'Non-human’ remains found at UFO crash sites - updates from Congress hearing

Hearing was about more than "little green men or flying saucers"

At the beginning of today's meeting, Representative Tim Burchett said lawmakers were "not bringing little green men or flying saucers into the hearing", and instead were going to just "get to the facts".

Testimony ranged from witness encounters with unexplained objects that defied physics, to pilots being too afraid of "stigma" to speak about their encounters, and alleged retaliation against whistleblowers, as well as allegations of a huge government cover-up involving "reverse engineering" of recovered craft and recovery of "non-human" biological evidence.

But beyond today's testimonies, the meeting held an importance simply by taking place. Discussions of UAPs and UFOs has gone from shadowy backroom meetings held by enthusiasts, or held under cover, to a full-blown televised panel where the topic was treated with the same level of severity as any other matter of national security.

The issue has seen lawmakers from both parties coming together, calling for investigations and transparency. Almost all lawmakers focused their questioning on the topic up for discussion today, rarely straying into politics, in a rarity for televised congressional hearings.

Florida Representative Jared Moskowitz summed the issue up, saying: "Many Americans are deeply interested in this issue. And it shouldn't take the potential of non-human origin to bring us together."

What's the background on UAP sightings?

While there are hundreds of UAP sightings reported every year, most go unreported in the news or are explained away.

However, in recent years, the US government has released evidence, including video footage, of several encounters. One, from 2004, was caught on video.

Two US Navy fighter pilots filmed a round object hovering above the water around 100 miles into the Pacific Ocean. One of these pilots is Commander David Fravor, who spoke at today's hearing.

The Navy prefers to call the objects seen in the videos 'unexplained aerial phenomena' (UAP), as opposed to the more commonly-used 'unidentified flying object' (UFO).

Two other videos, from 2015, show objects moving through the air, one of which appears to be spinning. In one of these videos a pilot can be heard saying; "Look at that thing, dude! It's rotating!"

The Pentagon says these instances remain unexplained.

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Another incident in 2021 saw an American Airline pilot flying between Cincinnati and Phoenix reporting a "long cylindrical object that almost looked like a cruise missile" moving at high speeds. Air traffic controllers later confirmed no other aircraft were reported in the area and it is unsure what the object was. In 2018, there was a similar incident which was reported nearly simultaneously by an American Airlines plane and private jet.

Why are we using the term UAP?

Throughout the Congressional hearing today, the term UAP has been used. Many of us will think of alien spacecraft as a UFO - unidentified flying object - but that term wasn't really mentioned today.

Instead, experts and Representatives talked of UAPs - unidentified aerial phenomena. While UFO conjures up images of flying saucers piloted by little green men, the term UAP is a more general term used to describe unexplainable sights in the sky.

The term UFO comes with connotations and stigma, so the term UAP has been used to try and create distance from this (Getty Images)

Both acronyms are used to describe an object in the sky that cannot be identified, but the term UAP has been preferred recently due to the stigma attached to UFO. Calling them UFOs could discourage pilots from reporting sightings of unexplained phenomena, as witnesses in today's hearing testified to, due to the stigma associated.

Concerns UAPs could disable military tech

Representative Matt Gaetz, of Florida, asked questions about whether UAPs might be able to disable aircraft technology - like radars and cameras.

He described an incident in which a US pilot was using radar to observe an unidentified object, but when the pilot approached, the radar went down. He ended up having to manually take an image from one of the lenses.

Rep Gaetz asked retired Naval Commander David Fravor what should be done if UAPs may have the ability to disarm sensors and collection systems.

Fravor called it a national security issue, adding that during his own encounter, it completely disabled the radar on his aircraft.

"That's a concern," he said. "Not only how they operate but their capabilities inside to do things like this."

Government accused of "biggest cover-up in history"

During the hearing today, Mr Grush testified there was a massive cover-up by the US government, saying any military personnel attempting to talk about aliens, UAPs or extraterrestrial phenomena was met with "brutal retaliation."

