Organisations

Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI)

US federal agency that oversees and coordinates the intelligence community and, since 2020, has been named in legislation as a co-recipient and co-author of government reports on unidentified anomalous phenomena.

Federal government agency

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) is a US federal agency that coordinates the activities of the American intelligence community. Within the field of unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) research, ODNI has featured chiefly as a statutory recipient and co-author of government reporting mandated by the United States Congress, and as an employer of several figures prominent in UAP-related testimony and journalism.

Congressional interest in ODNI’s role dates to December 2020, when Marco Rubio, then head of the US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, asked ODNI and the Pentagon to deliver Congress an unclassified UAP report within a month.¹ The Senate Intelligence Committee had separately ordered the Director of National Intelligence and the Secretary of Defense to produce a report on UAP sightings on the same timescale.² Senate Report 116-233, accompanying the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, directed ODNI, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, to submit an intelligence assessment of the UAP threat and to report on the progress of the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force (UAPTF).³ The resulting document, the Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (2021-06), was issued jointly by the UAPTF and ODNI in June 2021.⁴ It defines UAP as objects that are not immediately identifiable and lack a single explanation,⁵ and sets out five potential explanatory categories: airborne clutter, natural atmospheric phenomena, US government or industry developmental programs, foreign adversary systems, and a catch-all “other” category.⁶

ODNI has continued to feature in the reporting structure established by this legislation. It submitted the 2022 Annual Report on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena to United States Congress on 2023-01-12,⁷ which recorded 510 total UAP reports: the 144 reports covering the 17-year period addressed in the preliminary assessment, plus 247 new reports and 119 reports subsequently discovered or reported.⁸ Since the establishment of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), that office has provided quarterly reports, semiannual briefings, and an annual report to Congress in coordination with ODNI.⁹ More broadly, ODNI has published public reports documenting UAP.¹⁰

Several individuals central to UAP disclosure have passed through ODNI. Luis Elizondo, a former counter-intelligence officer with the United States Department of Defense (DoD), most recently worked out of ODNI before his public advocacy on UAP.¹¹ Over his career he worked within the DoD, the Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive (ONCIX), ODNI, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense.¹² At ODNI, Devon Woods served as Elizondo’s unofficial mentor;¹³ Woods had previously built a career at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) before joining ODNI,¹⁴ and in 2010 moved from a senior ODNI leadership role to a senior director post at the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA).¹⁵ Christopher Mellon said he believed the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) had not included any of the thousands of annual “Uncorrelated Tracks” identified by its radars in the ODNI report.¹⁶

ODNI has also convened outside scientific input on UAP. Avi Loeb said he was visited at home by an ODNI representative who asked him to lead a science advisory council;¹⁷ Loeb has stated the governing board of Avi Loeb’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) science advisory council includes representatives from ODNI, The White House, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the intelligence community, with access to classified material.¹⁸ When Congressman Eric Burlison asked ODNI officials about plasmoid-type phenomena observed at a Western United States military installation, the officials said neither they nor their top scientists knew what they were.¹⁹

ODNI has featured in allegations of programme concealment made by David Charles Grusch. Grusch said he would use his expertise to help Burlison and Congress restore oversight and hold accountable those who broke the law and lied to Congress, the White House, ODNI, and the United States Department of Justice (DOJ).²⁰ He has also said that while working in the intelligence community he worked on sensitive programmes purposely hidden from ODNI oversight staff and briefed only to the White House, kept from Congress through what he described as a shell game of non-reporting.²¹

References (21)

