A former Pentagon official has testified before Congress that the US government has evidence that “we are not alone in the cosmos” but that a “cabal” of officials is hiding the information.

The official, Luiz Elizondo, is the former head of Department of Defense Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP), which was tasked with investigating Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP). He and other witnesses testified before the House Oversight Committee.

“Excessive secrecy has led to serious misconduct against loyal civil servants, military personnel and the public, all to hide the fact that we are not alone in the cosmos,” Elizondo said, later calling the group a “cabal.”

“A small cadre within our own government involving the subject of the UAP has created a culture of suppression and intimidation of which I have personally fallen victim, along with many of my former colleagues,” he continued.

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A former Pentagon official says the government is withholding information about the UAP. (DANIEL SLIM/AFP via Getty Images)

Elizondo continued to urge Congress to pass legislation to protect whistleblowers who are currently too afraid to speak out about government operations.

“I think we Americans can handle the truth. And I also think the world deserves the truth,” he said.

The hearing is part of a larger effort by lawmakers to investigate the UAPs and determine whether elements within the government are illegally withholding evidence from Congress.

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One of the key programs involved in this issue is the Pentagon’s All Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO).

A UAP (unidentified anomalous phenomenon) was filmed from the USS Omaha off the coast of San Diego in July 2019. (Jeremy Corbell/WeaponizedPodcast)

AARO’s mission is to synchronize efforts within the DoD and other US federal departments and agencies to “detect, identify, and assign objects of interest” in or around military installations or airspace that could pose a security threat operations or national security – this includes anomalous objects, unidentified space objects, airborne, submerged and transmedial objects.

The Pentagon says the program has found no evidence that the UAPs are of extraterrestrial origin.

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Dr. Tim Gallaudet, a retired U.S. Navy rear admiral, also testified at Wednesday’s hearing. He recounted an incident in which personnel aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt had a confrontation with UAPs during a military exercise.

“During this exercise, I received an email on the Navy’s secure network from the operations officer of Fleet Forces Command. The e-mail was addressed to all subordinate commanders and the subject was written in capital letters: URGENT FLIGHT SECURITY ISSUE. The text of the email was short but alarming, with words to the effect of: “If any of you know what these are, please let me know as soon as possible. We have more collisions in the air, and if we don’t resolve it soon, we’re going to have to shut down the exercise,’” Gallaudet said.

A new office dedicated to studying UAP (UFO) sightings secured full funding in the 2024 defense budget. (Department of Defense)

“Attached to the email was what is now known as the ‘Go Fast’ video captured by the forward-facing infrared sensor aboard one of the Navy’s F/A-18 aircraft participating in the exercise,” a he added.

“The very next day, the email disappeared from my account and that of the other recipients without explanation. Furthermore, the commander of the Fleet Forces and his operations officer did not discuss the incident again,” he continued.

A third witness, journalist Michael Shellenberger, says Pentagon sources confirm the existence of an Unrecognized Special Access Program (USAP), known as the Immaculate Constellation.

Journalist Michael Shellenberger testified before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday.

He says sources have told him the program reinforces information about the UAP that has been gathered by the military.

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“One source warned that simply printing the name ‘Immaculate Constellation’ could trigger government surveillance of me under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) of anyone who publishes it,” Shellenberger said. “’They won’t comment, but talking about it will put you in the danger zone,’ I was told. “They enforce secrecy with great vigor.”