Tom DeLonge

Early Career

Tom DeLonge was born on December 13, 1975, in Poway, California. He discovered punk rock and skateboarding in childhood, forming Blink-182 with bassist Mark Hoppus while in high school. After working construction jobs briefly, he dedicated himself fully to music when Blink-182 signed to MCA Records in 1996. The band achieved platinum stardom with the 1999 release of Enema of the State, becoming one of the defining acts of pop-punk. DeLonge remained Blink-182's guitarist and vocalist through multiple incarnations, also founding the art-rock project Angels & Airwaves in 2006, which explored more experimental themes including science fiction and consciousness.

Pivot to UFO Disclosure (2015–2017)

Beginning around 2015, DeLonge underwent a dramatic shift in focus, stepping back from touring to pursue what he termed "a new life dedicated to revealing the truth about UFOs." In interviews, he described a series of secret meetings with high-level government insiders that convinced him the U.S. government possessed credible evidence of extraterrestrial visitation. Rather than fade from public view, DeLonge strategically leveraged his celebrity platform and entertainment industry connections to bring the UFO topic into mainstream discourse.

His timing proved pivotal. In December 2017, To The Stars Academy partnered with the New York Times to publish the first officially declassified U.S. military videos of unidentified aerial phenomena, simultaneously revealing the existence of the Pentagon's $22 million Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP). The videos—showing encounters by Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet pilots off the East Coast (the "Tic Tac" incident of 2004) and other incidents—became a watershed moment in modern UFO disclosure, legitimizing the topic in mainstream media and academia.

To The Stars Academy (2017–Present)

DeLonge founded To The Stars Academy of Arts and Science in 2017 as a public benefit corporation, bringing together former government insiders, military officials, physicists, and engineers. The advisory board and staff included some of the most credible figures in modern UAP research: Luis Elizondo, former director of AATIP; Christopher Mellon, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intelligence; physicist Hal Puthoff; and Jim Semivan, a 25-year CIA veteran. The organization's stated mission was to bridge academia, government, and popular culture in advancing understanding of UAP phenomena.

To The Stars published the Sekret Machines book series, combining narrative and technical analysis of UAP incidents, and produced content for the HISTORY Channel's Unidentified: Inside America's UFO Investigation (2019–2021), which examined declassified cases and interviewed witnesses. DeLonge also attempted a public stock offering (Reg A crowdfunding campaign) to fund ongoing research and content creation.

Impact and Legacy

DeLonge's most significant achievement was translating the credibility of government insiders into a platform that forced mainstream media and policymakers to take UFO/UAP seriously. By 2021, however, To The Stars faced setbacks: Elizondo departed, the IPO was withdrawn, and staff were laid off. The organization quietly pivoted from scientific research to entertainment production, disappointing some who hoped for direct government disclosure.

Nevertheless, DeLonge's 2017–2020 work catalyzed a broader shift in public discourse. Within four years of his Pentagon videos release, Congress held formal hearings on UAP, the Department of Defense established an official UAP Task Force, and major news outlets treated UFO reporting as legitimate journalism rather than fringe. While critics question whether DeLonge's organization delivered substantive new evidence or merely repackaged existing declassified material, his role in mainstreaming the topic remains undeniable. He remains active in music and continues to advocate for UAP disclosure.