Marco Rubio, as head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, asked ODNI and the Pentagon to give Congress an unclassified UAP report within a month
“This past December, while he was still head of the Intelligence Committee, he asked the Director of National Intelligence and the Pentagon to present Congress an unclassified report by next month.”
Navy pilots describe encounters with UFOs 00:12:34.0-00:12:45.5
The Senate Intelligence Committee ordered the Director of National Intelligence and the Secretary of Defense to deliver a UAP report within a month
“the intelligence committee has ordered the director of national intelligence and the secretary of defense to deliver a report on the mysterious sightings by next month”
Navy pilots describe encounters with UFOs 00:00:27.1-00:00:36.7
Senate Report 116-233, accompanying the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, directed ODNI to submit a threat assessment and report on UAPTF's progress
“Senate Report 116-233, accompanying the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, directed the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) in consultation with the Secretary of Defense to submit an intelligence assessment of the threat posed by UAP and to report on the progress the UAPTF had made in understanding this threat.”
Report on the Historical Record of U.S. Government Involvement with Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP), Volume I char:65262-65604 View the source record →
The UAP Task Force and ODNI issued the congressionally mandated Preliminary Assessment on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena in June 2021
“In June 2021, the UAPTF and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence issued the congressionally mandated Preliminary Assessment on UAP, which stated that UAP reporting data are largely inconclusive, as well as a consolidation of reports across the U.S. Government is inconsistent.”
Unclassified Summary of Report No. DODIG-2023-109 char:6426-6704 View the source record →
ODNI's Preliminary Assessment defines UAP as objects not immediately identifiable and lacking a single explanation
“According to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence's Preliminary Assessment on UAP, UAP are objects that are not immediately identifiable, lack a single explanation, and fall into one of five potential explanatory categories: airborne clutter, natural atmospheric phenomena, U.S. Government or industry developmental programs, foreign adversary systems, and a catchall "other" category.”
Unclassified Summary of Report No. DODIG-2023-109 char:4256-4647 View the source record →
The Preliminary Assessment sets out five explanatory categories: airborne clutter, natural atmospheric phenomena, US government or industry developmental programs, foreign adversary systems, and an 'other' catchall
“...fall into one of five potential explanatory categories: airborne clutter, natural atmospheric phenomena, U.S. Government or industry developmental programs, foreign adversary systems, and a catchall "other" category.”
Unclassified Summary of Report No. DODIG-2023-109 char:4440-4647 View the source record →
ODNI submitted the 2022 Annual Report on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena to Congress on 2023-01-12
“on January 12, 2023, the ODNI submitted the 2022 Annual Report on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena to Congress.”
Report on the Historical Record of U.S. Government Involvement with Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP), Volume I char:70348-70447 View the source record →
The 2022 Annual Report's 510 total reports comprised the 144 reports from the preliminary assessment's 17-year period, plus 247 new reports and 119 subsequently discovered or reported
“This included the 144 UAP reports covered during the 17 years of reporting included in the ODNI's preliminary assessment, as well as 247 new reports and 119 reports that subsequently were discovered or reported.”
Report on the Historical Record of U.S. Government Involvement with Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP), Volume I char:70618-70820 View the source record →
AARO provides quarterly reports, semiannual briefings, and an annual report to Congress in coordination with ODNI
“Consistent with congressional direction, AARO provides quarterly reports, semiannual briefings, and an annual report to Congress in coordination with the ODNI.”
Report on the Historical Record of U.S. Government Involvement with Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP), Volume I char:70175-70329 View the source record →
ODNI has published public reports documenting UAP
“Now, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence has published public reports documenting UAPs”
Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Implications on National Security, Public Safety, and Government Transparency char:20301-20399 View the source record →
Luis Elizondo was a former counter-intelligence officer with the Defense Department who most recently worked out of the ODNI
“Luis Elizondo was a former career counter-intelligence officer with the Defence Department, who worked most recently out of the office of the Director of National Intelligence.”
In Plain Sight ch24:8112-8275 View the source record →
Elizondo worked within the Department of Defense, ONCIX, ODNI, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense
“I worked within the Department of Defense (DoD), the Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive (ONCIX), the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), and the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD).”
Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs ch9:918-1137 View the source record →
Devon Woods was Elizondo's unofficial mentor when Elizondo first came to ODNI
“Woods had been my unofficial mentor when I first came to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI).”
Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs ch16:3873-3983 View the source record →
Woods had a CIA career before joining ODNI
“He had an illustrious career with the CIA before coming on board ODNI.”
Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs ch16:3990-4055 View the source record →
In 2010, Devon Woods moved from a senior ODNI leadership role to a senior director post at the DIA
“In 2010, a man I’ll call Devon Woods, who previously served as a senior leader at ODNI, became a senior director at DIA.”
Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs ch12:48858-48974 View the source record →
Christopher Mellon believed NORAD did not include any of its thousands of annual 'Uncorrelated Tracks' in the ODNI report
“It is my understanding that NORAD did not include in the ODNI report any of the thousands of "Uncorrelated Tracks" that its radars identify each year over North America.”
In Plain Sight ch29:22868-23029 View the source record →
Avi Loeb was visited at home by an ODNI representative who asked him to lead a science advisory council
“I had a visit to my home, as I often do... this time it came from ODNI. And they asked if I'm willing to lead a science advisory council.”
Episode 73: Science vs. Secrecy 00:17:21.2-00:17:32.8
The governing board for Loeb's council includes representatives from ODNI, the White House, the FBI, and the intelligence community with access to classified material
“There is a governing board that includes representatives from ODNI, from the White House, from the FBI, from the intelligence community. And so those representatives have access, of course, to all the classified material.”
Episode 73: Science vs. Secrecy 00:21:38.5-00:21:53.6
When Eric Burlison asked ODNI officials about plasmoid-type phenomena at a Western US military installation, they said they and their top scientists did not know
“Sitting in that room with ODNI, I asked the question, what in the world are these things doing? And they said, we don't know. And I said, surely you have your top scientists looking into this. What do they say? They said, sir, we really don't.”
Episode 73: Science vs. Secrecy 00:16:56.9-00:17:09.1
David Grusch said he would help Eric Burlison and Congress investigate those who lied to Congress, the White House, ODNI, and the Department of Justice
“I will use all my expertise to support Rep. Burlison and help the US Congress restore full oversight while enabling the Legislative Branch's ability to investigate and hold those accountable who have broken the law and lied not only to our Congress, but also to the Executive Office of the President, Director of National Intelligence, and Department of Justice”
Rep. Burlison Welcomes Former U.S. Air Force Officer David Grusch as Special Advisor char:2214-2568 View the source record →
Grusch said he worked on programmes purposely hidden from ODNI oversight staff and briefed only to the White House, kept from Congress through a shell game of non-reporting
“when I was uh back in the intelligence community there were sensitive programs i worked on that we purposely hid from the director of national intelligence oversight staff um stuff we only briefed the white house and you know kept it away from congress through a unique shell game of not reporting programs”
David Grusch: The Whistleblower Who Told Congress We're Not Alone 00:08:09.3-00:08:28.2

Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI)

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