At one point during the first-of-its-kind hearing, Representative Tim Burchett, for Tennesse, asked Mr Grusch: "Personally, have you heard anyone [has] been murdered?"

Republican Representative from Tennessee Tim Burchett (C) prepares for the historic hearing (JIM LO SCALZO/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Mr Grusch answered: "I have to be careful answering that question. I directed people with that knowledge to the appropriate authorities."

Despite claims made publicly by whistleblower Mr Grusch, the Pentagon has denied all claims. In a statement, Defense Department spokeswoman Sue Gough said investigators have not discovered “any verifiable information to substantiate claims that any programs regarding the possession or reverse-engineering of extraterrestrial materials have existed in the past or exist currently.”

UFO sightings could be made public

Representative Glenn Grothman describes the hearing as “illuminating” and says the US might try to make information more public.

Grothman, who is chair of the House subcommittee on national security, the border and foreign affairs, said:

"Obviously, I think several of us are going to look forward to getting some answers in a more confidential setting. I assume some legislation will come out of this.

He added: "I think we are going to want to look into what we can do to make more of this information public. I think there’s certainly a time period after which it should always be made public and people have been concerned about these issues, like I said, since I was in high school."

Sceptical lawmaker asks if witness has "seen any of the bodies"

Representative Eric Burlison, of Missouri, is a self-confessed sceptic, saying he's "pretty sceptical" and doesn't "trust anything" in Washington DC.

He went on to talk about what's been said in the public since Mr Grusch blew the whistle on the government's knowledge of UAPs. Rep Burlison brought up Mr Grusch's allegations of "harmful" or "aggressive" activity, asking the former intelligence official whether any of the activity has been "aggressive" or "hostile" in his reports.

Mr Grusch said he was aware of "multiple colleagues" of his who were "physically injured". Rep Burlison asked for clarification as to whether this was by UAPs or "people within the federal government", to which Mr Grusch simply responded: "Both."

Probing further about the interactions between the non-human entities and humans, and whether this has "caused harm to humans," Mr Grusch said he "can't get into the specifics in an open environment".

Mr Grusch said he could "not get into the specifics" of what he has seen regarding non-human craft (Getty Images)

He went on to clarify: "At least the activity that I personally witnessed... what I personally witnessed myself and my wife, was very disturbing."

Further digging into Mr Grusch's previous claims that the government has alien spacecraft and bodies, Rep Burlison asked directly: "Have you seen the spacecraft?"

Mr Grusch appeared to think for a second before responding: "I have to be careful to describe what I've seen firsthand, and not in this environment, but I could answer that question behind closed doors."

Pressed further on whether he had "seen any of the bodies", Mr Grusch responded: "That's something I have not witnessed myself."

Rep Burlison said he finds it "far-fetched" that an alien species, capable of travelling "billions of lightyears" would arrive and is "somehow is incompetent enough to not survive Earth or crashes".

"Regardless of your level of sentience, planes crash, cars crash," mr Grusch explained. "And a number of sorties, however high, a small percentage is going to end in mission failure if you will, as we sa in the air force."

"Non-human" biology allegedly recovered from apparent crash sites

Rep. Mace tried to get Mr Grusch to elaborate on his knowledge of non-terrestrial bodies. She asked about the alleged recovered non-human craft, and asked if the pilots had been recovered along with the craft, which Mr Grusch said he could not confirm.

David Grusch testified that "non-human" biologics were recovered from alleged crash sites (JIM LO SCALZO/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

However, he went on to say when pushed: "As I've stated publicly already in my NewsNation interview, biologics came with some of these recoveries, yeah."

Asked to elaborate whether they were human or non-human, he confirmed: "Non-human, and that was the assessment of people with direct knowledge on the programme I talked to that are currently still on the programme."

95 per cent of UAP sightings believed to go unreported

When asked by South Carolina Representative Nancy Mace about the percentage of UAp sightings that "go unreported by our pilots", Mr Graves gave a stark figure.

He said: "This is an approximation based off of my personal experience speaking with a number of pilots, but I would estimate we're somewhere near five per cent reporting, perhaps."

