OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE WASHINGTON, DC John Greenewald, Jr. 27305 W. L ive Oak Road Castaic, CA 91384 ODNI MDR Tracking No. DEOM-2021-00006 Mr. Greenewald: This letter responds to your Mandatory Declassification Review ("MDR" ) request dated 2021, received in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (" ODNI" ) Information Management Office (" IMO") on 28 June 29021. Pursuant to Section 3 .5 of Executive Order (" E.O .") 13526, you requested a declassification review of the classified version of the "Preliminary Assessment [oj] Unidentified Aerial Phenomena ... that was given to Congress/Senate on or around June 25, 2021. " (Enclosure 1) IMO conducted a search for responsive records and located the document responsive to your request (Enclosure 2) . IMO determined that portions of the document are currently and properly classified in accordance with Sections IA (a) . lA(c), lA(d), 1.4(g) and 6 .2(d) ofE .O. In addition, some information requires withholding under section 3 .5(c) - the applicable statutes are: 50 U.S.c. 3024(i)(1) - information pertaining to intelligence sources and methods, and the National Security Act of 1947, as amended; 50 USC 3605 (formerly P.L. 86-36), which protects against disclosure ofNSA Functions and Information If you are not satisfied with IMO' s response to your request, you may administratively appeal this decision by submitting a written request to the Director, Information Management Office, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Washington, DC 20511 or DNI-
[email protected]. The request letter and envelope, or subject line of the email, should be marked "MDR Appeal." The appeal must specify the document(s) or information to be considered on appeal. Your appeal must be postmarked or electronically transmitted within 60 days of the date of this letter. OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE WASHINGTON, DC You may contact ODNI IMO' s Requester Service Center at
[email protected] or (703) 275-13 I 3 with any questions. Enclosures Sincerely, Gregory Koch Chief, Information Management FOIA Public Information Management T h e B lack Vault The Black Vault is the larges t o n l ine Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) document clearinghouse in the world. The research efforts here are responsible for the declassification of hundreds of thousands of pages released by the U.S. Government & Military. Discover the Truth a t : h t tp://www.theblackvault.com This document is made av a i l a b l e through the declassification efforts and research of John Greenewald, Jr., creator of: ENCLOSURE 1
[email protected] on behalf of National FOIA Portal <
[email protected]> Attachments: Saturday. June 26. 2021 8:40 AM New FOIA request received for Office of the Director of National Intelligence FOIA Request confirmation #230231.pdf A new FOIA request was submitted to your agency component: following list contains the entire submission submitted June 26,2021 08:40:02am ET, and is fornlatted for ease of viewing and printing. Contact information First name Mailing Address Greenewald 27305 W. Live Oak Rd. Suite #1203 City Castaic State/Province CA Postal Code Company/Organization The Black Vault, Inc.
[email protected] Request 10 230756 Confirmation 230231 description To whom it may concern, This is a request for a mandatory declassification review (MDR), under the terms of Executive Order 13526, of the following document(s): Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (Or other title). I am seeking the CLASSIFIED version of this report: https:/Iwww.dni.govlindex.php/newsroom/reports-publications/reports- publications-2021Iiteml2223-preliminary-assessment-unidentified-aerial- .. that was given to Congress/Senate on June 25, 2021. To be clear, I am NOT asking for the public version of the report. I am seeking the classified "annex' or report or any other material that was given to Congress/Senate on (or around) June 25, 2021. It is my believe that despite the classified nature of the material, it should not be exempted 100%. I ask that the information be reviewed, and the non-exempted information released. Thank you for your time, and I look forward to your response! Sincerely, John Greenewald, Jr. 27305 W. Live Oak Rd. Suite #1203 Castaic, Supporting documentation Request media category 10 Fee waiver Explanation Willing to First and foremost, in recent weeks, months and years, this very topic, has garnered worldwide media attention and public interest. NUMEROUS stories in the mainstream media WORLDWIDE have resulted. Newspapers online magazine from around the globe have covered this story, and I feel the responsive records in this case, would go to offer the public a great understanding of something that is not only public interest, but something of great value to the public understanding. I have a unique way of disseminating this information. My website The Black Vault (www.theblackvault.com). known worldwide for covering topics related to U.s. Government documents, records and secrets, serves approximately 24,000 people every day. I offer responsive records I get under the FOIA, for free, to those visitors. I also take those documents, when applicable, and write editorialized articles and summaries for publication elsewhere. I also have the ability, should the responsive records truly be newsworthy, to garner media attention for them. I have appeared on numerous television shows, news programs, magazine, and newspapers from around the globe. Expedited processing Processing Explanation First and foremost, in recent weeks, months and years, this very topic, has garnered worldwide media attention and public interest. NUMEROUS stories in the mainstream media WORLDWIDE have resulted. Newspapers and online magazine from around the globe have covered this story. and I feel the responsive records in this case, would go to offer the public a great understanding of something that is not only public interest, but something of great value to the public understanding. I have a unique way of