Head of AATIP

Luis Elizondo ran the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP) — the secret Pentagon UAP investigation funded at $22 million annually from 2007 to 2012. When AATIP was officially wound down, Elizondo continued the work in an unofficial capacity before resigning from the Department of Defense in October 2017 in protest over what he described as excessive secrecy and institutional resistance to taking UAP seriously.

His resignation letter to Secretary of Defense Mattis cited "excessive secrecy and internal opposition" as the reasons for his departure.

The Public Disclosure

Elizondo joined To The Stars Academy alongside former intelligence colleagues and became the primary public face of the 2017 New York Times story that broke the existence of AATIP to the world. He has since testified before Congress, co-operated with multiple investigations, and written a memoir. He remains one of the most significant figures in the modern UAP disclosure movement, arguing that what military pilots are encountering represents a genuine national security concern requiring immediate, serious attention.