Ryan Graves, Americans for Safe Aerospace Executive Director, from left, U.S. Air Force (Ret.) Maj. David Grusch, and U.S. Navy (Ret.) Cmdr. David Fravor, testify before a House Oversight and Accountability subcommittee hearing (AP)

Mr Graves went on to say that he "absolutely" believes the Navy took the danger to his aircraft seriously following his encounter off Virginia Beach.

Rep. Mace went on to ask Mr Grusch how many of the reported UAP sightings are "adequately investigated". He said he "tried to look at every report that came through" during his time in leadership at NGA.

"We need a system where pilots can report without fear of losing their jobs"

Asked by Chairman Rep. Grothman whether he and fellow pilots feel "adequately trained and brief" on how to deal with encounters with UAPs, Mr Graves said: "No. Right now military witnesses to UAP have limited options for reporting UAP.

"But more concerning is that the commercial aviation sector has not adapted to the lessons that the military has implemented. The military and Department of Defense has stated that UAP represent a critical aviation safety risk, we have not seen that same language being used in the commercial markets - they are not acknowledging this risk."

Mr Graves said pilots are fearing "repercussions" if they report sightings of UAPs (JIM LO SCALZO/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Asked to elaborate on the steps that would need to be taken to improve a pilot's UAP reporting, either military or commercial, Mr Graves explained: "Right now we need a system where pilots can report without fear of losing their jobs.

"There is a fear that the stigma associated with this topic is going to lead to professional repercussions either through management or perhaps through their yearly physical check."

Summarising he said: "So having a secure system, reducing the stigma, and making this information available through the public is going to reduce the concerns that aircrew have."

He was then asked to explain why some information should not be made available to the public, to which he said there were "certainly some national security concerns". Mr Graves said there's "no reason why these objects themselves would be classified".

'People have been hurt to cover up alien tech'

When asked to elaborate on the "brutal" treatment he received following his decision to become a whistleblower, David Grusch explicitly said: "I do have knowledge of active planned reprisal activity against myself and other colleagues."

Congressman Burchett asked Mr Grush whether he believes anyone has been "murdered" in an effort to cover up the existence of UAPs. He was also asked: "So at one point, you said that there has been harmful activity or progressive activity. Has any of the activity been aggressive? Been hostile in your reports?"

Mr Grusch responded: "I know of multiple colleagues of mine that got physically injured" as a result of UFO activity and government action.

Representative thanks those who have "kept this issue alive"

Representative Tim Burchett, of Tennessee, offered thanks to not only the witnesses but also "the people in the audience and the people that are watching this that can't [be here]."

"People all over the world that have kept this issue alive. You've endured criticism and derogatory remarks and we're trying to get to the bottom of it, so God bless y'all. Thank y'all so much, we really appreciate you guys and gals."

His comments evoked applause from those at the hearing. He then went on to ask how the public could help contribute to UAP reporting and "what avenues are available" to the public.

U.S. Representative Tim Burchett thanked not only witnesses but the public who have been keeping an eye on developments (Michael Brochstein/SOPA Images/REX/Shutterstock)

Mr Graves responded first, saying: "Right now, I don't think there's a lot of public options for the everyman to be able to report on this. I think even for professionals that have sensor data that are seeing these on a regular basis, they're still hesitant to come forward.

"And so for the general public, I think encouraging the conversations that we're having today, looking for technology solutions that can be distributed, so that objective data can be gathered, is the first place to go."

Mr Grusch spoke on the whistleblower side of things to "encourage" those working in related sectors to come forward in a "legal way", to "join [him] in this discussion".

Commander Fravor responded using his expertise as an accident investigator, offering advice of: "One, don't try and make the fish bigger than it was. Stick to the facts, write it down and don't speculate what you think it is because it will skew your decision.

"Write all the facts down because we can get the facts together and we can start to investigate and get a real, honest story, instead of 'it was THIS big'."

Closing out his round of questioning., Mr Burchett said: "We made history today".

