A former intelligence official is calling on the federal government to make information public about an alleged reverse-engineering project involving unidentified flying objects (UFOs).
UFO sightings have long piqued the interests of billions of people across the globe for centuries. Although these sightings are oftentimes easily explained—at times being space objects such as meteors or military equipment—they often lead many to ponder the potential of extraterrestrial life. Recent years have seen renewed focus on UFOs, with many calling for more transparency from the U.S. government about these sightings.
Christopher Mellon, a former deputy assistant secretary of Defense for Intelligence who specializes in UFOs, wrote in a Politico opinion piece published Saturday that he has received reports that the government has engaged in a “reverse engineering project” involving UFOs. He urged the government to make any records public, though these reports could not be independently verified by Newsweek.
Mellon wrote that he has referred four witnesses to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) who claimed to have knowledge about a secret government program “involving the analysis and exploitation of materials recovered from off-world craft,” and that other sources have contacted him about an “alleged secret U.S. government reverse engineering program.”
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He gave a number of reasons why he believed any information about these alleged projects should be made public. Mellon said the American have “have a right to know the truth” about whether the government has reverse engineered UFO projects and that people “can handle” any information about extraterrestrial craft.
Disclosure of such information could also help global leaders “develop an effective deterrent” against an attack, he wrote, noting that there are no signals of “aggression.”
Mellon also explained several scientific benefits to disclosing any information.
“If we have recovered off-world technologies, our best and brightest minds should be engaged in evaluating it. Assuming UAP propulsion technology is distinct from anything known to the public, a successful reverse engineering program might bring about a revolution in energy, transportation and materials technologies. We might be able to accelerate a transition to clean and cheap energy; perhaps even develop superconducting materials and propulsion technologies that are now the stuff of Hollywood movies,” he wrote.
Newsweek reached out to the Department of Defense for comment via email.
Mellon is not the first person to raise questions about the reverse engineering of UFOs. Representative Tim Burchett, a Tennessee Republican, told Newsweek in March that he believed “we have recovered a craft at some point, and possible beings.”
“I think that a lot of that’s being reverse-engineered right now, but we just don’t understand it,” the congressman said.
In April, the United States military declassified never before seen videos of UFOs during a Senate meeting.
One video, captured by a reaper drone, appeared to show a mysterious orb flying in the Middle East last year. A second video, captured by an MQ-9 forward-looking infrared video sensor, appeared to show an unidentified object in South Asia. However, the AARO said the first object was not showing “anomalous” behavior, and that the second was likely a commercial aircraft.