The article with this headline was published in the American business magazine Fortune last Thursday, the day after the first-ever official parliamentary hearings entirely dedicated to UFOs, during which several sensational statements were made.
For example, David Fravor, a distinguished veteran of the US armed forces and former commander of the elite military aviation unit Black Aces, told Congress about how he “chased” a “flying saucer” in California in 2004.
According to him, by that time, the “white and oval [unidentified flying] object” had been hovering over the ocean off the southern coast of the state for almost two weeks.
When the military finally decided to approach closer, their presence was apparently detected, and within seconds the “object” disappeared at an unimaginable speed, defying all known laws of physics.
Moreover, how it remained airborne until then was also completely unclear.
No wings were observed on the “flying apparatus”—nor were any engines, propellers, or any other construction elements visible that could explain how it managed to defy gravity.
Upon returning to the base, Fravor immediately reported what he had seen and gave his subordinates the order to forget about it, figuratively speaking, “taking their finger off the torpedo button.” After that, he wrote a report to his superiors, while the incident was still fresh, and waited for an official investigation…
“Beyond our understanding”
However, no one from the Pentagon ever contacted him about this, he claims. Neither that year nor the following year—nor even until his retirement.
That is why America—and the world along with it—only heard the story about the incident now, almost two decades later.
“Do you think that objects of this kind pose a threat to our national security?” asked Tim Burchett, the chairman of the hearing, seeking clarification from the witness after his account.
Judging by the silence that lasted a couple of seconds, the veteran didn’t have a ready answer.
“Yes,” he finally said, “and I’ll explain why. The technologies we saw in action far surpass our military capabilities.”
“If someone had (or has) the ability to gain access to this technology, understand how it works, and replicate it [on Earth], then we won’t be able to counter it. Absolutely nothing.”
“And do you have any knowledge of such objects?” Burchett clarified. “So that at least someone in the world, in this world, has access to something similar?”
“No,” the witness didn’t hesitate for a moment. “Moreover, I’m convinced that these technologies are beyond our understanding of matter and the laws of nature.”
Voice of reason?
And yet, despite all of the above, the author of the Fortune article notes, “America is not surprised at all.”
And not just because the Pentagon’s secret program “dealing with aliens” is, to put it mildly, not new—and has been part of the public consciousness for many years.
As reported at the hearings on Thursday, from 2004 to 2021, authorities received information about nearly a hundred cases of UFO sightings. In 18 episodes, the object, without visible engines or wings, moved in the air at a considerable speed.
At the same time, no unexplained or suspicious debris was found. There were no reports of crashes of such devices or those shot down by military units.
So, where are some tangible pieces of evidence, at least?
“I am convinced that [our testimonies] are just the beginning,” said the third witness at the hearings, also a military pilot, Mark Graves. “And that there will be many more testimonies [about UFO encounters] once it becomes safe to report them.”
“I can’t call myself a UFO believer,” Fravor also assured the Congress, responding to the question of what he thinks about what he saw in 2004, now almost 20 years later. “But I’ll tell you this: what we [along with other members of the group] witnessed with four pairs of eyes for five minutes… In terms of technology, we still have nothing even remotely similar to it in our possession.”
“As a scientist, I’m used to being skeptical and critically examining what is happening,” writes American astronomer and science popularizer Chris Impey on this matter. “I know that most of the reports of supposed UFO sightings have more plausible natural explanations.”
“The more information we have, the more complete it is, the better,” Professor Impey continues, “but tangible evidence is the gold standard in science. If Grash’s statements about UFO crash sites are confirmed in the future, then the consequences of the hearings that have taken place could be very, very serious.”
In the same vein, Professor Brian Cox from the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Manchester expressed his opinion. According to him, he has been frequently asked lately about what he thinks about the sensational statements made by American military personnel in Congress.
“I watched several video recordings [of alleged UFOs] and saw some people who believe in something, making sensational statements without backing them up with equally sensational evidence,” he wrote.
Professor Cox refers to the famous quote by American astronomer Carl Sagan that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.
“So, I have nothing more to say—except, perhaps, one thing: it would be wonderful if these statements turn out to be true,” Brian Cox continued. “It would mean that our civilization is not the only way the Universe comprehends itself, and then we can breathe a little easier.”
“Unfortunately, at the moment, we cannot afford that,” the professor concludes. “So, I would rather focus on how not to ruin our own world and not on searching for those who might come from somewhere to save us from ourselves.”
So, what’s next?
At the end of the session, the congressmen decided that there is not enough evidence to declare UFOs (or, as they are now called, “unidentified aerial phenomena” — UAP) as objects of extraterrestrial origin—at least for now.
However, they don’t plan to close the committee, so it will continue its work.
Still, this does not necessarily mean that we will be formally informed about contacts with extraterrestrial civilizations or shown secret Pentagon bases where alien spacecraft are carefully stored anytime soon.
