Aliens On Earth.com Resources for those who are stranded here Our Bookstore is OPEN Over 5000 new & used titles, competitively priced! Topics: UFOs - Paranormal - Area 51 - Ghosts - Forteana - Conspiracy - History - Biography - Psychology - Religion - Crime - Health - Geography - Maps - Science - Money - Language - Recreation - Technology - Fiction - Other - New Search... for keyword(s)   in Page Titles in Book Title/Author in Contents of Pages ---other searches--- Metacrawler Yahoo FAST Search Google Altavista Dogpile Inference Find Northern Light IWon.com MSN Search Las Vegas Sun Mothership -> UFO -> Updates -> 1998 -> May -> Here

From: Stig_Agermose@online.pol.dk (Stig Agermose)
Date: Tue, 12 May 1998 04:06:06 +0200
Fwd Date: Tue, 12 May 1998 06:34:02 -0400
Subject: UFOs And The Governments Of The USA And UK

Some unknown and interesting pieces of information from 'Lobster'
# 32 December 1996. URL:

http://www.knowledge.co.uk/xxx/lobster/articles/l32ufos.htm

Stig

*******


UFOs and the governments of the USA and UK

by Armen Victorian

>From Lobster 32


Researchers who ask for pertinent records from the US Air Force about
UFOs are provided with a 'Fact Sheet' which states that since the
closure of Project Blue Book in 1974, the USAF has no interest in, and
does not study, the subject. The USAF information pack refers inquirers
to various non-governmental UFO research organizations which are
closely monitored, and, at times, directed by various US intelligence
and military agencies. (1)



The men from the Ministry


In Britain, Air Staff 2 (a), a desk in the Ministry of Defence, manned
by junior civil servants such as Nick Pope, J. Palmer, Owen Hartop,
Kerry Philpott, and Ralph Noyes, respond to public inquiries. The
knowledge of these individuals is limited and their responses
consequently sometimes inaccurate. Contrary to claims made by Air Staff
2 (a) that they are privy to all UFO reports, there is a component
within the MOD which deals with more serious aspects of this subject.
On October 23 1989, in the course of one of my investigations, I
contacted this particular MOD section. After the preliminary
conversation I was asked if I was prepared to sell my investigation
report to them; and later in the course of the conversation, when I
suggested sharing information, citing the national security aspects, I
was asked if I was prepared to sign a security agreement concerning
this issue. I was further asked to prepare a proposal and submit it to
them. When I inquired about some landing reports, I was asked to
specify the date of the particular cases I had in mind. Although this
is a component of the MOD, it is not situated in Whitehall. Neither is
it Defence Intelligence 55 (DI55), though sources within DI55 have been
helpful in other investigations of mine.

Though several individuals in the UK who have witnessed serious UFO
cases have been visited by government officials, the MOD has repeatedly
denied the existence of such officials. Sometimes in uniform but mostly
in civilian clothes, these officials have approached witnesses asking
them not to discuss what they have seen with the public or the media.
UFO folklore has termed them the Men in Black (MIB).

The section in charge of such investigations is Aerospace Intelligence
within the MOD.

The MOD, and Air Staff 2(a) in particular, have been the chief focus of
the search for British information on UFOs. But examination of the
MOD's old files shows the absence of any Royal Navy reports. There is
also a component within the Admiralty in charge of UFO cases reported
at sea, about which researchers have little knowledge. I have also
dealt with this component, though I do not know its name.



How the Department of Defense treats UFOs


Due to its size the US Department of Defence (DoD)does not have a
single unit to handle UFO reports. Apart from the many departments
known to UFO researchers run from the Pentagon, there is another
component about which no public information is available. In the course
of studying a serious UFO case from the former Soviet Union, I was
advised by the National Reconnaissance Office(NRO) staff in the
Pentagon to contact Pentagon House. (2)

Located outside the Pentagon, Pentagon House showed immense interest
and I was asked to provide them with the raw material I had.

