2024 Congressional UAP Hearing: Exposing the Truth

Hearing Overview

On November 13, 2024, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform conducted a joint hearing titled "Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Exposing the Truth" in Room 2154 of the Rayburn House Office Building. The hearing was organized by two subcommittees: Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation; and National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs. This marked one of the most significant official Congressional proceedings dedicated to UAP disclosure in recent years.

Witnesses and Key Testimonies

Rear Admiral Tim Gallaudet (Ret.)

Retired Navy officer and former Director of the National Center for Environmental Prediction at NOAA, Gallaudet provided direct testimony of UAP interaction with naval forces. He stated: "Confirmation that UAPs are interacting with humanity came for me in January 2015." Gallaudet described participation in a pre-deployment naval exercise off the U.S. East Coast that captured the famous "Go Fast" video. In his formal testimony, he emphasized that the unidentified object exhibited "flight and structural characteristics unlike anything in our arsenal," lending credibility to claims of advanced non-human technology.

Luis Elizondo (Former DOD Official)

Elizondo, who previously headed the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP), delivered unequivocal statements on the record: "Let me be clear: UAP are real. Advanced technologies not made by our Government—or any other government—are monitoring sensitive military installations around the globe." When pressed by members about crash retrievals and recovered materials, Elizondo invoked classification restrictions, stating: "I signed documentation three years ago that restricts my ability to discuss specifically crash retrievals," but signaled willingness to discuss sensitive matters in closed session.

Michael Shellenberger (Founder, Public)

Shellenberger revealed details of a classified Department of Defense program called "Immaculate Constellation," which uses high-resolution satellite imagery and sophisticated sensor tools to capture data on UAP sightings. This disclosure suggested an active, sophisticated U.S. government initiative to monitor and study anomalous phenomena, countering narratives of official indifference.

Michael Gold (Former NASA Associate Administrator)

Gold contributed NASA's institutional perspective on UAP research, supporting the scientific investigation framework and cross-agency coordination.

Significance and Context

The 2024 hearing represents a continuation of Congressional transparency efforts initiated in 2023 and aligns with the formal establishment of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) under the Department of Defense. Testimonies from high-credibility military witnesses combined with revelations of active classified programs signal official acknowledgment that UAP constitute a legitimate national security and scientific concern. The hearing underscores growing Congressional pressure for declassification and public access to UAP-related information, marking a continued shift from governmental opacity to institutional transparency in the disclosure era.