Organizations

Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP)

Politicians & Government

AATIP was a secret Pentagon program that investigated reports of unidentified aerial phenomena from 2007 to 2012 (officially). It was funded with $22 million secured by Senators Harry Reid, Ted Stevens, and Daniel Inouye. The program was run by Luis Elizondo and investigated military UAP encounters, producing reports on advanced propulsion concepts and anomalous materials. Much of the contract work was performed by Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies (BAASS). The program's existence was revealed by the New York Times in December 2017.

All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO)

Politicians & Government

AARO is the Department of Defense office established in July 2022 to investigate UAP reports across all domains — air, sea, space, and transmedium. Created by the Gillibrand amendment to the FY2022 NDAA, AARO replaced the earlier Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronization Group (AOIMSG). Its first director, Dr. Sean Kirkpatrick, departed in December 2023. AARO released a historical review in March 2024 stating it found no evidence of government reverse-engineering programs, a finding disputed by multiple whistleblowers.

Americans for Safe Aerospace

Advocacy

Americans for Safe Aerospace (ASA) is a nonprofit organization founded by former Navy pilot Ryan Graves to advocate for pilots and aviation professionals to safely report UAP encounters without fear of stigma or career repercussions. The organization has collected reports from over 30 commercial and military pilots and works with Congress to improve UAP reporting mechanisms and aviation safety protocols.

Mutual UFO Network (MUFON)

Research

MUFON is the world's largest and oldest civilian organization dedicated to investigating UFO/UAP sightings, founded in 1969. The organization maintains a network of volunteer field investigators across the United States and internationally, operates a public sighting database, and publishes the MUFON Journal. While MUFON has been criticized for varying investigation quality, it remains a significant repository of civilian UAP reports and has contributed to public awareness of the phenomenon.

Project Blue Book

Politicians & Government

Project Blue Book was the U.S. Air Force's official program for investigating UFO reports, running from 1952 to 1969. It was preceded by Project Sign (1947) and Project Grudge (1949). Blue Book investigated 12,618 UFO sightings, of which 701 remained "unidentified." The program was terminated following the Condon Committee report, which concluded UFOs did not merit further study. Critics have argued Blue Book was designed more to debunk reports and calm public fears than to conduct genuine investigation. Dr. J. Allen Hynek, the program's scientific consultant, later became a prominent UFO researcher and critic of Blue Book's methods.

To The Stars Academy of Arts & Sciences (TTSA)

Research

TTSA was founded in 2017 by former Blink-182 musician Tom DeLonge and former intelligence/defense officials including Luis Elizondo, Chris Mellon, and Hal Puthoff. The organization played a central role in the 2017 UAP disclosure by facilitating the release of three declassified Navy UAP videos (FLIR1, Gimbal, GoFast) to the New York Times. TTSA claimed to possess exotic metamaterials for analysis. The organization has since pivoted primarily to entertainment, with several key members departing.