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What a U.S. intelligence officer under oath told Congress about UFOs

Astronomy Oct 6, 2026
BY ANKITA GARKOTI
Illustration of two UFOs flying in fog with light below. (Representative Cover Image Source: Science Photo Library/Getty Images)
Illustration of two UFOs flying in fog with light below. (Representative Cover Image Source: Science Photo Library/Getty Images)
The testimony raised startling claims about what the U.S. government may know about unexplained objects.
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What do we actually know about UFOs?
IMAGE SOURCE: JACOB WACKERHAUSEN(L)DREW ANGERER(R)/GETTY IMAGES

What do we actually know about UFOs?

Unidentified anomalous phenomena, also known as UAPs or UFOs, are now getting more attention after the U.S. government made the official documents public. Several of the released images and video recordings show nondescript objects moving through the air at very high speeds with no apparent method of propulsion. 

David Grusch, along with two former Navy fighter pilots, testified under oath before a House Oversight subcommittee in July 2023 and shared their experiences. Here’s what they said about UFOs.

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A former intelligence officer testified under oath
IMAGE SOURCE: DREW ANGERER/GETTY IMAGES

A former intelligence officer testified under oath

David Grusch had spent over 14 years as an intelligence officer in the Air Force and the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency. At the hearing, he said he became a whistleblower "following concerning reports from multiple esteemed and credentialed current and former military and Intelligence Community individuals that the US government is operating with secrecy above Congressional oversight with regards to UAPs". 

In 2022, he filed a whistleblower complaint as part of a plan to share classified information with the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

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He claimed the military was hiding UAP programs
IMAGE SOURCE: BARRY KING/GETTY IMAGES

He claimed the military was hiding UAP programs

While examining classified programs, Grusch said he learned of "a multi-decade UAP crash retrieval and reverse-engineering program". He added he was shut out of these programs and alleged that military funds had been misappropriated to keep the programs beyond Congress’s oversight.


When asked about whether the officials had unlawfully withheld information from Congress, he said certain elected leaders had more information than others, adding, "I would not be surprised".

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And “non-human” biologics were recovered
IMAGE SOURCE: PETMAL/GETTY IMAGES

And “non-human” biologics were recovered

There were also claims that "biologics" of those who flew the spacecraft were recovered. When pressed on whether they were human, in his answer, Grusch said that they were "non-human," based on people with direct knowledge who are still on the program. 

Interestingly, he neither confirmed nor denied whether the government had ever made contact with intelligent extraterrestrial life. Instead, he called it "something I can't discuss in a public setting".

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Two former Navy pilots also shared their own UAP encounters
IMAGE SOURCE: DREW ANGERER/GETTY IMAGES

Two former Navy pilots also shared their own UAP encounters

Apart from Grusch, two former Navy fighter pilots testified. Ryan Graves said he saw UAP activity off the Atlantic Coast "every day for a couple of years". According to him, pilots only report 5% of these sightings, and this means 95% of them go unreported. He called it his “personal estimate”

David Fravor agreed that the Tic Tac UAP, as the lawmaker called it, moved in a way that defied the laws of physics as we understand them. Some dismiss such reports as secret weapons tests, but he said, "we have test ranges for that".

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But speaking out came at a cost
IMAGE SOURCE: DREW ANGERER/GETTY IMAGES

But speaking out came at a cost

Grusch said he has faced "very brutal" retaliation since he spoke out and even "administrative terrorism," which included threats to his career and reputation. Asked whether he had feared for his life, he answered, "Yes, definitely."

Allegations that the U.S. government has been covering up a major secret about UFOs are not new, and rumors have circulated for decades. Even today, many people consider David Grusch's claims outlandish. However, if true, it would change our understanding of the mysterious sightings.

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