"Sense of duty" and desire to "help" those still "flying and dealing with this" prompted witnesses to come forward

When asked why they came forward to speak about their experiences with UAPs, the three witnesses had varying responses.

Mr Graves said: "I came forward because I felt that my colleagues did not have a way to mitigate this safety threat and I wanted to help them. I was trained as an aviation safety officer by the Navy and this just felt right I felt that I had to help the folks that were still flying and dealing with this."

(L-R) Retired Commander David Fravor, former Commanding Officer in the US Navy, Ryan Graves, Executive Director of Americans for Safe Aerospace, and David Grusch, former National Reconnaissance Officer Representative on the Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Task Force (AFP via Getty Images)

Mr Grusch's response was: "Purely a sense of duty, I first swore an oath when I was a cadet 18 years ago and I still uphold that, even out of uniform."

Commander Fravor had a slightly lighter response, saying: "I was pestered by a friend and I asked why and he said 'You're the one person that they can't discredit and you'll add credibility to the New York Times article', and so after about six times I said OK."

Government aware of "non-human" activity for almost a century

When Mr Grusch was asked whether the US Government had information about extraterrestrial life, he said the US likely has been aware of "non-human" activity since the 1930s.

He said in his testimony: "I was informed in the course of my official duties of a multi-decade UAP crash retrieval and reverse engineering programme to which I was denied access."

The Pentagon has denied Mr Grusch's claims of a coverup. In a statement, Defense Department spokeswoman Sue Gough said investigators have not discovered "any verifiable information to substantiate claims that any programs regarding the possession or reverse-engineering of extraterrestrial materials have existed in the past or exist currently."

U.S. Air Force (Ret.) Maj. David Grusch, testifies before a House Oversight and Accountability subcommittee hearing on UFOs (AP)

The statement did not address UFOs that are not suspected of being extraterrestrial objects. However, some lawmakers have criticised the Pentagon for not providing more details in a classified briefing or releasing images that could be shown to the public.

In December, Pentagon officials said they had received "several hundreds" of new reports since launching a renewed effort to investigate reports of UFOs. At that point, "we have not seen anything, and we're still very early on, that would lead us to believe that any of the objects that we have sen are of alien origin," said Ronald Moultrie, undersecretary of defence for intelligence and security. "Any unauthorised system in our airspace we deem as a threat to safety."

Humans could not survive G-forces that would be present in UAPs observed

Discussing whether a human could survive the G-forces that would be present in the UAPs observed, witnesses said that this would not be possible with the technology today with the acceleration rates they observed.

Former Commander David Fravor

Asked about the details of the craft they encountered, Cmdr Fravor recalled: "We got within a half mile of the Tic-Tac and people say that's pretty far, but in aeroplanes, that's pretty close.

"It was perfectly white, smooth, no windows... no windows, no seams, no nothing."

He went on to describe how when the video they captured was blown up there were "two little objects that came out of the bottom of it."

Craft encountered by retired Navy Commander "unlike things I've ever encountered before"

During his testimony, retired Navy Commander David Fravor spoke of his experience witnessing a UAP first-hand.

He was on a mission with another fighter jet, whose pilot said itshook him to his core when he saw the "Tic-Tac" shaped object jump locations father than the "laws of physics" normally allow.

A US fighter pilot, whose plane filmed the famous "Tic-Tac" UAP footage broke 15 years of silence in 2019 to speak about his close encounter. Chad Underwood described the object he recorded over the Pacific Ocean as "erratic."

"It was just behaving in ways that aren't physically normal," he said. "That's what caught my eye. Because, aircraft, whether they're manned or unmanned, still have to obey the laws of physics."

Witness knows "exact locations" of UAPs in government possession

Asked whether he believes the government is in possession of UAPs, David Grusch said: "Absolutely, based on interviewing over 40 witnesses over four years.."

When Rep Garcia pushed him to where they are, Mr Grusch replied: "I know the exact locations and those locations were provided to the inspector general and some of which to the intelligence committees."

