Declassified Pentagon UFO Projects Explained: From Black Budgets to the UAP Disclosure Era

For decades, the U.S. government denied having any interest in UFOs. Officially, the subject was considered closed after Project Blue Book in 1969.

But behind closed doors — in classified briefings and covert research labs — the investigation never stopped.

In fact, in the last two decades, a series of secretive Pentagon programs aimed at studying Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs) have come to light, suggesting not only ongoing interest, but the possibility that the government knows far more than it’s ever admitted.

Here’s a breakdown of the declassified Pentagon UFO projects that have redefined how the world views the unknown skies above us.

🔍 1. AAWSAP (Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program)

Active Years: 2008–2012

Funding: ~$22 million

Agency: Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)

Contracted Entity: Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies (BAASS)

Overview:

AAWSAP was the first modern, officially funded UFO investigation program known to the public. Hidden inside the 2008 U.S. defense budget, it was quietly greenlit by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, along with Senators Ted Stevens and Daniel Inouye, who were concerned about unexplained aerial threats.

What it did:

Studied UFOs, paranormal phenomena, and spacetime anomalies, often in the context of potential weapons or aerospace breakthroughs

Focused research at Skinwalker Ranch, which BAASS acquired under contractor Robert Bigelow

Produced 38 theoretical papers on topics ranging from warp drives and wormholes to psychotronic weapons

Why it matters:

AAWSAP bridged the paranormal and military-industrial complex — proof the government was studying not just aircraft, but reality-bending phenomena.

🕶️ 2. AATIP (Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program)

Active Years: 2010–2017 (public knowledge), with rumored continuation under different names

Agency: Department of Defense (DoD)

Director: Luis Elizondo

Overview:

AATIP was a spin-off or successor to AAWSAP, but with a narrower scope: strictly investigating military encounters with UAPs that may pose a national security threat.

What it did:

Collected and analyzed U.S. military UFO reports

Compiled classified briefings for Congress

Oversaw the investigation of incidents like the now-famous 2004 Nimitz Tic Tac UFO encounter

How it became public:

Luis Elizondo resigned in protest in 2017, citing internal resistance to transparency. He helped leak three now-declassified Navy videos showing unidentified flying objects moving in ways that defied physics.

Why it matters:

AATIP marked the moment UFOs became a credible defense concern, prompting lawmakers, pilots, and journalists to demand answers.

🧠 3. BAASS and the Bigelow Connection

Years active: 2008–2012

Contracted under: AAWSAP

Though not a Pentagon program itself, Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies (BAASS) is crucial to the story.

Funded directly by AAWSAP, BAASS was tasked with conducting field investigations, interviews, and scientific analysis — not just on military UAPs, but also human effects, poltergeist-like activity, and Skinwalker Ranch phenomena.

Why it matters:

BAASS served as the government’s boots on the ground in the world of the unexplained, blurring the line between science fiction and national security.

🛸 4. The UAP Task Force (UAPTF)

Formed: 2020

Agency: Office of Naval Intelligence, later under the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence & Security

Overview:

In response to mounting pressure from lawmakers and the public, the Pentagon formalized the UAP Task Force to evaluate and understand recent U.S. military UAP encounters.

Notable output:

Delivered the June 2021 unclassified UAP report, stating that out of 144 incidents, 143 remained unexplained

Admitted that some UAPs displayed technologies beyond known capabilities

Why it matters:

This was the first official acknowledgment by the Department of Defense that UAPs are real and not all explained by known aircraft or phenomena.

🛰️ 5. AARO (All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office)

Established: 2022

Agency: Department of Defense

Director: Dr. Sean Kirkpatrick (initially)

Overview:

AARO is the current centralized office for all UAP investigations, absorbing and expanding the work of the UAP Task Force. Its mandate includes:

Aerial, maritime, and space anomalies

Integration of UAP data from all branches of the military and intelligence community

Creation of a secure reporting system for military and government witnesses

Analysis of reverse-engineered materials (unconfirmed publicly, but heavily speculated)

Why it matters:

AARO represents the most structured and transparent effort yet to track and analyze the UAP issue. It’s ongoing — and has been tasked by Congress to deliver annual public updates.

🔓 What’s Been Declassified So Far?

Thanks to FOIA requests, whistleblowers, and bipartisan pressure in Congress, we now have access to:

The AAWSAP research paper list (topics include invisibility, warp drives, and time travel)

Navy UAP videos: Gimbal, GoFast, and FLIR1

The June 2021 UAP preliminary assessment

Transcripts from hearings and intelligence briefings

Government confirmation that UAPs are real and sometimes defy current understanding of physics

What’s still missing?

The full AAWSAP case files

Recovered materials (if any)

Photos or videos from Skinwalker Ranch or classified military encounters

The "whistleblower" claims made in 2023 about secret crash retrieval programs

👁️ Final Thought: What Does It All Mean?

For years, "UFOs" were a punchline. Now, they're a Department of Defense priority.

The Pentagon’s once-secret projects — AAWSAP, AATIP, UAPTF, AARO — tell a larger story: that behind the scenes, the U.S. government has always taken the unknown seriously.

And if they’re still studying it… maybe we should be too.

Because whatever is flying over our skies, swimming in our oceans, or hiding in our classified archives — we are not done discovering it yet.