Overview
In a new Medium post published August 1, 2026, Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb argues that UAP disclosure is “no longer optional” and that the issue has entered a new phase of public accountability. Loeb frames Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena — the government’s current term for UAPs — not as a topic for speculation, but as a matter of institutional transparency, legal reporting, and scientific scrutiny. His central claim is that former and current U.S. government personnel can no longer rely on secrecy agreements to keep potentially relevant information from authorized investigators.
Loeb’s post is anchored by an unclassified memorandum he cites from Aaron Lukas, the Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence, which says disclosure pathways are being opened for UAP-related information. The memo states that the government is creating a process for release and review through the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters (PURSUE) task force, alongside the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO). According to the memo, prior non-disclosure agreements, oaths, and commitments are to be waived when personnel speak with authorized government representatives handling UAP review and declassification.
What the memo says
The memorandum cited by Loeb describes a significant administrative shift: within 30 days, intelligence-community components are to coordinate with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to establish a PURSUE designee and notify personnel that prior disclosure restrictions are no longer in force for reporting to AARO or authorized PURSUE representatives. The memo also says additional reporting procedures will follow and that broader transparency guidance will be issued to agencies in the coming weeks. Loeb highlights this language as evidence that the government is moving from containment to structured disclosure.
According to the post, any information tied to classified sensors would initially be handled in classified sessions to protect national security interests and prevent sensitive capabilities from being exposed to adversaries. But Loeb argues that if current or former employees, contractors, or government affiliates possess information about possible non-human-made technologies or alien-related materials, they may now be compelled — or at least newly empowered — to bring that information forward. In his view, the legal shield of NDAs can no longer be used as a blanket justification for silence.
Loeb’s argument and the larger context
Loeb presents the memo as a historic inflection point. He says it “deviates dramatically” from what he describes as a more secretive approach to UAPs, and he suggests that disclosure is now being treated as an official national process rather than an optional act of whistleblowing. The post also references a recent White House post connected to President Trump, which Loeb interprets as part of a broader push to expose scientific information on UAPs and possible non-human technologies rather than conceal it.
Why it matters
While Loeb’s post is clearly advocacy-oriented, it reflects a growing expectation that UAP claims should be handled through public oversight, evidentiary review, and formal reporting channels. The memo he cites does not, by itself, prove the existence of non-human technology. But it does suggest that U.S. institutions are preparing for more systematic disclosure of UAP-related information — and that secrecy alone may no longer be an acceptable default. For Loeb, that shift is the key point: the question is no longer whether disclosure happens, but how quickly and how transparently it will unfold.