Mr Grusch recalls "brutal" retaliation after coming forward about UAPs which left him 'fearing for his life'

David Grusch told lawmakers the retaliation he faced after deciding to become a whistleblower on UAPs was "brutal".

He added he was "administratively attacked" for his views on UAPs, saying others had been as well.

"There were certain colleagues of mine that were brutally administratively attacked," he said. "It actually makes me very upset as a leader to see that happen to other co-workers and actually superiors of mine in the last three years."

Maryland Democrat Jamie Raskin asked: "How do you account for that response? That seems like a bizarre response."

David Grusch said he had faced "brutal" retaliation after becoming a whistleblower (Getty Images)

Mr Grusch replied calling it "administrative terrorism." He explained: "That's in their quiver or tool in the toolbox to silence people, especially the career government servants who care about their career, care about their clearance, their reputation, to climb the ladder, and when you threaten that flow, that career path, a lot of people back off. But I'm here to represent those people."

When asked if he had knowledge of people being harmed or injured in efforts to cover up UAP technology and activity, he said: "Yes, personally."

He also added he had feared for his life at times due to the retaliation.

Retired Commander Fravor says it's "shocking" the incident was "never investigated"

Continuing his testimony, Cmdr Fravor said: "What is shocking to us is that the incident was never investigated, my crew was never questioned, tapes were never taken and after a couple of days it turned into a great story with friends."

Referencing articles published in the New York Times in 2017 on the subject, he said: "Those articles opened the door for the government and public that cannot be closed."

He said it has led to an interest by elected officials not focused on "little green men" but on the craft themselves, where they're from and where they operate.

"What concerns me is that there is no oversight from our elected officials on anything associated with our government processing or working on craft believed not from this world," Cmdr Fravor said.

He closed our his testimony saying the "Tic-Tac" object he encountered was "far superior to anything we had on time, have today or are looking to develop in the next 10 years."

Next witness: Retired Navy Commander David Fravor

Beginning his testimony, Commander Fravor said the topic has been "in the news for the past six years and seems to be continuing to gain momentum."

He spoke of his experience and roles within the US Navy, as commanding officer of Strike Fighter Squadron 41 - the "world-famous Black Aces".

Cmdr Fravor recalled a mission off the coast of California during this time. He said they were scheduled for training but were told it had been "suspended" and they were going to "proceed with real-world tasking."

Retired Commander David Fravor, former Commanding Officer in the US Navy (AFP via Getty Images)

"As we proceeded to the West the air controller was counting down the range to an object that we were unaware of what we were going to see when we arrived," he said.

"The controller told us that these objects had been observed for over two weeks coming down from over 80,000 feet, rapidly descending to 20,000 feet, hanging out for hours and then going straight back up."

He clarified: "For those that don't realise, 80,000 feet is space."

Cmdr Fravor said they arrived at the location where they saw "white water" off their side, despite clear skies and calm seas with no whitecaps from waves. This made the "white water" stand out in the ocean.

He said they "looked down and saw a small white Tic-Tac object" which was "moving very abruptly over the water like a ping-pong ball." He described how it had "no rotors" or "wings".

Cmdr Fravor went down to "take a closer look" when the object "suddenly shifted" and "began to climb". As they came nose-to-nose with the strange object, he recalled it "rapidly accelerated in front of us and disappeared".

The other jet, sitting above to observe, also "lost contact" with the craft at this point. They looked around and all seemed calm again.

After they returned, they discussed it with another crew who managed to capture a "90-second video" of the craft, which has been released. However he said there was also radar footage of the craft "which was never released" and they "don't know where it's at".

Mr Grusch asks Congress to "hold our government" to account and "thoroughly investigate" claims

"I am driven by a commitment of both the truth and transparency rooted in our inherent duty to uphold the United States Constitution and protect the American people," said Mr Grusch.

"I'm asking Congress to hold our government to this standard and thoroughly investigate these claims. But as I stand here under oath now, I am speaking to the facts as I have been told them."

