Albert N. Stubblebine III

Military Career

Major General Albert Newton 'Bert' Stubblebine III (1930–2017) was born February 6, 1930, and graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, later earning a master's degree in chemical engineering from Columbia University. Over a 32-year military career, Stubblebine initially served in Armor units and taught chemistry at West Point before rotating to intelligence roles. In 1968, he was transferred to the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, serving as G-2 (intelligence officer) for the 25th Infantry Division, where he earned the Legion of Merit and Bronze Star.

INSCOM and Remote Viewing Programs

Stubblebine's most consequential assignment came as commanding general of the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM) from 1981 to 1984. In this role, he became the primary military sponsor of the classified remote viewing program—initially known as GRILL FLAME and later STAR GATE—conducted at Fort Meade, Maryland. Declassified records show Stubblebine was briefed on INSCOM's remote-viewing operations on June 30, 1981, shortly after taking command. Under his protection and guidance, INSCOM researchers pursued an unusually broad research agenda that extended well beyond conventional remote viewing to include psychokinesis, firewalking, orgone energy, weather modification, and primary perception (plant consciousness). Crucially, UFO research was explicitly included in Stubblebine's mix of approved investigation topics from 1981 to 1984.

Controversial Departure and Fringe Research

Stubblebine's tenure ended controversially. In 1984, General John A. Wickham, newly appointed Chief of Staff of the Army, forced Stubblebine into retirement. The catalyst was reportedly Stubblebine's offer to conduct a public spoon-bending demonstration—a parapsychological parlor trick inspired by Uri Geller—which the Army leadership regarded as an embarrassment to institutional credibility. Stubblebine's forced retirement signaled the military's growing discomfort with legitimizing overtly paranormal research, even classified research that had produced genuine espionage value.

Post-Retirement and UFO Advocacy

After leaving the Army, Stubblebine served briefly as Vice President for Intelligence Systems at BDM, a defense contractor. He then co-founded and became chairman of PSI-TECH, a private corporation dedicated to commercializing remote viewing techniques for corporate and government clients. In the early 1990s, Stubblebine—who had married ufologist and medical doctor Rima Laibow—became increasingly visible in UFO and paranormal circles. In 1992, he and Laibow, alongside ufologist Victoria Lacas, toured Europe and the Soviet Union, establishing what they described as a 'prodigious UFO/Psi network.' Stubblebine lectured at the International Symposium on UFO Research, sponsored by the International Association for New Science, in Denver, Colorado (May 22–25, 1992). He was inducted into the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame. Stubblebine died February 6, 2017, on his 87th birthday.