Ministry of Defence File: Information Management - The Freedom of Information Act - Requests for Information

This file, D/DAS/10/2/8/13, documents the Ministry of Defence's (MOD) handling of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests regarding Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) and Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) between 2001 and 2006. The file contains correspondence, internal briefing notes, and parliamentary question (PQ) responses. A central theme is the MOD's policy on the classification of UFO-related documents. In 2001, Lord Hill-Norton submitted several PQs asking for the highest classification applied to MOD documents concerning UFOs. The MOD's response was that while most documents were unclassified, a small number were graded 'Secret' due to their inclusion of analysis regarding the UK Air Defence Ground Environment, rather than the UFO sightings themselves. The file details the internal process for responding to FOI requests, including the application of Section 36 of the Freedom of Information Act, which relates to the 'prejudice to the effective conduct of public affairs' regarding the free and frank provision of advice to Ministers. The MOD consistently maintained that UFO sightings were not of defence interest and that no evidence existed of extraterrestrial life or spacecraft. The file includes specific examples of sighting reports from 2001 to 2005, such as reports from police officers and pilots, which were assessed by the Directorate of Counter Terrorism and UK Operations and determined to pose no risk to UK airspace. The correspondence shows the MOD's efforts to balance public interest in UFOs with the administrative burden of responding to frequent FOI requests, often directing applicants to the MOD website where the 'Project Condign' UAP report was made available. The file reflects a period where the MOD was transitioning from a policy of investigating UFO reports to a stance of dismissing them as having no defence value, ultimately leading to the cessation of such work.