Mr Grusch said he's asking Congress to urge the US Government to "thoroughly investigate" UAPs (AFP via Getty Images)

Mr Grusch spoke of his time in the US Air Force as a National Reconnaissance Office reservist capacity from 2019 to 2021. He said: "I was informed in the course of my official duties of a multi-decade UAP crash retrieval and reverse engineering programme. "

Mr Grusch went on to talk about how he had suffered "retaliation" from his decision to speak out but said he hopes that his decision will lead to "transparency" when it comes to UAPs.

Mr Grusch "absolutely" believes the government is in possession of UAPs

When asked by Representative Robert Garcia whether the US government was in possession of UAPs, Mr Grusch replied: "Absolutely."

He said his evidence is based off of interviews with more than 40 witnesses over the last four years.

Information on where those UAPs are located was given to the Inspector General and intelligence committees, Grusch said.

Mr Grusch begins testimony on what he calls an "important issue"

He said it's an "important issue" as began his testimony. Mr Grusch said he was an intelligence official of 14 years.

"I became a whistleblower through a PPD 19 urgent concern filing in May 2022 with the Intelligence Community Inspector General. Following concerning reports from multiple esteemed and credentialed current and former and intelligence community individuals that the US Government is operating, with secrecy, above congressional oversights with regards to UAPs."

He continued: "My testimony is based on information I've been given by individuals with a long-standing track record of legitimacy and service to this country.

"Many of whom also have shared compelling evidence in the form of photography, visual documentation and classified oral testimony to myself and my various colleagues."

Next up: Whistleblower David Grusch

David Grusch is next to give his testimony. The whistleblower and former intelligence official claimed in June the US had possession of "intact and partially intact" alien vehicles.

David Grusch, former National Reconnaissance Officer Representative on the Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Task Force (AFP via Getty Images)

Mr Grusch led an analysis of unexplained anomalous phenomena (UAP)s within a US Department of Defense agency until 2023. He alleged in a series of interviews that the government and defence contractors had been recovering pieces of non-human craft for decades.

He described some of the craft as "very large, like a football field kind of size" and added there had been "malevolent events" connected to the craft.

Mr Grusch has not seen the craft himself, but said his claims are based on "extensive interviews with high-level intelligence officials."

Witness urges people to "put aside stigma" and "address" the "security and safety issue" UAPs represent

Mr Graves explained the majority of the witnesses who come to his Americans for Safe Aerospace organisation are commercial pilots at "major airlines". He said: "Often they are veterans with decades of prior flying experience."

He said they're reporting UAPs appearing above them at 40,000 feet, at low Earth orbit and making "inexplainable manoeuvres", with many taking place over the North Atlantic.

He said: "I believe these accounts are only scratching the surface, and more will share their experiences once it is safe to do so."

Ryan Graves, left, urged people to "put aside" the stigma so the "security and safety" threat of UAPs could be addressed (AFP via Getty Images)

Closing out his testimony, Mr Graves said: "I recognise the scepticism surrounding this topic. If everyone could see the sensor and video data I witnessed, our national conversation would change.

"I urge us to put aside stigma and address the security and safety issue this topic represents. If UAP are foreign drones, it is an urgent national security problem, if it is something else, it is an issue for science.

"In either case, unidentified objects are a concern for flight safety. The American people deserve to know what is happening in our skies. It is long overdue."

Former Navy F-18 pilot recalls "frequent" UAP sightings up close on training missions

Sharing his experience, Mr Graves said: "In 2014, I was an F-18 Foxtrot pilot in the Navy fighter attack Squadron 11, the Red Rippers. And I was stationed NAS Oceana in Virginia Beach.

"After upgrades were made to our jet's radar systems, we began detecting unknown objects operating in our airspace At first, we assumed they were radar errors. But soon we began to correlate the radar tracks with multiple onboard sensors, including infrared systems, eventually through visual ID.

The three witnesses are sworn in for the hearing in Congress (Youtube)

"During a training mission in warning area Whiskey 72, ten miles off the coast of Virginia Beach, two F-18 Super Hornets were split by a UAP. The object, described as a dark grey or a black cube inside of a clear sphere, came within 50 feet of the lead aircraft and was estimated to be five to 15 feet in diameter.