disseminating this information. My website The Black Vault (www.theblackvault.com). known worldwide for covering topics related to U.S. Government documents, records and secrets, serves approximately 24,000 people every day. I offer responsive records I get under the FOIA, for free, to those visitors. I also take those documents, when applicable, and write editorialized articles and summaries for publication elsewhere. I also have the ability, should the responsive records truly be newsworthy, to garner media attention for them. I have appeared on numerous television shows, news programs, magazine, and newspapers from around the globe. The following table contains the entire submission, and is formatted for ease of copy/pasting into a spreadsheet. request confirmatio address_c address_cou address_Ii address_Ii address_stateJlro address_zipJ'ostal id n id ity ntry nel ne2 vince _code Castaic United States Live Oak Rd. Suite #1203 CA ENCLOSURE 2 OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE (U) Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Classified By: (U) SCOPE AND ASSUMPTIONS (U) This preliminary report is provided by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) in response to a provision in Senate Report 116-233, accompanying the Intelligence Authorization Act (IAA) for Fiscal Year 2021, that the DNI, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense (SECDEF), is to submit an intelligence assessment of the threat posed by unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) and the progress the Department of Defense Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force (UAPTF) has made in understanding this threat. (U) This report provides an overview for policymakers of the challenges associated with characterizing the potential threat posed by UAP while also providing a means to develop relevant processes, policies, technologies, and training for the U.S. military and other U .S. Government (USG) personnel if and when they encounter UAP, so as to enhance the Intelligence Community' s (IC) ability to understand the threat. The UAPTF Director, is the official accountable for ensuring the timely collection and consolidation of data on UAP. The dataset described in this report is currently limited primarily to USG reporting of incidents occurring November 2004 to March 2021. Data continues to be collected and analyzed. (U) This report was prepared for the Congressional Intelligence and A rmed Services Committees under the auspices of the ODN!. It was drafted by the UAPTF ODNI National Intelligence Manager for Aviation, with input from U SD(I&S), lA, FBI, NRO, NGA, NSA, Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, DARPA, FAA, ,NOAA, ODNIINIM- Emerging and Disruptive Technology, ODNIlNational Counterintelligence and Security Center, ODNllNational Intelligence Council. (U) Assumptions (U) Various forms of sensors that register UAP generally operate correctly and capture enough real data to allow initial assessments, but some UAP may be attributable to sensor anomalies. (U) EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (U) The limited amount of high-quality reporting on UAP hampers our ability to draw firm conclusions about the nature or intent of UAP. The UAPTP considered a range of information on UAP described in U.S. military and IC (Intelligence Community) reporting, but because the reporting lacked sufficient specificity, ultimately recognized that a unique, tailored reporting process was required to provide sufficient data for analysis ofUAP events. As a result, the UAPTP concentrated its review on ~escribing InCIdents that occurred between 2004 and 2021, the majority of which are a result of a new tailored process to better capture UAP events through formalized reporting. (U) Most of the UAP reported probably do represent physical objects given that a of UAP registered across multiple sensors, to include radar, infrared, electro- optical, weapon seekers, and visual observation. In a limited number of incidents, UAP reportedly appeared to exhibit unusual flight characteristics, including several in which ,==" involvin These observations could be the result of sensor errors, spoofing, or observer . misperception and require additional rigorous analysis. (U) There are probably multiple types ofUAP requiring different explanations based on the range of appearances and behaviors described in the available reporting. Our analysis of the data supports the construct that if and when individual UAP incidents are resolved they will fall into one offive potential explanatory categories: airborne clutter, natural atmospheric phenomena, USG or U.S. industry developmental programs, foreign adversary systems, and a "other" bin. (U) UAP clearly pose a safety of flight issue and may pose a challenge to U.S. national security. Safety concerns primarily center on aviators contending with an increasingly cluttered air domain. UAP would also represent a national security challenge if they are foreign adversary collection platforms or provide evidence a potential adversary has developed either a breakthrough or disruptive technology. (U) Consistent consolidation of reports from across the federal government, standardized reporting, increased collection and analysis, and a streamlined process for screening all reports against a broad range of relevant USG data will allow for a more sophisticated analysis ofUAP that is likely to deepen our understanding. Some of these steps are resource-intensive and would require additional investment. (U) AVAILABLE REPORTING LARGELY INCONCLUSIVE (U) Limited Data Leaves Most UAP Unexplained (U) Limited data and inconsistency in rep0l1ing are key challenges to evaluating UAP. No standardized rep0l1ing mechanism existed until the Navy established one in March 2019. The Air Force subsequently adopted that mechanism in November 2020, but it remains limited to USG rep0l1ing. The UAPTF regularly heard anecdotally dming its research about other observations that occUlTed but which were never captured in fOlmal or infOlmal rep0l1ing those observers. carefully con~ion, the UAPTF focused on a dataset of_ Df()l)al)lv describing~that involved UAP largely witnessed ftrsthand aviators and that were collected from systems considered to be reliable. These rep0l1s describe incidents that OCCUlTed between 2004 and 2021, with the majority coming in the last two years as the new rep0l1ing mechanism became better known to the military aviation commtnllty. In only one instance, the UAPTF was able to identify the reported UAP with high confidence . . In that case, we identified the object as a large, deflating balloon. The others remain lmexplained. 