The most 'shocking' secrets of the US military and intelligence
From declassified documents, leaked government information and leaked reports, it is possible to learn more about secret US government programs where truth can sometimes be stranger than fiction.
The Pentagon has a UFO program
Among the most secret programs ofPentagonThe Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program was created to investigate reports of unidentified flying objects (UFOs), but for many years it was never officially acknowledged by the Department of Defense. The Department claimed the program stopped receiving funding in 2012, but many believe it continues to operate to this day.
There have been claims that the government owns off-road vehicles. Astrophysicist Eric Davis, who has consulted on the Pentagon’s UFO program, has examined several devices that he says are “extraterrestrial vehicles not built on this earth.”
In 1952, the US Air Force launched its third UFO program – Project Bluebook. After the previous program marked nearly 23% of UFO sightings as “unexplained,” it became Project Bluebook’s mission to solve UFO mysteries and make them disappear. Although the Air Force discontinued the program in 1969, the government continued to document the encounters.
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| Many secret US research programs involve space. Photo: Popularmechanics.com |
Navy UFO Videos Not Released
There are at least three videos maintained by the US Navy that document UFO activity. While confirming that the videos were taken by Navy pilots and document unexplained aerial phenomena, the agency also admitted that the footage was never intended for public distribution.
Most people were surprised after watching the three Navy UFO videos, also known as the Nimitz UFO Encounters, but many speculated that there was more to the incident than what was seen. After watching the full videos, witnesses claimed there was a longer video that had not been released, in which the object performed some movements that were physically impossible.
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| The CIA once pursued a research program to use lightning as a weapon. Photo: Popularmechanics.com |
The FBI has been tracking the yeti.
The FBI actually has a file on everyone—including mythical creatures like Bigfoot and Sasquatch. The FBI’s Free Information Library can track the agency’s files under “Bigfoot.” The files are only released when a subject has passed away—which not only proves that the Yeti is real, but also that the FBI believes the subject is dead.
The CIA built a robotic dragonfly...
Since the 1970s, the CIA has been releasing unprecedented devices at the CIA Museum in Washington, DC, including a drone-like dragonfly dubbed “Insectothopter” by the CIA. Charlie, the CIA’s top-secret catfish, was used to collect water samples without being detected, but it is unclear whether it was successful.
Military efforts to “weaponize” lightning
A weapon that could not be traced to an attacker was the idea behind the CIA's past efforts to weaponize lightning, according to a declassified document from 1967. While the invention may have worked, the agency never completed the program.
Plutonium lost in the Himalayas
The US and India undertook a joint mission in the 1960s to monitor China’s nuclear development. They planned to install sensors using the radioactive isotope Pu-238, but dangerous weather conditions forced the team to evacuate the Himalayas before the installation was complete. When they returned, the sensors were gone, and locals believe they are still active in the area, causing melting snowcaps that are causing massive flooding.
Mysterious dark mass (not a submarine)
Retired Navy Commander David Fravor recalls an unusual and terrifying experience in which, in the 1990s, he was tasked with recovering a BQM aerial target and a torpedo. A helicopter pilot was also tasked with the task; both witnessed a large, round, dark mass descend as they attempted to hook the torpedo; the object “swallowed” the torpedo, which was never found. Both swear it was not a submarine.
Unknown location of a Russian air defense missile
The US had a victory for the intelligence community - in June 2020, they acquired an advanced Russian anti-aircraft missile system, the Pantsir S-1, from Libyan forces. The Pantsir S-1 is a low-altitude, truck-mounted air defense system that has recently been used in war zones in Libya and Syria. The US Air Force transported the weapon out of Libya and then transferred it to an unknown location.
The US military once funded the "Flying Saucer" program.
While the public has always been fascinated by government investigations into UFOs, it was not until recently that the military funded its own flying saucer designs. The secret program was launched by the military in the 1950s and was known as Project 1794.
The Air Force has built a secret fighter plane.
