Opinion
Mint Explainer: What we learnt from US Congressional hearings on UFOs
Summary
- The hearings featured testimony from David Grusch, a former member of the ‘unidentified anomalous phenomena’ task force of the Department of Defence, and former navy pilots Ryan Graves and John Fravor
Last week, the US Congress heard testimony from three individuals – two former members of the navy and one former member of the intelligence community – who claim to have encountered unidentified flying objects (UFOs). From allegations that the US government has recovered the bodies of extra-terrestrial beings, to encounters with strange flying objects, Mint breaks down what was said.
- The Congressional hearings featured testimony by three individuals. David Grusch was a member of the unidentified anomalous phenomena task force of the Department of Defence, while Ryan Graves and John Fravor served as pilots in the US Navy.
- Grusch claimed in his testimony that the US government has conducted a programme to retrieve and reverse-engineer crashed flying objects. The Pentagon rejects this claim. He also claimed that America has retrieved “non-human biologics" from crashed flying vehicles.
- However, Grusch admitted that he had not personally seen any alien bodies or UFOs. His testimony, given under oath, was based on his interviews with people he says who were – and remain – involved in the US government’s activities.
- Graves and Fravor spoke of their experiences of encountering mysterious flying objects during their service as navy pilots. Fravor said he encountered a flying object over the Pacific in 2004 which, he says, defied the laws of physics by moving with no visible propulsion.
- Their testimony has spurred calls for more transparency in the US government’s approach to what it calls “unidentified aerial phenomena". Senior figures including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Republican senator Marco Rubio have called for more information to be made available.
- However, there are many who doubt the three men’s claims. Avi Loeb, a noted astronomy professor at Harvard University, dismissed their testimony, saying their statements constituted “hearsay". Loeb himself has argued that extraterrestrial objects have previously visited the solar system.
- Mick West, a popular science writer, also pointed out that David Grusch declined to provide any substantive proof when questioned, citing the sensitivity of the material.
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