Written Testimony of Luis Elizondo: Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Exposing the Truth

This document is the written testimony submitted by Luis Elizondo to the United States House Committee on Oversight and Accountability on 2024-11-13, under the heading “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Exposing the Truth.” The hearing was chaired by Nancy Mace and Glenn Grothman, with Gerald Connolly and Robert Garcia serving as Ranking Members.¹⁸ The testimony was submitted concurrently to the House Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation and the House Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs. The associated formal document record is Written Testimony of Luis Elizondo to the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability (2024-11-13).

Elizondo opens by noting that Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) were formerly known as Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs),¹ and states directly that UAP are real.² He asserts that advanced technologies not attributable to the United States or any other government are monitoring sensitive military installations around the globe,³ and that both the United States and some of its adversaries are in possession of UAP technologies.⁴ He further contends that a multi-decade, secretive arms race is under way, funded by misallocated taxpayer money and concealed from elected representatives and oversight bodies.⁵ Elizondo states that in his last government position he managed a Special Access Programme (SAP) on behalf of The White House and the National Security Council,⁶ and draws on lessons from the September 11 attacks to illustrate the dangers of excessive secrecy and institutional stove-piping.⁷

The testimony describes a pattern of UAP programmes operating over the preceding decade and a half without adequate scrutiny from United States Congress, the executive branch, or the public.⁸ Elizondo notes that much of his own government work on the UAP subject remains classified.⁹ He describes a culture of suppression and intimidation maintained by a small cadre within the US government, including unwarranted criminal investigations, harassment, and efforts to destroy the credibility of Elizondo and his former colleagues.¹⁰ He also states that the Pentagon Public Affairs Office employs a professional psychological operations officer as the sole point of contact for UAP enquiries from citizens and the media.¹¹

Elizondo testifies that he and many former colleagues provided classified UAP testimony to both the United States Department of Defense (DoD) and the Intelligence Community Inspector General,¹² and that those who did so were subsequently targeted with threats to their careers, security clearances, and lives.¹³ He identifies The White House, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the United States Department of Defense (DoD), and the United States Department of Energy as among the bodies playing a role in the UAP issue, while asserting that no single authority is in charge, a situation he characterises as leading to unchecked power and corruption.¹⁴

The testimony closes with a set of policy recommendations directed at United States Congress and the President. Elizondo calls for the creation of a single point of contact responsible for a whole-of-government approach to UAP,¹⁵ encompassing academic, scientific, private-sector, and international partners as part of a national UAP strategy.¹⁶ He further recommends that Congress establish a protected environment enabling whistleblowers to come forward without fear of retaliation, exercise subpoena power against hostile witnesses, and prevent additional government funding from flowing to UAP efforts concealed from congressional oversight.¹⁷