Fight Over UFO Transparency Intensifies as Roadblocks, Failures, and New Pathways Emerge
Written by Christopher Sharp - 18 September 2025
Amid a jittery world - where a campus rally or a stray Russian drone can feel like a tripwire - one subject is drawing unlikely allies together.
At the 9 September Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) hearing in the U.S. Congress, Democrats and Republicans compared notes on the same problem: mysterious incursions into sensitive airspace by possibly advanced, non-human technology.
And the convergence may not end at party lines; it could cross borders. Russia - perhaps the West’s most intractable adversary - faces the same challenge.
Journalist George Knapp testified that during a 1993 reporting trip to Moscow, he reviewed Russian Ministry of Defense files documenting a sweeping, years-long Soviet investigation into such incursions, including attempts to understand - and even attempt to reverse-engineer - the technology.
He added that the late former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Gang of Eight member briefed at the highest levels, believed the United States, Russia, and China had recovered advanced, unknown materials and were racing to make sense of them.
The hearing’s power lay in its suggestion that our universe - and our world—may be more extraordinary than we’ve allowed ourselves to imagine.
What happened and who testified
After months of speculation, uncertainty and delay, House Oversight Committee staff confirmed on 2 September that the long-anticipated hearing would take place on 9 September - a development first reported by Liberation Times.
An official announcement from the Oversight Committee’s Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets, where the hearing would be held, followed the next day.
The hearing was titled ‘Restoring Public Trust Through UAP Transparency and Whistleblower Protection.’
Three witnesses were confirmed:
U.S. Air Force veteran, Jeffrey Nuccetelli
U.S. Navy Senior Chief, Alexandro Wiggins
Journalist, George Knapp
Liberation Times understands that UAP advocates who helped coordinate the hearing initially encountered resistance from committee staff to adding a fourth witness.
Working directly with Task Force members, they overcame the bottleneck.
On 3 September, the committee named the fourth witness: Dylan Borland, a U.S. Air Force veteran.
Democrats, the minority on the Task Force, then added a fifth: Joe Spielberger, a senior policy counsel at the Project On Government Oversight (POGO).
In their written testimony, a coherent picture emerged.
Jeffrey Nuccetelli and Chief Alexandro Wiggins described encounters with what appeared to be advanced craft near key military assets - an urgent, ongoing issue which must be addressed.
George Knapp - widely regarded as the most knowledgeable and best-connected reporter on this beat - offered insights that may shape Congress’s next steps.
Joe Spielberger detailed how limited government transparency and procedural hurdles continue to deter whistleblowers.
Borland, a geospatial-intelligence imagery analyst by training who has served as a senior analyst with BAE Systems and Intrepid Solutions, specialising in the exploitation of video, radar and advanced electro-optical imagery, stated in his written testimony that he was ‘exposed to classified information from the UAP legacy crash retrieval program’ through a sensitive role within a Special Access Program (SAP).
In plain terms, he may have been in a position to know, with possible certainty, that UAP equated to advanced non-human vehicles piloted by non-human beings.
It is one thing to report encounters with exotic craft; it is quite another to assert that the U.S. government, via an alleged SAP, has actually recovered them.
Inside the hearing room
Above: Witnesses testifying before the Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets on 9 September 2025
At the hearing, Borland made clear he could not discuss the alleged crash-retrieval program he says he encountered.
He appeared on edge - rattled and visibly marked by the strain of whistleblowing - and said he has faced retaliation for coming forward, being “blacklisted from certain agencies within the Intelligence Community” and left on the brink of unemployment with no means to support himself.
He further felt the pressure originated from the Intelligence Community’s Inspector General - the very office meant to protect whistleblowers - recounting that, during his interview, it was evident they were there to “assess just how much I know, not to move forward with an investigation based on new information.”
Explaining why he could not expand on what he knew about UAP crash retrievals, Borland said:
“If I say the wrong word, technically, I can be charged with espionage. Espionage is a death penalty - whistleblowers have faced it.”
When asked if he could speak with Task Force members in a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF), he replied:
“It would, pending I am legally allowed to speak…and that the people in the room are legally allowed to hear it.”
He advised members to coordinate with Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard to navigate the legal and procedural steps for his testimony.
Above: Dylan Borland
Jeremy Corbell, who helped coordinate the hearing, told Liberation Times that each witness went through a rigorous vetting process:
“The frontline of the battle for transparency on the UAP issue - ironically - is often fought behind closed doors and obscured from public view.
“Each congressional UAP hearing is a hard-won step toward clarity, requiring meticulous planning to meaningfully advance our understanding. From the selection of witnesses who were willing and able to testify, to navigating months of vetting and security reviews by a variety of agencies; it is through determination, commitment, and fortitude that we arrive at testimony like we saw on September 9th.