"The mission commander terminated the flight immediately and returned to base. Our squadron submitted a safety report but there was no official acknowledgement of the incident and no further mechanism to report the sightings.

"Soon these encounters became so frequent that aircrew would discuss the risk fo UAP as part of their regular pre-flight briefs. Recognising the need for action and answers, I founded Americans for Safe aerospace."

He said the organisation has since become a "haven" for UAP witnesses who hadn't previously spoken about their experiences due to the lack of a "safe intake process".

Mr Graves says sightings are "not rare or isolated, they are routine"

Mr Graves said he had a "decade of service" with the US Navy and is here to "voice the concerns of more than 30 commercial aircrew and military veterans who have confided their similar encounters" with him.

He said: "As we convene here, UAP are in our air space, but they are grossly underreported. These sightings are not rare or isolated, they are routine. Military aircrew and commercial pilots, trained observers whose lives depend on accurate identification, are frequently witnessing these phenomena.

The Navy prefers to call the objects seen in the videos 'unexplained aerial phenomena' (UAP), as opposed to the more commonly-used 'unidentified flying object' (UFO).

"The stigma attached to UAP is real and powerful and challenging national security. It silences commercial pilots who fear professional repercussions, discourages witnesses, it is only compounded by recent Government claims, questioning the credibility of eyewitness testimony.

"Parts of our government are aware about more about UAP than they let on, but excessive classification practices keep crucial information hidden. Since 2021, all UAP videos are classified as secret or above, this level of secrecy not only impeded our understanding, but fuels speculation and mistrust"

First witness is former US Navy F-18 pilot

The first witness to speak about his experience is Lieutenant Ryan Graves, a former US Navy pilot who is now the co-founder of Americans for Safe Aerospace.

Former Navy pilot Ryan Graves spoke about his experience encountering UFOs (CNN)

He previously spoke about what he plans to say to Congress, saying he will be looking to "share the experiences" he had as a Navy F-18 pilot, as well as "just how big of a problem this has become for other military aviators and commercial aviators as well".

Mr Graves said "It's a matter of national security that we understand what's in our airspace" and "it's a matter of aviation safety and security that our aviators and our aircrew know what's in front of them when they're flying around."

"The American public has a right to learn" about UAPs

"We should encourage more reporting, not less, on UAPs", said Representative Robert Garcia of California. He spoke about the "stigma" those who had witnessed unidentified objects faced in reporting them.

Democratic Representative for Florida Jared Moskowitz said: "For decades many Americans have been fascinated by objects mysterious and unexplained, and it's long past time they got some answers. The American public has a right to learn about technologies of unknown origins, non-human intelligence and unexplained phenomena.

"Those are not the words of a UFO Twitter account. That is a direct quote from majority leader Chuck Schumer."

Congress created the All Domain Resolution Office in the NDAA of 2022. Rep Moskowitz said in its initial analysis there are "171 uncharacterized UAP reports" that "appear to have demonstrated unusual flight characteristics of performance capabilities." He went on to say that he believes there is more information about these reports.

Hearing begins with comments about "pressing demand" for transparency

Chairman Mr Grothman has opened the committee, which he described as "the most exciting subcommittee in Congress this week".

He first wanted to thank the "brave" personnel for sharing their stories on how they have engaged with Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs).

He continued: "Curiosity and speculation from all walks of life have generated interest in studying what UAPs are and what threats they may pose.

"I will say that when I was young in school I read a book, a 1966 book, called 'Flying Saucers: Serious Business' and for a while when I was younger I thought it was the most important issues out there."

He continued: "The lack of transparency regarding UAPs has fuelled wild speculation and debate for decades, eroding public trust in the very institutions that are meant to protect and serve them, as is evidenced by the large number of people we have here."

Mr Grothman said there is a "pressing demand" for "government transparency and accountability that cannot be overlooked". He also said it's a "problem that's been around for 50 years".