U.S. Government, the Congressional Bill on UAP contained within NDAA 2022 states:

‘Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Director of National Intelligence, shall establish an office within a component of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, or within a joint organization of the Department of Defense and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, to carry out the duties of the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force, as in effect on the day before the date of enactment of this Act, and such other duties as are required by this section.’

In other words, ownership of this issue within the Executive Branch clearly belongs to the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, and Director of National Intelligence, Avril Haines although, from the understanding of Liberation Times, Haines’ office is expected to play a junior role.

Therefore, failure to implement the intent of Congress not only falls on the shoulders of those within the DoD (perhaps most notably OUSD(I&S)) but also perhaps Lloyd Austin.

With a war raging in Ukraine, it is understandable that Austin has pressing concerns to deal with.

However, as stated in POLITICO’S article, Congress wants to find the origin of UAP, and politicians are instead receiving reports of the existence of UAP. Therefore, no conclusion has been made as to whether UAP belongs to either Russia or China.

Speaking to POLITICO, Rep. Burchett went so far as to state:

“It is clear from the public evidence that we don’t have full control of our airspace.”

If this is true, and UAP does originate from foreign adversaries, then it becomes clear why Congress is not happy. Even if the explanation for UAP is non-prosaic, any power with such capabilities (as suggested by Burchett) poses a much larger threat than Russia or China.

Interestingly, one key member of Congress has not yet spoken out about the current situation, and that’s Democrat, Rep. André Carson, who chairs the Subcommittee on Counterintelligence and Counterproliferation on the House Intelligence Committee.

Carson has previously spoken of his desire to hold public hearings about UAP.

Liberation Times has requested Carson’s office for comment, but no response has been received so far.

Will AOIMSG Be Moved?

In addition to possible public hearings, there may be building pressure to move AOIMSG out of the OUSD(I&S), especially following the dismissal of its Executive Secretary, Garry Reid, from the post of Director for Defense Intelligence.

The congressional language contained within NDAA 2022 states that AOIMSG must sit within ‘a component of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, or within a joint organization of the Department of Defense and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.’

Currently, it sits within a component of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, OUSD(I&S).

But there is scope to place it within a joint organization of the Department of Defense and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Notice the word ‘organization’ in reference to the DoD - this gives the power to place AOIMSG within the United States Air Force, Navy, Army, or even perhaps Space Force.

Note that Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs is where NORAD’s Headquarters is based - making it an ideal location for any UAP investigation.

Perhaps the national intelligence component could include the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), which has resources, including the Missile and Space Intelligence Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

And with more capabilities than OUSD(I&S), including greater expertise and resources, moving AOIMSG into Space Force and the DIA, could make sense.

But one thing is clear, Congress has run out of patience and may want results before November’s midterms.

Love our content and wish to support the website?

You can now become a Patron: Liberation Times | Patreon