David Grusch
From the UAP Encyclopedia, the open encyclopedia of UFO and UAP history · 👤 Person
Contents 8
| Type | Person |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Grusch |
| On the Timeline | 29 events, 1986–2022 |
David Grusch is a former U.S. Air Force officer and intelligence official who, in 2023, publicly claimed that the U.S. government operates a decades-long secret program to retrieve and reverse-engineer craft of "non-human" origin. His claims, made in the press and under oath before Congress, led to new legislative efforts on UAP disclosure but have not been supported by public evidence, and the Pentagon has denied them.[1][2]
Background
Grusch is an Air Force veteran who served in Afghanistan and later worked as an intelligence officer at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) and the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). From 2019 to 2021 he was the NRO's representative to the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force. He has said he helped draft parts of the National Defense Authorization Act for 2023 dealing with UAP reporting and whistleblower protections.[1]
Going public
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On 5 June 2023, journalists Leslie Kean and Ralph Blumenthal published Grusch's claims in The Debrief, a self-funded online outlet, after major newspapers including The New York Times, Politico and The Washington Post declined or did not complete the story.[1][3] Kean said she checked Grusch's credentials with people including retired Army colonel Karl Nell. Grusch then gave a televised interview to Ross Coulthart of NewsNation.[1]
Grusch said the U.S., working with private aerospace companies, had recovered intact and partly intact craft and deceased pilots. He said he had seen documents describing a 1933 recovery by Italy's government, later obtained by the U.S. in 1944–45. He also alleged that people had been harmed to keep the program secret, and that he had faced retaliation for raising concerns. In an interview with Le Parisien he suggested such craft might come from other dimensions.[1]
Congressional testimony
On 26 July 2023, Grusch testified under oath to a House Oversight subcommittee in a hearing organised by Representatives Anna Paulina Luna and Tim Burchett, alongside former Navy pilots David Fravor and Ryan Graves. He said he had been told of a "multi-decade UAP crash retrieval and reverse-engineering program" to which he was denied access, that the U.S. had recovered "non-human biologics", and that he had interviewed about 40 witnesses over four years. When pressed for specifics, including by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, he offered to give details only in a classified setting.[1][2][4] A bipartisan group of members later called for a select committee with subpoena power.[1]
Official responses
Pentagon spokeswoman Sue Gough said AARO had not discovered any verifiable information to support claims of programs to possess or reverse-engineer extraterrestrial materials. Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in August 2023 that he had seen no evidence for the claims. AARO director Sean Kirkpatrick wrote that Grusch had refused to speak with his office and called aspects of the hearing insulting to defence personnel.[1][5] In January 2024, after retiring, Kirkpatrick wrote in Scientific American that such allegations traced to misunderstood real programs and a small, interconnected group of believers.[1][6] In March 2024 AARO's historical report said it found no evidence of hidden reverse-engineering programs.[7]
Reactions and criticism
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Some lawmakers took the claims seriously: Senator Marco Rubio said his committee had heard from witnesses who might overlap with Grusch's sources. Others, including Representative Mike Turner, called them unsupported. Scientists such as Sean Carroll and Michael Shermer noted the absence of physical evidence.[1] In August 2023, The Intercept reported that Grusch had twice been detained for mental health reasons, in 2014 and 2018, while keeping his security clearance; Grusch later sued a Virginia sheriff's office over the release of those records.[1][8]
Legislative impact
Grusch's claims helped inspire the UAP Disclosure Act, proposed in July 2023 by Senators Chuck Schumer and Mike Rounds. A reduced version, directing the National Archives to collect UAP records, became law in the 2024 defence bill.[1]
On the UAP Timeline
- GAO testimony on special access programs (1986) (24 July 1986) — A GAO official testifies about secret 'black' defense programs.
- Dan Sherman on programs above special access (1990) — Sgt. Dan Sherman says some secret programs are hidden above the usual special access level.
- CSETI on unacknowledged special access programs (22 August 1998) — CSETI says a covert group using unacknowledged programs manages the UAP issue.
- Privatized control group claim (1999) (7 July 1999) — An alleged CIA source says the UFO control group became privately funded after 1969.
