Former Pentagon strategist says America is asking the wrong question about UAPs

A few days ago, while I was staying in Teton Village, Wyoming, a gentleman approached me because he had heard about my book. “Out of This World.” Over coffee, he explained that he had spent years investigating more than 100 reports of unidentified weather phenomena linked to rocket launches along Florida’s Space Coast. Much of it has proven explicable. A few did not.

He then told a remarkable story involving a retired U.S. Navy officer who served as a military mortician and claimed to have examined what he believed to be the corpses of nonhuman beings. Rather than accepting or rejecting the narrative, I asked the questions an experienced analyst should ask: Where are the photographs? Lab reports? Who maintained the chain of custody? Can any of this be independently verified?

I asked him to contact the retired officer again and get an answer. Until then, the account will remain just that: an intriguing but unsubstantiated claim.

This conversation reminded me of something I learned in my 24 years as an officer and 22 years as a Pentagon strategist. The biggest danger in today’s UAP debate is not government secrecy. This is the certainty of public opinion.

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Some have already decided that unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) prove extraterrestrial visitation. Others insist that every report is nonsense or a simple misidentification. Neither position reflects disciplined analysis. Good intelligence work begins neither with belief nor disbelief. It starts with evidence.

Classification is not evidence

During my years at the Pentagon, I attended numerous briefings that included stealth capabilities and intelligence assessments. Governments classify information to protect resources, preserve technological advantages, and secure operations. Classification is not evidence. Nor is it testimony, no matter how sincere. Our standards must remain evidence, not trust. Good analysts distinguish between what is hidden and what is not disclosed.

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This distinction is important because Washington has changed its approach to this issue. The Pentagon’s All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office released three declassified class action files on May 8, May 22, and June 12 this year. A report dated June 5 and signed by AARO Director Jon Kosloski documents an incident in October 2023 in which law enforcement observed an orange “mother orb” releasing smaller red orbs. The Pentagon’s own case study Among the possible explanations is that the case remains unsolved due to unrecognized technology.

documentary “Age of Explanation” The film, which features Secretary of State Marco Rubio and several members of Congress, became Amazon Prime’s best-selling documentary within 48 hours of its release in November. But even Rubio, who appeared in the film, has since said publicly that he “didn’t have an independent way to verify what they were saying”; This provides exactly the warning that this discussion requires.

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Washington no longer treats UAPs as an occasional curiosity. He treats them as a constant intelligence challenge. Military professionals must investigate unexplained phenomena. Scientists must test competing hypotheses. Congress should insist on transparency to the extent national security allows.

Investigation is not a comment

But there is a distinction that America overlooks. Investigation is not comment. Governments can collect radar signatures, infrared images, pilot statements and sensor data. None of these alone explain what this phenomenon actually is.

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This is why America is asking the wrong question. Much of the public debate revolves around what the government might be hiding. These are legitimate questions in a constitutional republic. However, even if all confidential documents are published tomorrow, a much more important question will remain unanswered: What are these facts?

Classification is not evidence. Nor is it testimony, no matter how sincere. Our standards must remain evidence, not trust. Good analysts distinguish between what is hidden and what is not disclosed.

This question led me to research government archives, military testimonies, scholarly literature, ancient history, comparative religions, and biblical theology for more than a year.Out of This WorldMy goal was not to prove extraterrestrial life or to completely ignore the phenomenon; was to ask the question intelligence analysts ask every day: Which explanation best fits the available evidence?

Humanity has been plagued with reports of unexplained aerial phenomena for centuries, and modern military pilots continue to report encounters that defy conventional explanations. Many events become ordinary. A persistent minority does not. This continuity should produce humility, not certainty. Modern secular society increasingly assumes that such events indicate extraterrestrial civilizations or undiscovered technology. This result is not self-confirming. Like the others, it starts with an assumption.

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A question bigger than science

So today’s discussion is not primarily about unidentified flying objects. It’s about how we determine what is right. Science explains observable phenomena fairly well, but cannot answer questions about ultimate meaning. These questions lead us to philosophy and ultimately theology.

As an evangelical Christian, I believe that Scripture offers an interpretive framework that is often overlooked in today’s discussions. Christians should be the last to scoff at mysteries they cannot explain, because the Bible clearly teaches that reality extends beyond the material world. The Scriptures confirm the existence of angels, demons, and spiritual deception.

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But Christians should also be the last to embrace extraordinary claims without convincing evidence. The apostle Paul warned believers to “test everything and hold fast to what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21, ESV). This principle applies to extraordinary claims about UAPs as well as to other claims about truth.

The government’s increased commitment to researching UAPs deserves support. Serious questions deserve serious investigation. However, investigation is not commentary.

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As I waited to find out if the retired Navy mortician could answer my questions, I was reminded that disciplined investigation is always more valuable than confident speculation. Either way, my responsibility is the same: Ask better questions, demand better evidence, and interpret both with humility. If answers exist, evidence will eventually reveal them. Otherwise there will never be speculation.

This discipline has served me throughout my life in national security. This may be America’s best hope for separating fact from fiction as we confront one of the most intriguing mysteries of our time.

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