Latest news with #F-117Nighthawk
New York Post
10-06-2025
- New York Post
Trust no one: The Pentagon needs to come clean about UFO lies
Paging Fox Mulder: In a scene right out of 'The X-Files,' the Department of Defense has uncovered evidence that the Pentagon was behind one of the most notorious conspiracy theories about little green men. The Wall Street Journal reported last week that the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, a tiny DOD crew tasked with investigating UFO sightings, found that the Pentagon itself planted the rumor that Area 51 was swarming with aliens. In the 1980s, an Air Force colonel (no word if he was perpetually shrouded in cigarette smoke) gave fake photos of flying saucers near the base to a local bar owner: The idea was to cover for the development of the F-117 Nighthawk; any locals who caught a glimpse of the stealth fighter on a test flight would be predisposed to think it was extraterrestrial tech — and so get laughed off. Advertisement In another episode of disinfo-spreading linked to the DOD, in 1996 a radio host received a piece of metal with a note claiming it came off an alien spaceship. This wasn't wartime deception aimed at America's enemies, but peacetime disinformation fed to US citizens: Not what your taxes are supposed to pay for. Nor were civilians the only victims of out-of-this-world military tall tales. Advertisement The AARO also discovered a longstanding Air Force practice in which hundreds of new commanders of highly classified programs were reportedly given photos of a 'flying saucer,' told that they would be working on reverse-engineering the tech and sworn to secrecy. Many of these men were never clued into the ruse, and so lived their lives with the belief that aliens were real, the government knew about it, and they could never tell anyone — not even their spouses. That practice continued all the way up until 2023, and AARO investigators still don't know why the Air Force was psychologically tormenting its own officers. (One theory is that it was some idiot's idea of loyalty test.) And these lies were far from harmless: As the Journal notes, the 'paranoid mythology the U.S. military helped spread now has a hold over a growing number of its own senior officials who count themselves as believers.' Advertisement As well as the likes of former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), who forced the Defense Department to burn millions on ghost hunters and psychics seeking to contact the little green men. And the Pentagon was still being shady last year, when it reported that the AARO's exhaustive search of the records had never found a shred of evidence of space aliens visiting earth . . . but omitted any mention of the military's own role in pushing disinformation. Even now, the Defense Department owes the public a lot more: Come clean on every lie told in these deceptions, with the names of who made the calls to give Americans sham 'information.' Advertisement Was this the work of a few rogue officers? Or a strategy approved by top brass over the decades? However this got started, the Pentagon's duty now is to ensure that the full truth gets . . . out there.
Daily Mirror
10-06-2025
- Daily Mirror
'Truth' behind Area 51 UFO conspiracies unveiled in bombshell US report
Area 51 conspiracy theories and fake UFO sightings were deliberately planted to conceal Cold War-era military projects including stealth fighter jets, a bombshell report has found A bombshell US Government report has shone new light on Area 51 conspiracy theories after decades of UFO sightings. Believers have long claimed that extra-terrestrial life is being hidden at the high-security base in Nevada, with fantastical stories of alien autopsies and secret otherworldly technology fuelled by repeated sightings of unexplained flying objects. The US government has always maintained the Area 51 is merely a flight testing facility. Now, a new review from a US Department of Defense taskforce has revealed that both the Pentagon and the Justice Department deliberately fuelled UFO conspiracy theories - including those about Area 51 - to conceal Cold War -era military projects, such as stealth fighter jets. According to The Wall Street Journal, the report states that an Air Force colonel was sent on a mission to spread false information about Area 51 in the early 1980s. This included visiting a nearby bar and handing owner fake photos of flying saucers, sparking a new frenzy of rumours about the base. The since-retired colonel later told Pentagon investigators that the purpose of mission had been to distract the public from the development of the then-secret F-117 Nighthawk stealth aircraft. Officials hoped this would help shield the project from surveillance by the USSR, he said. Sean Kirkpatrick, a former head of Pentagon's UFO office who now heads the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) taskforce, trawled through decades of military reports on unidentified aerial phenomena for the new report. He found that on several occasions, alien conspiracy theories were planted by the Pentagon themselves. This included a bogus alien-hunting squad, known as 'Yankee Blue', which recruited serving members of the Air Force through a hazing ritual. Candidates for the project were shown pictures of flying saucers and told they would be helping to 'reverse-engineering alien aircraft' while being sworn to secrecy. Servicemen involved in the programme would only find out it was fake decades later when it was officially declassified in 2023. Mr Kirkpatrick's review also evaluated one famous incident from 1967 involving former US Air Force captain Robert Salas, who described seeing a 'UFO' disable ten nuclear missiles at a base in Utah. Mr Salas said he was ordered to stay silent about the incident. But the report found that the technical issues likely resulted from a secret electromagnetic pulse (EMP) test used to gauge the base's resilience to interference, which Mr Salas and his colleagues had not been told about. Some parts of the AARO's first public report were withheld last year at the request of the US Air Force, with a full follow-up containing all redacted details expected to be released later this year.