“The objective was clear: to establish, under oath and on the congressional record, credible testimony backed by tangible evidence. To bring forward a core group of witnesses and whistleblowers who would speak from unique, often firsthand knowledge of the UAP reality. To shine a light on the persistent and parasitic cover-up. And to reveal new information - as well as continue establishing a foundational public record for broader understanding.
“These witnesses, united in courage, form a powerful chain of voices. Each brought significant insight and emboldened others to step forward. The impact is already rippling outward.
“I can confirm that many more witnesses and whistleblowers stand ready to speak out - about their experiences, their roles in UAP programs, and even their part in concealing the truth.
“Yet, formidable obstacles remain. Suffocating security oaths, government-enforced nondisclosure agreements, and a chilling fear of extralegal retaliation block the path to openness. These fears, sadly, are all too real.
“Still, hope is rising. A growing coalition of resolute individuals is challenging the walls of secrecy, determined to dismantle the structures suppressing public knowledge.
“We, the people, are demanding truth and transparency on the UAP issue, and our representatives are responding. This moment is a rare opportunity - one that hinges on our collective resolve.
“If we fight - discovery will follow.”
At the hearing, Matthew Brown, a former U.S. defense official who blew the whistle on an alleged unacknowledged SAP named IMMACULATE CONSTELLATION, sat beside Corbell and behind Borland.
Organisers succeeded in bringing Brown before the committee, sources told Liberation Times, but staff bottlenecks meant he did not testify. Those bottlenecks meant other whistleblowers were also blocked or unable to testify at the hearing.
Why disclosure remains hard
Liberation Times understands the process stalls at the authorisation stage, where a relevant agency must complete pre-publication review.
Without it, even willing witnesses are gagged.
For this hearing, Borland and Wiggins secured limited clearances from the Air Force and the Navy - approvals that covered only the public disclosures they ultimately made.
The constraints are not new.
In 2024, Lue Elizondo, the former Director of the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP), declined to say whether he had been read into a crash-retrieval effort.
Above: Lue Elizondo
And when David Grusch testified in 2023, his attorney, former Intelligence Community Inspector General Charles McCullough, sat behind him, ready to provide real-time advice.
Several prominent UAP advocates with U.S. government backgrounds are reported by former officials to have direct knowledge of programs housed in Special Access Programs and their Intelligence Community counterpart, Controlled Access Programs (CAPs).
Classification rules bar them from discussing program details, limiting them to personal accounts - such as alleged encounters with non-human entities or sightings of exotic craft.
Another impediment, sources say, is the Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO). Multiple sources told Liberation Times that AARO sought to identify prospective whistleblowers and assess what they knew - conduct likened by those sources to counterintelligence.
At the hearing, Borland outlined what he described as AARO tactics that, in his view, obscure the truth about UAP.
AARO’s standard line relating to UAP of possible exotic origin is that the Department of Defense (now known as the Department of War) ‘has not found any verifiable evidence that any UAP incident is a result of extraterrestrial activity.’
Asked by Task Force member Representative Eric Burlison, who has hired whistleblower David Grusch to his staff, on the key limitations of AARO, Borland answered:
“The only way to scientifically prove extraterrestrial is we have to go to that planet, acquire technology, bring it back and compare it to what we have here.”
He added that AARO’s standard line is “a misrepresentation, because we do have things, but making that statement is not technically a lie - it’s a misrepresentation of the full truth.”
AARO has repeatedly stated it has found ‘no verifiable evidence of extraterrestrial life.’
To ensure an accurate representation of its position, in June 2025, Liberation Times asked Pentagon spokesperson Susan Gough for permission to amend that phrasing to ‘non-human intelligence’ or ‘unknown intelligence.’
Gough declined: ‘No, you may not amend my statement.’ Gough’s response was underlined to ensure it was understood.
Above: Screenshots showing an email exchange between Liberation Times contributor, Kyle Warfel, and Department of War spokesperson, Susan Gough
The state of play in Congress
Representative Burlison indicated at the hearing that the UAP Disclosure Act (UAPDA) was not included in the House version of the National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA).
He said:
"Just last night, I tried to get an amendment onto the National Defense Authorization Act that fit in the germaneness [meaning relevant to a subject under consideration] of that bill to have UAP disclosure, and conveniently it was named non-germane, mostly deemed by staff, not even an elected official - this is the kind of stuff we repeatedly see."
That was later confirmed when the House NDAA emerged from the Rules Committee without any reference to the UAPDA. Sources say advocates in the House will continue pressing for inclusion.
Multiple sources who spoke to Liberation Times are pessimistic about the Act’s chances in the Senate NDAA, despite backing from heavyweight senators - including Minority Leader and Gang of Eight member Chuck Schumer, and Senators Mike Rounds and Kirsten Gillibrand of the Armed Services and Intelligence Committees.
Providing an update on the Senate’s NDAA process and the UAPDA’s hopes of being included, Kevin Wright from the UAP advocacy organisation known as New Paradigm Institute commented:
‘The Senate is currently debating its version of the NDAA. The UAPDA was not part of the original NDAA draft or the version initially advanced for Senate floor debate.
