What Does Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s UFO Amendment Actually Say?

We scoured the legalese in Bill HR 3450 so you don’t have to. Here’s what the UFO amendment says.

Breaking Down The UFO Amendment

Senator Gillibrand’s potentially pivotal UFO Amendment calls for the creation of a structured program to address Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs). So what exactly would this include?

Establishing an “Anomaly Surveillance and Resolution Office”

Within 180 days of enactment of the bill the Secretary Defense will coordinate with the Director of National Intelligence to set up an office for this program either within the Department of Defense, or within a joint organization of the DOD and DNI.

What will the Anomaly Surveillance Resolution Office (ASRO) do?

Systematizing Research & Reporting

1. ASRO will take on the duties of the existing Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon Task Force. The existing task force will either be terminated, or it will report into the ASRO.
   
   
2. ASRO will be in charge of both the reporting and the sharing of critical UAP data. It will be required that each element within the DOD with any data that may be relevant to the investigation give that information to the Office immediately.
   
   
3. It will create procedures for military and civilian personnel working in any capacity for the DOD or the intelligence community to report incidents or information about UAPs including “adverse physiological effects” associated with UAPs directly to the office.
   
   
4. The Office will develop procedures to standardize the collection, reporting, and analysis of incidents involving UAPs. They will also create processes to make sure that all of this data from the DOD and intelligence community ends up in one centralized repository, and that this data is reported on in a timely and consistent manner.
   
   
5. They will evaluate the threat of UAPs to US defense. This evaluation will include looking into possible links between UAPs and foreign governments or any other potential non-state actors.
   
   
6. ASRO will coordinate with other departments and agencies in the collection of this data including the Federal Aviation Administration, NASA, the Department of Homeland Security, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Department of Energy.
   
   
7. The Office will also coordinate with our allies and partners from other countries to help better asses the nature and the extent of unidentified aerial phenomena.
   
   
8. They will be in charge of preparing reports and regularly reporting to Congress on all of the above.
   

Conducting Field Investigations of UAPs

1. The Director and the Secretary will create organizations within the DOD and the intelligence community to investigate UAPs. They will ensure that these investigators have the expertise, access, tools, and data to effectively conduct these investigations.
   
   
2. The Director and Secretary will put one of these organizations in charge of analyzing the data from these investigations to include “testing of materials, medical studies, and development of theoretical models” to better understand the phenomena. They will also ensure that these organizations have authority to draw on the expertise of people outside of the federal government, with proper clearances.
   
   
3. The head of ASRO will create and supervise the execution of a detailed plan for the study of UAPs including “technical and operational characteristics, origins, and intentions of unidentified aerial phenomena, including the development, acquisition, deployment, and operation of technical collection capabilities necessary to detect, identify, and scientifically characterize unidentified aerial phenomena.”

Scientific Analysis Plan

1. The head of Office will supervise the development of a plan to test scientific theories to explain UAPs including their “propulsion, aerodynamics, signatures, structures, materials, sensors, countermeasures, weapons, electronics, and power generation”. This research is intended to serve as the foundation for future investment in replicating this advanced technology.
   
   
2. The Director of National Intelligence, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, will be in charge of assigning the level of priority for this work within the National Intelligence Priorities Framework.
   

Funding

1. Obtaining and analysis of data relating to UAPs is considered a legitimate use of funds from the DOD and the intelligence community. It can be used for:
   
   • general intelligence gathering and analysis
   • strategic defense of controlled airspace, space, ground, or naval assets
     
     
2. Additional funding can also be designated by the Secretary of Defense or the Director of National Intelligence.
   

Annual Reporting

1. The Office will deliver a report to Congress no later than October 21, 2022 — and annually thereafter until October 31, 2026.
   
   
2. Each report must include all of the following for the year in which it is delivered:
   
   
   • Analysis of data and intelligence received through reports of UAPs
   • Analysis of data relating to UAPs collected through
     • geospatial intelligence
     • signals intelligence
     • human intelligence
     • measurement intelligence
   • The number of reported incidents of UAPs over restricted air space of the US
   • An analysis of the reported incidents of UAPs over restricted airspace
   • Identification of potential aerospace or national security threats posed by UAPs
   • An assessment of any activity regarding unidentified aerial phenomena that can be attributed to one or more adversarial foreign governments
   • Identifying incidents or patters that may suggest that a foreign government may have achieved breakthrough aerospace technology.
   • An update on coordination with allies to track and understand UAPs.
   • An update on any efforts to capture or exploit UAPs.
   • An assessment of health-related effects in individuals who have encountered UAPs.
   • The number of incidents, along with descriptions, of any UAP incidents involving US nuclear assets — or their transport or storage
   • The names of the organizations who have been tasked with the investigation and scientific analysis described above and what they are responsible for.
     
     
3. Each report will be submitted in an unclassified manner, but is allowed to have a classified annex.

Semi-Annual Briefings

1. Within 90 days of the enactment of the Act, and then at least semi-annually through the end of 2026, the Office will brief the following Congressional committees:
   • Committee on Armed Services (Senate & House)
   • Select Committee on Intelligence (Senate & House)
2. The first report should include all incidents involving UAPs that reported the Office or the Task Force after June 24, 2021.
3. In each subsequent briefing the Office will provide all reports of UAPs since the last briefing — as well as any older reports that may have been delayed in being included previously.
4. The Office will provide a report on all of the instances in the briefing period in which data related to UAPs wasn’t shared with the Office because of classification restrictions.

Aerial and Transmedium Phenomena Advisory Committee

1. The Aerial and Transmedium Phenomena Advisory Committee will be established no later than October 1, 2022.
   
   
2. The purpose of this committee is to:
   • advise the Office in the execution of its duties
   • advise the Director regarding analysis of data and scientific research regarding UAPs
     
     
3. The Committee will have 20 members to include:
   
   
   • Three people appointed by the Administrator of NASA
   • Two people appointed by the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration
   • Two people appointed by President of the National Aviation Administration
   • Two people appointed by the President of the National Academy of Engineering
   • One person appointed by the President of the National Academy of Medicine
   • Three people appointed by the Director of the Galileo Project at Harvard University
   • Two people appointed by the Board of Directors of the Scientific Coalition for Unidentified Aerospace Phenomena Studies
   • Two people appointed by the President of the American Institute of Astronautics and Aeronautics
   • Two people appointed by the Director of Optical Technology Center at Montan a State University
   • One person appointed by the president of the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing
   • Up to five people appointed by the Secretary and the Director with requisite expertise, at least 3 of which should not be an employee or a contractor for any government agency.
     
4. To be on the Committee individuals must:
   
   
   • qualify for a security clearance at the secret level or higher
   • possesses scientific, medical, or technical expertise pertinent to some aspect of the investigation and analysis of UAPs
   • has previously conducted research or writing that demonstrates scientific, technological, or operational knowledge relevant to the investigation of UFOs

If you’d like to further down the UFO Rabbit Hole, head over to the blog.