The US Air Force surprised the world by announcing a new fighter jet in 2020. The aircraft was designed, built and tested in secret under the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program. No information about the fighter jet was released - other than the fact that it was said to be a record-breaker.
The Cold War Era's “Pin-Up” Program
Although now declassified, the United States ran a top-secret Cold War training program called “Constant Peg” in which American pilots trained with Soviet MiG jet fighters. The planes were purchased in secret so that the best pilots in the USAF could familiarize themselves with enemy technology and learn how to defeat the jets in combat, should World War III break out.
CIA used secret drones against Soviet SA-2 missiles
A very real threat to the US during the Vietnam War was the Soviet SA-2 missile. To defeat them, the CIA staged a secret mission, codenamed “United Effort,” to steal the AS-2’s radar guidance data and fuse information. The mission lasted just 200 milliseconds, and the CIA’s “Sam Sniffer” was actually a “suicide drone” – disguised as a U-2 spy plane to lure a Soviet missile strike. After the successful mission in 1966, all this information was used to create a warning receiver to prevent the SA-2 from hitting their aircraft.
Air Force drones
Since 2010, the US Air Force has been launching an unmanned aircraft called the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle-5 (OTV-5) into orbit to conduct top-secret tests. The aircraft has made five flights since its first launch – the last of which spent a record 780 days in orbit.
CIA's Soviet-era drones
The Cold War had many secret inventions – some of which have only recently been declassified. For example, the CIA’s Project Aquiline aimed to create a fleet of bird-like drones to act as spy planes during the Cold War. The invention was intended to be nuclear-powered so they could stay airborne for up to a month, but was never completed.
A-12 “Oxcart” aircraft tested at Area 51
The A-12 “Oxcart” was created in 1963 by the United States and was designed for high-altitude, fast-moving reconnaissance missions. During its design, construction, and testing, the A-12 was stationed at Area 51. It was considered the premier reconnaissance aircraft until 1968, when the government opted for the SR-71 because of its longer range.
The Air Force's top secret space station
In the 1960s, the US Air Force ran a program that was more secretive than NASA's. The Manned Orbiting Laboratory was a top-secret US Air Force initiative whose primary purpose was to serve as a manned satellite to spy on the Soviet Union. The Space Shuttle never officially became operational, and the program was shut down in 1969.
A Congolese drone attack
As the Cold War dragged on, the Soviet Union and the United States began fighting for control of the newly independent Congo. During the conflict, the CIA sent a number of drones to spy on them. A previously unheard of attack on these drones was carried out – a spear-throwing attack. The incident was even featured in President Truman’s press conference.
The real capabilities of US satellites
There are thousands of satellites orbiting the Earth, and hundreds are operated by the US military. However, the true capabilities of spy satellites remained unknown until former President Trump posted a declassified photo in September 2019, showing a rocket launch exploding in Iran, which experts quickly identified as one of the US KH-11 spy satellites.
An unclassified object was caught on film in 2018
The world was shocked when a leaked video of an unidentified aerial phenomenon surfaced in 2020 – but the government was much less surprised, as they had known about the footage for two years. Taken from what is believed to be an F/A-18 pilot, the object was described as “cuboid-shaped”. Reports suggest that both the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force and the Department of Defense’s UAP Unit are investigating.
The leak of "psychoelectric" weapons documents
It is impossible to confirm or deny that the government uses telekinetic weapons and remote mind control. However, an official at the National Fusion Center in Washington accidentally shared diagrams on these topics with a journalist in 2018.
Alabama Hazardous Device School
As the number of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in the United States continued to rise, the FBI established the Explosive Device School in a remote area of Alabama to train bomb squad officers from across the country. Nearby in Huntsville, Alabama, is a neighboring facility – the Terrorist Explosive Device Analysis Center.
There are no aliens inside Area 51
While heavily guarded and secure, Area 51 has long been a place of fascination for those obsessed with extraterrestrials. However, the guarded base’s big secret is that there are no aliens there. Instead, the remote location is used as a testing ground for classified US equipment such as aircraft, communications, and weapons.