‘When the Senate voted to proceed with the bill, Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, filed a substitute amendment that replaced the entire NDAA text. This substitute incorporated numerous other amendments but did not include the full UAPDA, though it does contain some limited provisions related to UAP reporting, intercepts, and classification. The Senate then voted to proceed with the substitute amendment.
‘More recently, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) introduced an unrelated amendment to release Jeffrey Epstein-related files, using procedural tactics that surprised Republicans and led to a failed cloture vote on September 10. Amid this, Politico reported ongoing bipartisan negotiations to add more amendments to the NDAA, though Schumer's move may have complicated those efforts.
‘At this point, the status of incorporating the UAPDA remains uncertain, and the prospects do not appear promising, as it's not in the current substitute amendment. However, nothing is done until the Senate casts its final votes.’
If that holds, it would mark a third consecutive year the measure fails to be meaningfully implemented. It would also raise questions regarding how invested those Senators supporting the UAPDA are in their own bill. If the UAPDA does fail, sources tell Liberation Times that they are uncertain if it will return.
Rather than pinning hopes on legislation, sources point to two alternative paths: additional, focused congressional hearings and direct targeted declassification by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, working with CIA Director John Ratcliffe. Both are understood to be deeply engaged on the UAP issue.
Gabbard recently made headlines after acknowledging in a podcast interview that she believes extraterrestrial life could exist.
Speaking on the New York Post’s Pod Force One, Gabbard responded “Yes” when asked directly if aliens might be real.
She added, “I have my own views and opinions, and in this role I have to be careful with what I share.”
While unable to go into further detail in her official capacity, she emphasised that her office remains committed to “continuing to look for the truth and share that truth with the American people.”
Speaking last month with Liberation Times, Representative Burlison suggested Gabbard is prepared to act. Asked whether her new Director’s Initiatives Group - established to restore trust in the Intelligence Community through targeted declassification - might extend its work to UAP, Burlison said:
“I do. From what I hear and see with Tulsi, she’s not messing around - she’s trying to right the wrongs. Based on everything I’ve seen, I’m excited about her in this position [as Director of National Intelligence], because I think she truly supports disclosure.“We’ve already seen amazing releases, like documents related to the JFK assassination. Some of those were really damning for the CIA - events from 60 years ago, yes, but still things the Agency clearly didn’t want out. Yet under Tulsi’s leadership, they were released.”
Liberation Times also understands that advocates will be directly pressing for action from the Trump administration and for a UAP Select Committee within Congress to support greater transparency.
Gatekeepers, materials, and stalled transfers
At the hearing, when asked to name UAP ‘gatekeepers,’ Knapp identified Glenn Gaffney, former Director of the CIA’s Directorate of Science and Technology, and James Ryder, a former vice-president at Lockheed Martin Space Systems (now deceased).
As Liberation Times has previously reported, sources allege that Gaffney intervened to block the transfer of purported non-human materials from Lockheed Martin to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) under a prospective Special Access Program known as ‘Kona Blue.’
In 2011, UAP advocates persuaded Dr Tara O’Toole, then DHS Under Secretary for Science and Technology, to begin setting up a SAP within her directorate.
The materials in question are alleged to originate from recoveries dating back to the 1950s. Facing engineering recruitment constraints due to secrecy requirements, Ryder is said to have proposed moving the work to an external organisation to accelerate possible breakthroughs.
Sources familiar with the matter say Gaffney denies the allegations. Three sources told Liberation Times that Gaffney and associates ultimately shut down the proposal. They add that the transfer was formally, allegedly, blocked by Robert Cardillo, then the Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s Deputy Director for Intelligence Integration. This explanation could provide Gaffney with plausible deniability.
Although Ryder cannot testify, Gaffney can. And more alleged hostile witnesses could be called.
Representative Anna Paulina Luna, who chaired last week’s hearing, indicated she would issue a subpoena compelling former AARO Director Dr Sean Kirkpatrick to testify regarding alleged misconduct. Kirkpatrick had made mocking remarks about Luna and her Task Force before the hearing occurred.
Above: Dr Sean Kirkpatrick
Individuals who allegedly blocked a similar proposal between Lockheed Martin and a Defense Intelligence Agency UAP effort - the Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program (AAWSAP) - could also be called to testify.
Ultimately, however, only House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer can issue subpoenas; he will have to be persuaded to do so.
Why it matters now
Whether through new transparency forged between the Director of National Intelligence and the CIA Director, or through fresh, unflinching congressional hearings, we are moving through perilous times.
Predictions of civil conflict haunt the West. Russia probes NATO’s eastern flank. These stories are not separate from UAP disclosure - they are the backdrop that gives it urgency.
If the existence of advanced non-human life is confirmed, that truth could be the rare great unifier: a revelation powerful enough to pull rivals back from the brink, widen our circle of “us,” and remind humanity that we share one fragile home - and one future worth defending together.