All the official records made public under the UFO title are
unevaluated reports gathered through various human intelligence means.
These reports always quote the term UFO, as it has been relayed to them
by sources. Mostly these sources are civilians, unaware of the current
official terminology used by the US government. The US military uses
two main terms in compiling and studying the UFO subject: Uncorrelated
Targets (UCT), for earth-bound unidentified objects, and Uncorrelated
Event Reports (UER) for space related events. I wrote to North American
Aerospace Defense Command, NORAD, about their terminology. They
replied:

'Historically, the term UFO was used by the Air Force starting in 1947
and ending in 1974 with the shelving of the "Blue Book" project. We all
know what the term UFO means, we just don't use it.....The specific
term "UFO" is not used by this command even though you could say that
this term would equate to UTR [unknown track report], either an
uncorrelated event or an unknown track, since an unidentified flying
object could be considered either.'(3)

Further, I was told, 'Uncorrelated Events Reports (UERs), which are
space related events on the United States Space Command (USSPACECOM)
side of the house, are always classified SECRET.' (4)

Uncorrelated Targets are categorised as:

Significant UCTs, Nonsignificant UCTs, Critical UCTs, and

False UCTs. (5)

Copies of any serious UCT event are sent to the Missions Systems
Integration Board (MSIB). MSIB is composed of all NORAD and US Space
Command directorates and senior level representatives from Naval Space
Command, Army Space Command and Air Force Space Command. (6)

The regulations governing the UFO topic is USR 55-12, Space
Surveillance Network (SSN) of June 1 1992, classified by multiple
sources.

'This regulation provides policy and guidance for operations of the
worldwide Space Surveillance Network (SSN). It applies to Headquarters
US Space Command; the component commands, Headquarters Air Force Space
Command; the Naval Space Command, and Army Space Command; the Space
Surveillance Centre (SSC), the Alternative Space Surveillance Centre
(ASSC); and the SSN sensors except RAF Fyling dales. RAF Fyling dales
follows guidance specified in SR55-122/88771/1/GE(s), Joint USAF/RAF
Operations Manual (JOM) Ballistic Missiles Early Warning System (BMEWS)
Site III, RAF, England.' (7)

In conjunction with this regulation exists US Space Command Regulation
55-20, Warning Verification of Hostile Space Events, dated 31 January
1990, classified secret.

'This regulation establishes procedures to provide timely and accurate
status reporting, warning and verification of hostile space events to
National Command Authorities (NCA), collateral agencies, space system
owners and operators, and defense forces from Headquarters, US Space
Command, Space Defense Operations Center (SPADOC).'

Although the US Space Command is the Office of Primary Responsibility
(OPR) '...for records relating to Uncorreletated Targets....the
evaluations [of reports are] made by the Command Director and the Air
Defense Operations Center of Cheyenne Mountain Air Station on the
Unknown Track data'. (8)

The Air Defense Operations Center (ADOC) is a NORAD entity. (9)

All Unknown Track Reports (UTRs) are recorded on NORAD's Form 61, and
kept for five years. Data from these files, in summary form, is sent to
all relevant government agencies on a need-to-know basis. (10)
Obtaining such records is a legal impossibility because while 'the
Aerospace Analysis Directorate [of US Space Command] does perform
analysis on NORAD Unknown Track Reports....they perform their analysis
under the auspices of their NORAD role, utilising a dedicated NORAD
data base' - and NORAD is exempt from the Freedom of Information Act.
(11)



Unknowns


During the period January to August 1996 NORAD reported 23 Unknowns,
some after scrambling interceptor fighters. For example, between
January 2 and February 12 there were three scramble attempts, for three
events. In two separate instances two F15s were scrambled and the
subjects could not be identified. Similarly, on February 10 two F16s
were scrambled but failed to identify the object. (12)

NORAD commented, 'Normally 80% of NORAD unknowns are identified. The
remaining 20% continues to be called un-known and no further action is
taken.' (13)