American Military News
10-06-2025
- Politics
- American Military News
Pentagon used UFO conspiracies to hide secret weapon programs: Report
A new report claims that the Pentagon used unidentified flying object (UFO) disinformation to hide secret weapon programs from the Soviet Union during the Cold War. The report noted that the disinformation shared by the Pentagon resulted in multiple UFO conspiracy theories. In a review of a 2024 Pentagon report on UFO sightings, The Wall Street Journal claimed that some of the most common theories regarding UFOs, including reports about aliens being held at Nevada's Area 51, were directly encouraged by the Pentagon to hide details on various secret weapon programs. According to The Wall Street Journal, evidence based on interviews with roughly two dozen U.S. military contractors, scientists, and officials and thousands of pages of documents, emails, text messages, and recordings reportedly show that the U.S. government engaged in efforts to encourage UFO conspiracies since the 1950s. The Wall Street Journal reported that the Pentagon's 2024 report indicated that a Nevada bar owner near Area 51 was given fake photos of flying saucers near Area 51 by an Air Force colonel in the 1980s. The Air Force colonel told the Pentagon's investigators that he was given a mission at the time to share disinformation and protect the true objective of Area 51, which was to test the F-117 Nighthawk stealth airplane. READ MORE: Video: Pentagon whistleblower says gov't restricting UFO retrieval info According to The Wall Street Journal, the U.S. military determined that its secret weapon and technology programs could be hidden from the Soviet Union during the Cold War by encouraging UFO conspiracy theories. The Wall Street Journal reported that Sean Kirkpatrick, the former director of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, found multiple examples of the Pentagon spreading disinformation regarding UFO sightings, including an incident that involved the Air Force hazing multiple military members by introducing them to a fake unit allegedly responsible for investigating alien aircraft. The outlet noted that Kirkpatrick also determined that the government intentionally withheld information from the public regarding documented sightings of secret military projects. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Robert Salas, a former Air Force captain, said, 'This is a gigantic cover-up.' In a statement obtained by The Wall Street Journal, the Department of Defense said, 'The department is committed to releasing a second volume of its Historical Record Report, to include AARO's findings on reports of potential pranks and inauthentic materials.'
