Curiosity and speculation among Americans from all backgrounds has generated debate in identifying and studying Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs), now known as Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs). In middle school, I had an interest in in this area after reading Frank Edwards’ 1966 book, Flying Saucers – Serious Business. Since then, I have grown skeptical about the existence of extraterrestrial life on our planet, but the lack of transparency from the federal government surrounding UAP sightings and how this affects national security is still an important endeavor.
While the term “UFO” is often synonymous with flying saucers or alien spacecraft, UFO and UAP simply refer to an object in the air that we cannot identify.
This week, as Chairman of the Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs, I led a hearing on UAPs in an effort to learn more about their origins and hear testimony from military pilots who had seen these phenomena. I will continue to work to find answers regarding UAPs as our witnesses’ intriguing testimony calls for further investigations into the transparency of our federal government regarding these instances.
While the jury is still out on whether the UAPs we heard about this week were otherworldly crafts, the fact remains that objects in U.S. airspace that we cannot identify have the potential to pose a risk to national security. That is why, above all, my colleagues and I on the Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs are conducting oversight and demanding transparency from the Department of Defense, our Intelligence Community, and our defense industry in order to correctly assess the risk UAPs pose and determine what steps may be necessary to ensure the safety and security of American citizens.