Another category of reports come from USAF personnel. These reports
might be generated by using the International Urgency Signal, PAN, or
by ground relay of airborne reports or post-landing reports using FLASH
procedure, and are governed by Communication Instructions Reporting
Vital Intelligence Sightings(CIRVIS). These reports are maintained in
places such as Tyndall Air Force Base (1st Air force), Elmendorf Air
Force Base (11th Air force) and NORAD's Canadian headquarters in
Ontario, Canada. These reports are compiled in accordance with the Air
Force Manual, where it states:

'Report the following specific sightings:

*Hostile or unidentified aircraft which appears directed against the
United States, Canada, or their forces.
*Missiles
*Unidentified Flying Objects
*Hostile Flying Objects
*Hostile or Unidentified military surface missiles or sub-marines.'
(14)


As to any specific terms adopted by NORAD in the course of pilot/radar
control communication exchange for UFOs, the answer is 'Unknown Track'.
(15)

I asked NORAD if the recovery of downed UFOs was within their
jurisdiction - if so which particular teams, or components deal with
it? If not, which other particular teams or components, and from which
command has such authority? The answer was:'We do not deal with down
unknowns, which you refer to as UFOs. Normally, local law enforcement
officials and/or security personnel from the nearest military
installation get involved with downed aircraft etc. until positive
identification is made. Then the vehicle is turned over to its primary
agency and/or organisation.'

In contrast to the MOD's repeated assertion that UFOs are not
considered a threat to national security, for the US Government 'all
unknown tracks are considered a possible threat until proven
otherwise.' (16)

NORAD informed me that although there are no British forces assigned to
NORAD facilities, 'the British Ministry of Defence does interface and
cooperate with NORAD and the United State Space Command(USSPACECOM), on
military space systems as they provide support to the warfighter.' (17)

Although 'there are no NORAD facilities outside the Continental United
States (CONUS) and Canada....NORAD does receive classified data from
England.' (18)



Footnotes


1. My archives contain several military intelligence records of
unevaluated reports on UFO conferences and symposia. Most of the better
known UFO organizations have deep, as well as casual, penetration by
both military and intelligence agencies. This has been brought to my
attention on several occasions by individuals who were assigned to such
missions.

2. This information was made available to me prior to the
declassification of the NRO in 1993.

3. NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command)letter to author 19
December 1995.

4. NORAD letter to author November 13 1995

5. US Space Command correspondence 28 April 1993 to author

6 US Space Command letter to author 7 April 1994

6. US Space Command letter to author 7 April 1994

7. US Space Command Regulation USR 55-12, Space Surveillance Network
(SSN) June 1 1992

8. US Space Command correspondence with author, 21 July 1995.

9. Ibid. 'The North American Aerospace Defense command (NORAD) is a
bi-national Command established by international agreement (33 United
States Treaties 1277), and is subject to control by both US and
Canadian executive agencies. It is not a US Government agency as
defined in the ACT, and consequently, it is not subject to the US
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).'

10. NORAD letter to author 13 November 1995.

11. NORAD letter to author 24 August 1995.

12. Current NORAD records in the author's possession.

13. NR 55-1, Aerospace Reporting System has been revised and altered to
55-14, written by NORAD operators (Nj30G) in the Space Control Centre
of Cheyenne Mountain Air Station. NORAD communications of 3 and 13 May
1994 to author.

14. Air Force Manual 10-206, September 1 1995, Operational Reporting,
chapter 5, para 5.7.3

15. NORAD letter of 16 December 1995 to author

16. Ibid.

17. NORAD communication with author 17 March 1994

18. Ibid. NORAD also informed me that 'Russia's aerospace command is
called the Strategic Rocket Forces, some aspects of their command is
similar to NORAD and the USSPACECOM to include surveillance and
tracking, early warning and related areas. But their command also
includes operational control of all strategic and defensive ballistic
missiles.'

Copyright Lobster, http://www.knowledge.co.uk/xxx/lobster/