2021 in UFO history
From the UAP Encyclopedia, the open encyclopedia of UFO and UAP history · 📅 Year
Contents 5
| Year | 2021 |
|---|---|
| Events | 21 |
| Decade | 2020s |
| Topics | Secrecy & cover-up (topic), Government programs (topic), Crashes & retrievals (topic), Beings & bodies (topic) |
| Timeline | 2021 on the UAP Timeline |
2021 in UFO history — the UAP Timeline records 21 events in 2021, mostly about secrecy & cover-up and government programs. People named in these events include Luis Elizondo, Ross Coulthart, David Grusch, Harry Reid, Daniel Sheehan.
Overview
2021 brought the first public U.S. intelligence assessment of UFOs in decades. Interest was high beforehand. Former President Barack Obama said in June that "there's footage and records of objects in the skies, that we don't know exactly what they are."[1] On 12 April the Pentagon confirmed that Navy personnel had taken images of "pyramid-shaped objects" over USS Russell in 2019, and it later confirmed a video from USS Omaha.[2] On 16 May the news program 60 Minutes broadcast military pilots recalling encounters, one of whom said they occurred "every day for at least a couple of years."[3]
On 25 June the Office of the Director of National Intelligence published its nine-page Preliminary Assessment. It covered 144 reports from 2004 to 2021 and identified only one, a large deflating balloon. It said UAP "probably lack a single explanation" and did not link any sighting to extraterrestrial life.[1] See ODNI Preliminary Assessment on UAP. In June Pew found that 51% of Americans thought military UFO reports likely showed intelligent life beyond Earth. In August Gallup found 41% believed some UFOs were alien spacecraft, up from 33% in 2019.[3] In July Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb launched the Galileo Project to search for extraterrestrial artefacts.[3] On 23 November 2021 the Pentagon replaced the task force with the Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronization Group.[2] In December Congress authorised further UFO investigations and annual unclassified reports.[3]
The timeline's 2021 entries record many claims by insiders and journalists. On 1 May former Senator Harry Reid said he had been told "for decades" that Lockheed held fragments from a crash and that the Pentagon refused him access.[4] Luis Elizondo said some groups had interfered with AATIP's work and, on 2 September, that if UFO programs existed they were run "rogue" without oversight.[5][6] Australian journalist Ross Coulthart relayed claims of crash retrievals and said in November that he believed UFO technology had been "deliberately divested" into private aerospace companies.[6][7] On 29 November former NSA officer Eric Haseltine wrote that the U.S. had no directed-energy weapons capable of producing UFO-like effects.[7]
Events
- Harry Reid on Lockheed's UFO fragments (1 May 2021) — Former Sen. Harry Reid says he was told Lockheed held UAP fragments and was refused access.
- Insider on oversight without access (2021) (1 May 2021) — An anonymous insider tells a researcher that officials with oversight lack access to UAP information.
- Mellon's first steps as president (5 May 2021) — Christopher Mellon says what he would do first about UAP if he were president.
- Greer's Elizondo vehicle story (19 May 2021) — Steven Greer says he heard Elizondo was in a facility holding an alien vehicle.
- Elizondo on interference with AATIP (26 May 2021) — Elizondo says some officials interfered with AATIP's work.
- Elizondo on a 1962 nuclear test retrieval (10 June 2021) — Elizondo responds to a question about an ocean crash retrieval during a 1962 nuclear test.
- ODNI Preliminary Assessment on UAP (25 June 2021) — The ODNI's preliminary UAP assessment is published (see the Library record).
- Mark Sokol and Falcon Space (29 June 2021) — A company founder says he built a device to detect gravity changes in light.
- Richard Dolan on the classified UAP annex (29 June 2021) — Researcher Richard Dolan describes the classified part of the UAP task force report.
- Coulthart on Elizondo's oversight role (29 June 2021) — Journalist Ross Coulthart says a source described Elizondo's role reviewing secret programs.
- Long Beach undercover approach claim (1 August 2021) — Coulthart writes a source was asked to go undercover inside an aerospace company.
- Elizondo on rogue programs (2021) (2 September 2021) — Elizondo says he saw no UAP programs in secret program oversight; any would be rogue.
- Nat Kobitz's read-in remark (3 September 2021) — Coulthart says a Navy science director told him he was read into a crash program.
- Mary Elizabeth Elliot inquiry (15 September 2021) — Researchers ask sources about a name in the alleged Wilson memo.
- Alaska pyramid claim (28 September 2021) — DeLonge says he was told of a large pyramid beneath Alaska.
- Daniel Sheehan on post-war control of UAP information (October 2021) — Elizondo's lawyer Daniel Sheehan describes how UAP information has been controlled since WWII.
- Energy Department labs as analysts claim (2 October 2021) — Eric Davis says Energy Department labs analyzed UAP materials for another owner.
- Elizondo on unfair corporate advantage (21 October 2021) — Elizondo says alien technology could give one company an unfair advantage over another.
- Eric Haseltine on UAP-like weapons (29 November 2021) — A former NSA officer says the U.S. lacks weapons that could create UAP-like effects.
- Coulthart on divested UAP technology (30 November 2021) — Coulthart says UAP technology was moved into private aerospace companies.
- Coulthart's sources go quiet (2021) (17 December 2021) — Coulthart says his sources have gone quiet amid an intense security effort.
People
- Luis Elizondo — Former Army counterintelligence officer who says he ran AATIP.
- Ross Coulthart — Australian journalist who reported David Grusch's claims.
- David Grusch — Former intelligence officer who testified in 2023 that the U.S. has recovered non-human craft.
- Harry Reid — Senate Majority Leader who arranged funding for AAWSAP.
- Daniel Sheehan — Constitutional lawyer who said he saw classified Blue Book photos and later represented Luis Elizondo.
- Christopher Mellon — Former deputy assistant secretary of defense for intelligence who helped release the Navy UAP videos.
- Steven Greer — Physician who founded CSETI and the Disclosure Project.
- Robert M. Wood — McDonnell Douglas engineer who ran an in-house UFO study and later promoted the MJ-12 documents.
- Nat Kobitz — Former Navy science and technology director named by Ross Coulthart.
- Thomas Wilson — Former DIA director named in the Wilson–Davis notes.
Nearby years
2020 in UFO history · 2022 in UFO history
References
- UFO Report (U.S. Intelligence) [Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena] — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
- All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
- Unidentified flying object — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
- UAP timeline published with Michael Shellenberger's 2024 congressional testimony, entries for 1 to 5 May 2021 · oversight.house.gov
- UAP timeline (Shellenberger testimony), entries for 26 May to 29 June 2021 · oversight.house.gov
- UAP timeline (Shellenberger testimony), entries for 29 June to 3 September 2021 · oversight.house.gov
- UAP timeline (Shellenberger testimony), entries for 29 November to 17 December 2021 · oversight.house.gov
Facts in this article are drawn in part from the Wikipedia articles “UFO Report (U.S. Intelligence) [Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena]”, “All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office”, “Unidentified flying object”, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.
This page was last edited on 29 October 2026. Articles are written in our own words from the sources listed under References; disputed claims are attributed to the people who made them.
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