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Pentagon planted UFO myths to hide secret weapons programs, report finds
The Brief A 2024 Pentagon review found the U.S. military spread fake UFO stories to conceal Cold War weapons testing An Air Force colonel admitted planting false flying saucer photos near Area 51 to hide stealth jet development AARO investigators uncovered decades of military disinformation that fueled popular alien conspiracy theories LOS ANGELES - In the shadow of the Cold War, while America raced to outpace the Soviet Union in military innovation, the Pentagon turned to an unexpected tactic: alien conspiracy theories. A newly revealed Department of Defense review shows that the U.S. military deliberately spread UFO rumors—including staged photos and false briefings—to protect classified weapons programs. The practice wasn't just passive denial or silence. In some cases, it was policy. One such incident, first uncovered by the Wall Street Journal, involves an Air Force colonel who, in the 1980s, handed fake photos of flying saucers to a bar owner near the top-secret Area 51 base in Nevada. The colonel, now retired, later admitted to investigators that he was acting under official orders to deflect attention away from the then-classified F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter. The backstory The findings stem from a 2024 report by the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), a unit created in 2022 to sift through decades of military records and claims of unidentified aerial phenomena. While the office was originally intended to investigate possible extraterrestrial sightings, much of what it uncovered pointed back at the government itself. According to the report, several UFO legends were intentionally stoked to mislead the public and foreign adversaries about advanced weapons programs. One example is the use of fabricated photos and stories placed in local communities near sensitive testing sites like Area 51. What we know The Air Force colonel's fake UFO photos helped launch decades of speculation around Area 51 The military saw the spread of alien rumors as a form of "camouflage," a Pentagon official said The disinformation helped obscure the testing of advanced technologies like stealth jets AARO found multiple examples of fabricated narratives designed to deflect attention from classified work What we don't know The full scope of disinformation programs remains classified Some events, including specific pranks and altered documents, were redacted from the report The Pentagon has not released names of individuals involved, beyond the now-retired colonel By the numbers At least a dozen personnel were reportedly introduced to a fictional alien-investigation program called "Yankee Blue" as part of a hazing ritual The practice began in the 1980s and reportedly continued until 2023 The Pentagon formally banned the practice after AARO flagged it during its review What they're saying "These episodes reveal how secrecy and misinformation, even when well-intentioned, can spiral into myth," said Sean Kirkpatrick, AARO's first director. He told the Wall Street Journal that many popular conspiracy theories can be traced to actual efforts by the U.S. military to conceal vulnerabilities or capabilities during tense periods of geopolitical rivalry. Kirkpatrick added that not all findings from the review have been made public, but promised more details in a forthcoming report. Big picture view The revelations come as public trust in government transparency around UFOs continues to grow. While recent years have seen serious Congressional inquiries into unidentified aerial phenomena, this new report adds a surprising twist: that many UFO legends were never about aliens at all—they were cover stories engineered by the military itself. What's next The Pentagon says it will publish a follow-up to the Historical Record Report later in 2025, which will include more details on the disinformation programs, hazing rituals, and instances of "inauthentic materials" being used as deception tools. The Source This report is based on information first published by The Wall Street Journal, which reviewed findings from a 2024 Department of Defense analysis led by the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO). Additional details were obtained through official Pentagon statements and interviews conducted by WSJ with AARO staff and other defense officials involved in the review.
NDTV
09-06-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
US Military Planted UFO, Area 51 Myths To Mask Classified Weapons: Report
New Delhi: The US Justice Department deliberately fuelled UFO conspiracy theories, including those centred around Area 51, to conceal Cold War-era military projects, a new report has revealed. Area 51, a classified US Air Force facility in the Nevada desert, has long been the subject of rumours suggesting the government hid aliens, crashed spacecraft and extraterrestrial technology there. A Department of Defence review, reported by The Wall Street Journal, found that in the 1980s, an Air Force colonel was sent on a mission to spread false information. He visited a bar near Area 51 and gave the owner fake photos of flying saucers, which sparked new UFO rumours around the already secretive military base. The now-retired colonel later confessed to Pentagon investigators that the mission aimed to divert attention from the real purpose of the site: testing the then-secret F-117 Nighthawk stealth aircraft. Officials believed embedding the programme within alien folklore was the best way to shield it from Soviet surveillance during the Cold War. US defence agencies allegedly leaned into UFO myths multiple times to safeguard sensitive military developments. Sean Kirkpatrick, appointed in 2022 as the first director of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), was tasked with reviewing decades of military reports on unexplained aerial phenomena. His investigation uncovered several instances where UFO conspiracies appeared to originate within the Pentagon itself. One such case involved an internal Air Force prank called "Yankee Blue," in which new recruits were briefed on a fictitious unit investigating alien aircraft. They were ordered never to discuss the content, with many unaware the entire scenario was fabricated. This practice reportedly continued until the Pentagon issued a directive to stop it in 2023. Mr Kirkpatrick's review also revisited a well-known 1967 incident involving former Air Force captain Robert Salas, who claimed he saw a UFO disable ten nuclear missiles at a Montana base. Mr Salas said he was ordered to remain silent about the event. AARO's findings, however, suggest the phenomenon was likely the result of a failed electromagnetic pulse (EMP) test meant to assess the base's resilience to nuclear interference, a test Mr Salas and others were never briefed on.
