Passed by the Federal Congress of the United States of America on December 15, 2021, this is part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2022.This Law includes a Section specifically referred to the investigation of the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, and here it is:
SEC. 1683. ESTABLISHMENT OF OFFICE,
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE, AND
AUTHORITIES TO ADDRESS UNIDENTIFIED AERIAL PHENOMENA. (a) ESTABLISHMENT OF OFFICE.—Not later than 180 days after the
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, in coordination
with the Director of National Intelligence, shall establish an office within a
component of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, or within a joint
organization of the Department of Defense and the Office of the Director of
National Intelligence, to carry out the duties of the Unidentified Aerial
Phenomena Task Force, as in effect on the day before the date of enactment of
this Act, and such other duties as are required by this section. (b)
DUTIES.—The duties of the Office established under sub-section (a) shall
include the following: (1) Developing procedures to synchronize and standardize
the collection, reporting, and analysis of incidents, including adverse
physiological effects, regarding unidentified aerial phenomena across the
Department of Defense and the intelligence community. (2) Developing processes
and procedures to ensure that such incidents from each component of the
Department and each element of the intelligence community are reported and
incorporated in a centralized repository. (3) Establishing procedures to
require the timely and consistent reporting of such incidents. (4) Evaluating
links between unidentified aerial phenomena and adversarial foreign
governments, other foreign governments, or nonstate actors. (5) Evaluating the
threat that such incidents present to the United States. (6) Coordinating with
other departments and agencies of the Federal Government, as appropriate,
including the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration, the Department of Homeland Security, the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration, and the Department of Energy. (7) Coordinating
with allies and partners of the United States, as appropriate, to better assess
the nature and extent of unidentified aerial phenomena. (8) Preparing reports
for Congress, in both classified and unclassified form, including under
subsection (i). (c) RESPONSE TO AND FIELD INVESTIGATIONS OF UNIDENTIFIED AERIAL
PHENOMENA.— (1) DESIGNATION.—The Secretary, in coordination with the Director,
shall designate one or more line organizations within the Department of Defense
and the intelligence community that possess appropriate expertise, authorities,
accesses, data, systems, platforms, and capabilities to rapidly respond to, and
conduct field investigations of, incidents involving unidentified aerial
phenomena under the direction of the head of the Office established under
subsection (a). (2) ABILITY TO RESPOND.—The Secretary, in coordination with the
Director, shall ensure that each line organization designated under paragraph
(1) has adequate personnel with the requisite expertise, equipment,
transportation, and other resources necessary to respond rapidly to incidents
or patterns of observations involving unidentified aerial phenomena of which
the Office becomes aware. (d) SCIENTIFIC, TECHNOLOGICAL, AND OPERATIONAL ANALYSES
OF DATA ON UNIDENTIFIED AERIAL PHENOMENA.— (1) DESIGNATION.—The Secretary, in
coordination with the Director, shall designate one or more line organizations
that will be primarily responsible for scientific, technical, and operational
analysis of data gathered by field investigations conducted pursuant to
subsection (c) and data from other sources, including with respect to the
testing of materials, medical studies, and development of theoretical models,
to better understand and explain unidentified aerial phenomena. (2)
AUTHORITY.—The Secretary and the Director shall each issue such directives as
are necessary to ensure that the each line organization designated under
paragraph (1) has authority to draw on the special expertise of persons outside
the Federal Government with appropriate security clearances. (e) DATA;
INTELLIGENCE COLLECTION.— (1)
AVAILABILITY OF DATA AND REPORTING ON UNIDENTIFIED AERIAL PHENOMENA.—The Director
and the Secretary shall each, in coordination with one another, ensure that—
(A) each element of the intelligence community with data relating to
unidentified aerial phenomena makes such data available immediately to the
Office established under subsection (a) or to an entity designated by the
Secretary and the Director to receive such data; and (B) military and civilian
personnel of the Department of Defense or an element of the intelligence
community, and contractor personnel of the Department or such an element, have
access to procedures by which the personnel shall report incidents or
information, including adverse physiological effects, involving or associated
with unidentified aerial phenomena directly to the Office or to an entity
designated by the Secretary and the Director to receive such information. (2)
INTELLIGENCE COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS PLAN.—The head of the Office established
under subsection (a), acting on behalf of the Secretary of Defense and the
Director of National Intelligence, shall supervise the development and
execution of an intelligence collection and analysis plan to gain as much
knowledge as possible regarding the technical and operational characteristics,
origins, and intentions of unidentified aerial phenomena, including with
respect to the development, acquisition, deployment, and operation of technical
collection capabilities necessary to detect, identify, and scientifically
characterize unidentified aerial phenomena. (3) USE OF RESOURCES AND
CAPABILITIES.—In developing the plan under paragraph (2), the head of the
Office established under subsection (a) shall consider and propose, as the head
determines appropriate, the use of any resource, capability, asset, or process
of the Department and the intelligence community. (f) SCIENCE PLAN.—The head of
the Office established under subsection (a), on behalf of the Secretary and the
Director, shall supervise the development and execution of a science plan to
develop and test, as practicable, scientific theories to— (1) account for
characteristics and performance of unidentified aerial phenomena that exceed
the known state of the art in science or technology, including in the areas of
propulsion, aerodynamic control, signatures, structures, materials, sensors,
countermeasures, weapons, electronics, and power generation; and (2) provide
the foundation for potential future investments to replicate any such advanced
characteristics and performance. (g) ASSIGNMENT OF PRIORITY.—The Director, in
consultation with, and with the recommendation of the Secretary, shall assign
an appropriate level of priority within the National Intelligence Priorities
Framework to the requirement to understand, characterize, and respond to
unidentified aerial phenomena. (h) ANNUAL REPORT.— (1) REQUIREMENT.—Not later
