Overview
In a recent public statement, Christopher Mellon, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and long-time Senate Intelligence Committee staffer, responded to revelations from the documentary "Age of Disclosure." The film includes explosive claims regarding a secret U.S. Air Force (USAF) program monitoring Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) near sensitive military sites. Mellon’s remarks, directed at Congress, emphasize the need for transparency and accountability in light of persistent denials from the Air Force regarding UAP data.
Allegations of Concealment
According to Mellon, "Age of Disclosure" presents testimony from General James Clapper, former Director of National Intelligence and Air Force Intelligence, who disclosed the existence of a covert Air Force UAP tracking initiative in the 1990s. Mellon questions whether such programs continue today, demanding, “Where is the data? What did the Air Force learn?” He expresses deep concern over the Air Force’s apparent reluctance to provide meaningful information to Congress, especially following the 2020 Intelligence Authorization Act that required all military branches to report UAP incidents.
“What is especially troubling,” Mellon notes, “is that the Air Force denied having any pertinent information other than a handful of very recent, innocuous reports,” despite extensive historic and contemporary encounters. He argues that senior USAF officials “treat Congress with contempt”—even if not in violation of the law—by withholding potentially vital national security data.
Missing Evidence and Unanswered Questions
Mellon outlines a series of unresolved anomalies and missing records. He cites the disappearance of USS Princeton radar data following Air Force visits during the famous 2004 Nimitz UAP incident and points to the lack of Air Force reporting from their advanced radar systems. “Despite their massive range and constant coverage, even when UAP are detected operating for days… the Air Force fails to issue any UAP reports,” Mellon asserts. He further highlights the absence of NORAD UAP intercept data in official reports, including the well-known 2008 Bush Ranch incident in Texas, where Air Force pilots were allegedly required to sign non-disclosure agreements.
These omissions, Mellon suggests, are not isolated: “The Air Force has either carefully marshaled all of its UAP data into an obscure, highly secret… special access program… or is using Atomic Energy Act or other authorities to justify concealing this UAP information,” potentially creating bureaucratic dead-ends that leave Congress and the public uninformed.
Call for Accountability
Mellon’s central demand is unambiguous: Congress must require sworn testimony from senior Air Force leaders—specifically, the Chief of Staff, the Secretary of the Air Force, and the Director of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations—behind closed doors if necessary. He also urges intelligence committees to press senior CIA officials under oath. “Enough games,” Mellon insists, underscoring the bipartisan imperative to safeguard airspace and military personnel.
He warns that the Air Force’s failures are not merely historical. Citing recent incidents where untracked drones disrupted operations at Air Combat Command in Langley, Virginia, and other bases, Mellon says, “The evidence abounds… unexplained aircraft, sometimes drones, sometimes UAP, operating in DoD airspace” have repeatedly compromised U.S. military readiness.
National Security and the Path Forward
Mellon concludes that UAP incursions over nuclear sites and other sensitive facilities have been reported for decades, yet the Air Force’s secrecy persists. He raises the possibility that such programs trace back to the 1950s, potentially involving reverse engineering of recovered UAP technology. “Congress clearly needs this data to assess the potential threat to the nation,” Mellon states, making the case that continued obfuscation undermines both security and public trust.
As the debate over UAP transparency intensifies, Mellon’s intervention spotlights enduring questions about oversight, intelligence sharing, and the balance between secrecy and democratic accountability. The call for sworn, public testimony from Air Force leadership could mark a decisive step in the ongoing search for answers about unidentified aerial phenomena and their implications for U.S. national security.
