The FBI’s secret office for investigating Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs) has been revealed, sparking concerns about the future of the unit amidst a potential government purge.
The truth is out there — and under lock and key at the FBI. Amid the Pentagon‘s years-long probes into the unexplained and unidentified, the FBI has been quietly running its own secret office investigating so-called ‘unidentified anomalous phenomena.’
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is a domestic law enforcement agency responsible for investigating federal crimes in the United States.
Established in 1908 as the Bureau of Investigation, it was renamed FBI in 1935.
The agency has over 37,000 employees and operates from 56 field offices across the country.
The FBI's primary responsibilities include counterintelligence, cybersecurity, and crime investigation, with a focus on national security threats.
Yes, let’s get this out of the way: that’s basically the plot of the 90s television show ‘The X-Files.’ But buried in a new Politico story about concerns that UFO-hunting agents may soon be caught up in a purge is a jarring revelation: that such an office exists within the bureau —the ‘existence’ of which had ‘not been disclosed publicly before,’ per the outlet’s reporting.
The FBI’s UAP Office: A Collaboration with the Pentagon
It was previously known that the Pentagon had a similar group. Known as the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), that office deals with UAP sightings from military officials. There doesn’t appear to be any other known counterpart in civilian branches of government.
A Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) office is a government agency responsible for investigating and analyzing reports of 'unidentified aerial phenomena.'
These offices are typically established to gather and assess data on UAP sightings, often in relation to national security concerns.
The primary goal of these offices is to determine the origin and nature of UAPs, which can range from natural atmospheric occurrences to advanced technology.
In some countries, UAP offices also provide education and awareness programs for the public.
In a statement to Politico, the FBI confirmed the existence of the office but refused to comment further, including to say how many members it has or how long it has been investigating UAPs in an organized manner. ‘The FBI investigates Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena when there is potential for a violation of federal law — particularly unlawful acts that could adversely affect our national interests — and to gather, share, and analyze intelligence to combat security threats facing the US,’ the bureau told Politico.
Experts Weigh In on the Importance of the FBI’s UAP Office
Former Naval pilot and Congressional UFO whistleblower Ryan Graves spoke at length to the magazine about the importance of the group’s work and how deleterious it would be for the office to be gutted due to partisanship. ‘I am concerned that the FBI’s UAP Working Group could be affected by transition changes,’ Graves said, ‘and these leaders might not be aware of the incredible work these agents are doing and how their investigation could be empowered as part of a formalized intergovernmental effort.’
Caison Best, a former Army special forces intelligence officer, told Politico that he’d spoken to members of the FBI’s UAP office after witnessing an alleged UFO in Colorado. Though it’s unclear exactly how many of those agents could be implicated in the alleged purge, Best said it would be ‘obviously detrimental‘ if that happened.
‘The FBI is one component of the government that is starting to realize what other functions in the government have already known for a long time and have been participating in,’ the ex-Army intelligence officer said. In English, he seems to be suggesting that the FBI’s previously undisclosed UAP office has been working with the Pentagon’s AARO — and, perhaps, with other agencies as well.
A Future Uncertain
With Trump‘s swiftly-unfolding plans to purge the government of anyone who doesn’t fall in line, it’s impossible to say whether the FBI’s ‘X-Files’ office will continue to exist. Though given the president’s promise to reveal the truth about unidentified objects in the skies, killing the group completely would seemingly go against his ‘commitment to take the U out of UAP,’ as Graves** put it to Politico.