- Will Miller on senior officials kept in the dark (2000) — A retired Navy commander says senior officials are kept away from UAP knowledge.
- Vallée on privatized UFO research (2002) (6 May 2002) — Vallée writes that UFO research has likely been privatized in the U.S.
- Wilson–Davis notes (16 October 2002) — Eric Davis allegedly meets Vice Adm. Thomas Wilson about a secret UAP program.
- Four "iron post" sources (6 March 2004) — A consultant tells Vallée that four trusted insider sources back Puthoff and Davis.
- Contractor speculation dinner (2004) (28 March 2004) — Vallée's circle speculates about which contractors handle real UAP projects.
- John Maynard testimony (August 2004) — An alleged Army/DIA official names contractors said to be involved in the UAP matter.
- Puthoff locates the hardware program (2007) (4 August 2007) — Puthoff tells Vallée he thinks he knows where the secret UFO hardware program hides.
- AAWSAP special access program request (29 November 2009) — BAASS gets clearances, but the Air Force won't talk without a special access program.
- Alexander's no-secret-program conclusion (15 February 2011) — Alexander says there was no secret UAP project at the Pentagon or the energy labs.
- DeLonge on pooled crash material (27 March 2016) — Tom DeLonge says his advisers told him crash material was pooled among government and industry.
- Eric Davis on an existing crash-retrieval program (24 June 2018) — Eric Davis says a crash retrieval program still exists.
- Eric Davis on recovered hardware (2019) (30 April 2019) — Eric Davis says the government holds recovered crashed and landed UFO hardware.
- Atomic Energy Commission UFO materials claim (29 April 2020) — A journalist's source says the Atomic Energy Commission had UAP materials as early as 1947.
- Vallée on a contractor controlling the issue (2020) (4 December 2020) — Vallée says a private contractor controls the UAP issue.
- Coulthart on Elizondo's oversight role (29 June 2021) — Journalist Ross Coulthart says a source described Elizondo's role reviewing secret programs.
- Elizondo on rogue programs (2021) (2 September 2021) — Elizondo says he saw no UAP programs in secret program oversight; any would be rogue.
- 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.
- Coulthart on divested UAP technology (30 November 2021) — Coulthart says UAP technology was moved into private aerospace companies.
- Coulthart on contractor scientists (2022) (May/June 2022) — Coulthart describes scientists said to work on secret UAP research.
- Mellon on off-the-books operation allegations (September 2022) — Mellon says there are many allegations of an off-the-books aerospace UAP operation.
- Mellon on conflicting insider claims (September 2022) — Mellon says credible people claim a cover-up, and equally credible people deny it.
- Liberation Times whistleblower hearings report (14 October 2022) — Insiders tell a journalist that congressional whistleblower hearings are coming.
- Committees told more than the public (2022) (18 December 2022) — A journalist says certain congressional committees have been told more than the public.
- George Knapp's four legacy programs (19 December 2022) — George Knapp says he knows of at least four 'legacy' UAP programs.
References
- David Grusch UFO whistleblower claims — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
- "Lawmakers and Former Officials Press for Answers on U.F.O.s", The New York Times (26 Jul 2023) · nytimes.com · archived copy
- "Why The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Politico Didn't Publish the UFO Story", Vanity Fair (8 Jun 2023) · vanityfair.com · archived copy
- "U.S. recovered non-human 'biologics' from UFO crash sites, former intel official says", NPR (27 Jul 2023) · npr.org · archived copy
- "'Insulting': Pentagon's UFO boss torches claims of alien coverup", Politico (28 Jul 2023) · politico.com · archived copy
- "Here's What I Learned as the U.S. Government's UFO Hunter", Scientific American (19 Jan 2024) · scientificamerican.com · archived copy
- AARO, Report on the Historical Record of U.S. Government Involvement with UAP, Vol. 1 (2024) · media.defense.gov · archived copy
- "UFO Whistleblower Kept Security Clearance After Psychiatric Detention", The Intercept (9 Aug 2023) · theintercept.com · archived copy
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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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