than October 31, 2022, and annually thereafter until October 31, 2026, the
Director, in consultation with the Secretary, shall submit to the appropriate
congressional committees a report on unidentified aerial phenomena. (2)
ELEMENTS.—Each report under paragraph (1) shall include, with respect to the
year covered by the report, the following information: (A) All reported
unidentified aerial phenomena-related events that occurred during the one-year
period. (B) All reported unidentified aerial phenomena-related events that
occurred during a period other than that one- year period but were not included
in an earlier report. (C) An analysis of data and intelligence received through
each reported unidentified aerial phenomena- related event. (D) An analysis of
data relating to unidentified aerial phenomena collected through— (i)
geospatial intelligence; (ii) signals intelligence; (iii) human intelligence;
and (iv) measurement and signature intelligence. (E) The number of reported
incidents of unidentified aerial phenomena over restricted air space of the
United States during the one-year period. (F) An analysis of such incidents
identified under subparagraph (E). (G) Identification of potential aerospace or
other threats posed by unidentified aerial phenomena to the national security
of the United States. (H) An assessment of any activity regarding unidentified
aerial phenomena that can be attributed to one or more adversarial foreign
governments. (I) Identification of any incidents or patterns regarding unidentified
aerial phenomena that indicate a potential adversarial foreign government may
have achieved a break-through aerospace capability. (J) An update on the
coordination by the United States with allies and partners on efforts to track,
understand, and address unidentified aerial phenomena. (K) An update on any
efforts underway on the ability to capture or exploit discovered unidentified
aerial phenomena. (L) An assessment of any health-related effects for
individuals that have encountered unidentified aerial phenomena. (M) The number
of reported incidents, and descriptions thereof, of unidentified aerial
phenomena associated with military nuclear assets, including strategic nuclear
weapons and nuclear-powered ships and submarines. (N) In consultation with the
Administrator for Nuclear Security, the number of reported incidents, and
descriptions thereof, of unidentified aerial phenomena associated with
facilities or assets associated with the production, transportation, or storage
of nuclear weapons or components thereof. (O) In consultation with the Chairman
of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the number of reported incidents, and
descriptions thereof, of unidentified aerial phenomena or drones of unknown
origin associated with nuclear power generating stations, nuclear fuel storage
sites, or other sites or facilities regulated by the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission. (P) The names of the line organizations that have been designated
to perform the specific functions under subsections (c) and (d), and the specific
functions for which each such line organization has been assigned primary
responsibility. (3) FORM.—Each report submitted under paragraph (1) shall be
submitted in unclassified form, but may include a classified annex. (i)
SEMIANNUAL BRIEFINGS.— (1) REQUIREMENT.—Not later than 90 days after the date
of the enactment of this Act and not less frequently than semiannually
thereafter until December 31, 2026, the head of the Office established under
subsection (a) shall provide to the congressional committees specified in
subparagraphs (A), (B), and (D) of subsection (l)(1) classified briefings on
unidentified aerial phenomena. (2) FIRST BRIEFING.—The first briefing provided
under paragraph (1) shall include all incidents involving unidentified aerial
phenomena that were reported to the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force or
to the Office established under sub-section (a) after June 24, 2021, regardless
of the date of occurrence of the incident. (3) SUBSEQUENT BRIEFINGS.—Each
briefing provided subsequent to the first briefing described in paragraph (2)
shall include, at a minimum, all events relating to unidentified aerial
phenomena that occurred during the previous 180 days, and events relating to
unidentified aerial phenomena that were not included in an earlier briefing.
(4) INSTANCES IN WHICH DATA WAS NOT SHARED.—For each briefing period, the head
of the Office established under sub-section (a) shall jointly provide to the
chairman and the ranking minority member or vice chairman of the congressional
committees specified in subparagraphs (A) and (D) of subsection (k)(1) an
enumeration of any instances in which data relating to unidentified aerial
phenomena was not provided to the Office because of classification restrictions
on that data or for any other reason. (j) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There
is authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out the
work of the Office established under subsection (a), including with respect to—
(1) general intelligence gathering and intelligence analysis; and (2) strategic
defense, space defense, defense of controlled air space, defense of ground,
air, or naval assets, and related purposes. (k) TASK FORCE TERMINATION.—Not
later than the date on which the Secretary establishes the Office under
subsection (a), the Secretary shall terminate the Unidentified Aerial
Phenomenon Task Force. (l) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: (1) The term
‘‘appropriate congressional committees’’ means the following: (A) The
Committees on Armed Services of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
(B) The Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the
Senate. (C) The Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives
and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate. (D) The Permanent Select
Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives and the Select
Committee on Intelligence of the Senate. (2) The term ‘‘intelligence
community’’ has the meaning given such term in section 3 of the National
Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003). (3) The term ‘‘line organization’’
means, with respect to a department or agency of the Federal Government, an
organization that executes programs and activities to directly advance the core
functions and missions of the department or agency to which the organization is
subordinate, but, with respect to the Department of Defense, does not include a
component of the Office of the Secretary of Defense. (4) The term ‘‘transmedium objects or
devices’’ means objects or devices that are observed to transition between
space and the atmosphere, or between the atmosphere and bodies of water, that
are not immediately identifiable. (5) The term ‘‘unidentified aerial
phenomena’’ means— (A) airborne objects that are not immediately identifiable; (B) transmedium objects
or devices; and (C) submerged objects or devices that are not immediately
identifiable and that display behavior or performance characteristics
suggesting that the objects or devices may be related to the objects or devices
described in subparagraph (A) or (B).