David Grusch, born in 1987 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is a former intelligence officer in the United States Air Force, known for his contributions to the intelligence services. Grusch has a decorated history as a combat officer during the War in Afghanistan, following which he transitioned to roles at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) and the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). His involvement with UFOs began in 2019 when he became the NRO’s representative with the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force, now renamed the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO).
Grusch’s public emergence as a UFO whistleblower involved claims that the U.S. government has been secretly harboring extraterrestrial technology. He asserted that the government possessed not only UFOs but also alien technology and deceased extraterrestrial beings, claims he believed were concealed from the public and the U.S. Congress. Grusch’s efforts to investigate and disclose these claims led him to file a complaint with the Intelligence Community Inspector General, alleging that intelligence community elements were purposefully withholding information about UAP from Congress.
Despite his allegations, Grusch faced challenges in getting his story published since he wasn’t cleared to speak on his firsthand experiences early on, and difficulties in verifying his claims. However, he received support from retired Army Colonel Karl E. Nell and current intelligence official Jonathan Grey, who backed his claims about the military’s efforts in retrieving and reverse engineering extraterrestrial technology. Additionally, the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community, Thomas Monheim, stated that his report to him was “Urgent and credible.”
Contribution to the UAP Field
David Grusch, a former intelligence officer in the United States Air Force and a representative of the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) at the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force (later renamed the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office, or AARO), has made several claims regarding a supposed coverup by the U.S. government of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP).
Early Involvement and Discovery
Grusch’s involvement with UFOs began in 2019 during his tenure with the NRO. He claimed that the U.S. government possessed not only UFOs but also alien technology and the remains of extraterrestrial beings, information allegedly concealed from both the public and Congress. Grusch asserted that he was denied access to specific files related to this supposed program despite his high-level clearance.
Whistleblower Complaint
In 2021, Grusch filed a complaint with the Intelligence Community Inspector General, Thomas Monheim, alleging that elements within the intelligence community were intentionally withholding information about UAP from Congress to avoid oversight. This complaint was said to have been successfully presented to the inspector general who stated it was, “Urgent and credible.”, and Grusch was reportedly protected from retaliation.
Public Claims and Allegations
Grusch’s public claims include the assertion that the U.S. federal government maintains a secretive UFO retrieval program. He also claimed that people had been killed to conceal these programs. In a July 2023 Congressional hearing, Grusch testified about a “multi-decade UAP crash retrieval and reverse engineering program” and claimed that the U.S. has retrieved non-human biological matter from these crafts. He also discussed the existence of UFOs in military hangars and his interviews with forty individuals involved in top-secret extraterrestrial missions.
Media Coverage and Publicity
Grusch’s claims have received widespread media attention, with coverage in various outlets including NewsNation, where he discussed his inability to share certain classified information with reporters. His story, however, faced challenges in publication due to not being able to speak on his firsthand evidence and the difficulty in verifying the claims.
Congressional Action
Congressional action in response to Grusch’s claims included a hearing organized by Representatives Anna Paulina Luna and Tim Burchett on behalf of the House Oversight Committee. However, figures like Senators Lindsey Graham and Josh Hawley along with House Representatives Mike Turner and Mike Rogers have expressed skepticism about the veracity of such claims.
Both House Representatives Turner and Rogers have both been credibly accused of being “compromised” since they both represent districts which are very important to the Pentagon and aerospace contractors. Turner’s district in Ohio contains Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, which is infamous for its involvement in crash recovery, and Rogers’ district in Huntsville, Alabama contains NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.
Disputes
In response to these allegations, the Pentagon, through AARO, stated that no verifiable information had been found to substantiate claims about the possession or reverse-engineering of extraterrestrial materials. Similarly, NASA commented that they had not found any credible evidence of extraterrestrial life or that UAPs are extraterrestrial.