The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), in coordination with the FBI and Department of Defense, has established an Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) Governance Board to coordinate the federal government’s response to UAP-related national security issues and support ongoing efforts to declassify UAP information, an ODNI spokesperson confirmed to MeriTalk.
While commonly known as unidentified flying objects (UFOs), more broadly, UAPs are observed objects or events in the air, sea, or space that cannot be immediately identified or explained.
The board held its first meeting on June 17. It is charged with improving coordination among intelligence, defense, and law enforcement agencies involved in investigating and analyzing UAP incidents.
According to ODNI, the Governance Board will serve as an interagency body that leverages the authorities and capabilities of member organizations to address potential national security threats posed by UAPs. The board is also tasked with integrating and improving interagency investigative processes and data collection procedures to better support the Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO).
A key responsibility of the board will be coordinating the declassification and public release of UAP-related information in accordance with Executive Order 13526, which governs the classification and declassification of national security information.
The creation of the board follows a February directive from President Donald Trump calling for the release of government files related to UAPs. Since then, the Defense Department has led a multiagency effort to declassify and publish records previously withheld from the public.
Three releases over the past several months have increased the total number of publicly available UAP files to nearly 300. The materials include videos, audio recordings, documents, and images spanning decades of reported encounters. The releases have not provided confirmation of extraterrestrial life.
An ODNI spokesperson said the Governance Board is supported by advisory groups composed of experts from outside government.
One of those groups, the UAP Science Advisory Council, was announced on June 13 by Harvard University astrophysicist Avi Loeb. Loeb leads the Galileo Project, Harvard’s effort to investigate UAPs, and is a former member of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
In a blog post, Loeb said he had been tasked by the White House, AARO, ODNI, the FBI, and members of the intelligence community to assemble a team of scientists to serve on the council.
Loeb said the 15-member council includes experts in fields such as artificial intelligence, data analytics, oceanography, astrophysics, psychology, anthropology, biology, and scientific instrumentation.
The advisory councils are expected to provide expertise to support the government’s broader effort to investigate UAP incidents, analyze data, and increase public transparency while addressing potential national security concerns.