144 repol1s originated from USG somces. Of these, 80 rep0l1s involved n h.,,,,, .,, ""tt with multiple sensors including and . The remaining IIIEJ observed incidents were (See Tables Of the 144 USG repol1s_ riginated from Navy "Range Fouler,,2 which provide basic infOlmation, such as the time, date, location, description, and what occmred dming the event. _eports were from a 1.4( a) combination of Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and other USG agenCIes. UAP were described in most rep0l1s as objects that intenupted pre- planned or other militaIY activity. f the 144 rep011s contained Although these rep0l1s the descriptions of lmknown targets ===============- as in a limited lllUllber of instances. 2 (U) U.S. Navy aviators defme a "range fouler" as an activity or object that interrupts pre-phullled training or other in a military operating area or restricted airspace. (U) UAP Collection Challenges (U) Sociocultural stigmas and sensor limitations remain obstacles to collecting data on UAP. Although some teclmical challenges-such as how to appropriately filter out radar clutter to ensure safety of flight for military and civilian aircraft-are longstanding in the aviation community, while others are lullque to the UAP problem set. (U) Narratives from aviators in the operational community and analysts from the military and Ie describe disparagement associated with obselving UAP rep0l1ing it or attempting to discuss it with colleagues. Although the effects of these stigmas have lessened as senior members of the scientific policy military and intelligence comlmmities engage on the topic seriously in public, reputational risk may keep nn., .. r" ... r., silent, complicating scientific pursuit of the topic. The sensors mOlmted on U.S. military platforms are typically designed to fulfill specific missions often (U) Sensor vantage points and the numbers of sensors conclUTently obselving an object play substantial roles in distinguishing UAP from known objects and determining whether a UAP demonstrates breakthrough aerospace capabilities. Optical sensors have the benefit of providing some insight into relative size, shape and structure. Radiofrequency sensors provide more accurate velocity and range information. (U) But Some Potential Patterns Do Emerge (U) Although there was wide variability in the repol1s and the dataset is clUTently too limited to allow for detailed trend or pattern analysis there was some clustering ofUAP obselvations regarding shape, size, and, particularly, propulsion. UAP sightings also tended to cluster around U.S. training and testing grounds, but we assess that this may result ii-om a collection bias as a of focused attention, greater numbers of latest-generation sensors operating in those areas lullt expectations, and guidance to report anomalies. most common shape described by military personnel rep0l1ing was all. (See Figure 1.). Militatyaviators described many ofthesell'M objects as that Several sightings were lilfil. shapes like all'l5I or a In'''>1"V~'1'1 UAP usually traveled between .nd Altitudes varied for these objects, but frequently registered between"',Wand_ mean sea (MSL). We have_cases, however in which the observer perceived that the UAP demonstrated and another in which the UAP was detected_ feet MSL. a Handful ofUAP Appear to Demonstrate Advanced Technology 18 incidents, described in 21 repolis obselvers repOlied unusual UAP movement t'\<>t n"c or flight characteristics, and/or A few of these repot1s describe UAP behavior 1 4(a)(g) Some UAP appeared to remain stationalY in winds aloft, move against the wind, maneuver abruptly or move at considerable speed without discemable means of propUlsion. In a small number of cases, military aircraft systems processed radio frequency (RF) energy associated with UAP sightings as 1 4(a)(g) Although there are we would ,'.,. 14(a)(g) Recordings of radar displays suggest these UAP"i"'. a Navy repOli documented but then appeared to change course and speed, '==Iia UAP exhibited according to UAPTF lQCUUOn,u reports of aircraft indicating UAPTF holds a small amOlmt of data that appear to show UAP demonstrating CC!lell'atJlon or a degree of signature management However, this Additional rigorous analyses is necessary by multiple teams or groups of technical expelis to determine the nature and validity of these data. We are conducting fmiher analysis to detennine if breakthrough technologies were demonstrated. during all'Em.,. incident the UAP from the aircraft. Dlll rIl!EJllll(!JI'!'II.'--shows the object A 2004 UAP event reportedly demonstrated According to U .S. Navy reporting, duringlClEJlC!)lhours in a helicopter pilot and two weapons systems officers (WSOs) visually observed several objects moving approximately ,;;;;.;;;;;;;~;;;~ One of the WSOs,1IIEJm) ! approximately IIIE1ImIIfive objects, which The WSO reported he the pilot and the other WSO IIlEJIfiIJI the IIlEJII (U) UAP PROBABLY LACK A SINGLE EXPLANATION (U) The UAP documented in this limited dataset demonstrate an array of aerial behaviors, reinforcing the possibility there are multiple types of UAP requiring different explanations. Our analysis of the data supports the construct that if and when individual UAP incidents are resolved they will fall into one of five potential explanatory categories: airborne clutter, natural atmospheric phenomena, usa or industry developmental programs, foreign adversary systems, and a catchall "other" bi