It was a dark and stormy night... Okay, a little cheezy but there are storms passing through the area as I type this in the dead of night. As I log on online, I see the UFO Twitterverse is now buzzing over the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022, that was recently released by Congress.
https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4350/text
Correct me if I'm wrong, but it has yet to pass all the usual hurdles before anything becomes law. The reason everyone is all giddy, is Section 1652, which states a NEW Office to address UNIDENTIFIED AERIAL PHENOMENA (UAP), which is the more government-friendly, and professional phrasing for good old fashioned UFOs and Flying Saucers.
Everyone is doing virtual cartwheels all over the internet, except this is nothing new. We've had, and will continue to have, various projects and departments that look into and receive reports of "things" flying around that may or may not be a threat to aviation, and to a larger extent the country. Numerous governments all across the world have had these types of programs going back decades. Perhaps the most famous, at least for me and here in the US, is Project Blue Book, which ran from 1952 to 1969.
How is this different than the current UAP Task Force? Is this an expanded, and better funded version of it? Is this the New Project Blue Book? Slated to run only 4 years (or just the reports?) if passed in its current version as I am typing this. The Section reads as follows:
SEC. 1652. ESTABLISHMENT OF OFFICE TO ADDRESS UNIDENTIFIED AERIAL PHENOMENA. (a) Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Director of National Intelligence, shall establish an office within the Office of the Secretary of Defense to carry out, on a Department- wide basis, the mission currently performed by the Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon Task Force as of the date of the enactment of this Act. (b) Duties.--The duties of the office established under subsection (a) shall include the following: (1) Developing procedures to synchronize and standardize the collection, reporting, and analysis of incidents regarding unidentified aerial phenomena across the Department of Defense. (2) Developing processes and procedures to ensure that such incidents from each military department are reported and incorporated in a centralized repository. (3) Establishing procedures to require the timely and consistent reporting of such incidents. (4) Evaluating links between unidentified aerial phenomena and adversarial foreign governments, other foreign governments, or nonstate actors. (5) Evaluating the threat that such incidents present to the United States. (6) Coordinating with other departments and agencies of the Federal Government, as appropriate. (7) Coordinating with allies and partners of the United States, as appropriate, to better assess the nature and extent of unidentified aerial phenomena. (c) Annual Report.-- (1) Requirement.--Not later than December 31, 2022, and annually thereafter until December 31, 2026, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on unidentified aerial phenomena. (2) Elements.--Each report under paragraph (1) shall include, with respect to the year covered by the report, the following information: (A) An analysis of data and intelligence received through reports of unidentified aerial phenomena. (B) An analysis of data relating to unidentified aerial phenomena collected through-- (i) geospatial intelligence; (ii) signals intelligence; (iii) human intelligence; and (iv) measurement and signals intelligence. (C) The number of reported incidents of unidentified aerial phenomena over restricted air space of the United States. (D) An analysis of such incidents identified under subparagraph (C). (E) Identification of potential aerospace or other threats posed by unidentified aerial phenomena to the national security of the United States. (F) An assessment of any activity regarding unidentified aerial phenomena that can be attributed to one or more adversarial foreign governments. (G) Identification of any incidents or patterns regarding unidentified aerial phenomena that indicate a potential adversarial foreign government may have achieved a breakthrough aerospace capability. (H) An update on the coordination by the United States with allies and partners on efforts to track, understand, and address unidentified aerial phenomena. (I) An update on any efforts underway on the ability to capture or exploit discovered unidentified aerial phenomena. (J) An assessment of any health-related effects for individuals that have encountered unidentified aerial phenomena. (d) Task Force.--Not later than the date on which the Secretary establishes the office under subsection (a), the Secretary shall terminate the Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon Task Force. (e) Definitions.--In this section: (1) The term ''appropriate congressional committees'' means the following: (A) The Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives. (B) The Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on Foreign Relations, and the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate. (2) The term ``unidentified aerial phenomena'' means airborne objects witnessed by a pilot or aircrew member that are not immediately identifiable.