David Fravor
Commander, U.S. Navy (ret.)
Led the flight that encountered the 2004 ‘Tic Tac’. Testified under oath in 2023.
Profile →Key Figures in UAP Disclosure
The pilots, officials, whistleblowers, lawmakers and journalists who shaped the modern UAP story — what each of them has said, and what has been disputed.
All key figures
Alex Dietrich
Lt. Cmdr., U.S. Navy (ret.)
Fravor’s wingman in 2004. Has spoken publicly about the encounter and the stigma pilots face.
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Ryan Graves
Former F/A-18 pilot, U.S. Navy
Witnessed near-daily UAP off the East Coast. Founded Americans for Safe Aerospace.
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David Grusch
Former intelligence officer, USAF
Testified about an alleged crash-retrieval and reverse-engineering program in 2023.
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Luis Elizondo
Former head of AATIP (per his account)
Resigned in 2017 in protest. Key source for the NYT story. Testified in 2024.
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Christopher Mellon
Former Deputy Asst. Sec. of Defense for Intelligence
Helped bring the Navy videos to the press. Long-time advocate for transparency.
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Harry Reid
Former Senate Majority Leader (1939–2021)
Secured funding for the Pentagon’s secret UAP study. Called for public disclosure for years.
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Tim Gallaudet
Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy (ret.)
Former NOAA acting administrator. Testified about suppressed UAP data in 2024.
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Chuck Schumer & Mike Rounds
U.S. Senators
Bipartisan authors of the UAP Disclosure Act, modeled on the JFK Records Act.
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Anna Paulina Luna
U.S. Representative, Florida
Chairs a House task force on declassification that has held UAP hearings.
Profile →Jon Kosloski
Director of AARO
Leads the Pentagon’s UAP office, which reviews the cases behind the 2026 file releases.
Profile →Leslie Kean
Investigative journalist
Co-wrote the 2017 NYT story and broke the Grusch whistleblower account in 2023.
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Sean Kirkpatrick
First director of AARO
Led AARO until 2023. Has argued the evidence does not support extraterrestrial claims.
Profile →Last updated October 12, 2026