Summary
john-greenewald of the-black-vault reports on the fourth interim release in FOIA case DODOIG-2021-000806: a five-page, heavily redacted DoW Office of Inspector General project proposal (Evaluation Proposal Number 585) for the “Evaluation of the Department of Defense’s Actions Regarding Unidentified Aerial Phenomena.” The “Potential Benefits of Performing” section is completely redacted under foia-exemption-b1 subcategories 1.4(a) and 1.4(g) (military plans/weapons and national-security vulnerabilities). The document quotes lue-elizondo’s 2017 resignation memo to the Secretary of Defense verbatim but does not name aatip. Scope spanned OSD, USSOCOM, USCENTCOM, DIA, NSA, NGA, NRO, DARPA, and military criminal investigation divisions. Approximately 245 pages of responsive records remain unprocessed.
Key Claims
- The entire “Potential Benefit(s) of Performing” section is redacted under foia-exemption-b1 1.4(a) and 1.4(g), covering “military plans, weapons systems, or operations” and “vulnerabilities or capabilities… relating to national security.” (DoW OIG release)
- The first two UAP background sections are classified SECRET // NOFORN. (DoW OIG document)
- Evaluation scope spanned OSD, USSOCOM, USCENTCOM, DIA, NSA, NGA, NRO, DARPA, and military criminal investigation divisions. (Evaluation Proposal 585)
- lue-elizondo’s 2017 resignation letter to the Secretary of Defense is quoted verbatim: describes “overwhelming evidence at both the unclassified and classified levels” and calls UAP “perhaps even an existential threat to our national security.” (Evaluation Proposal 585)
- The proposal refers to Elizondo as having “researched UAP” but does not name aatip or any official program. (Greenewald)
- The uap-task-force Director met with Space, Intelligence, Engineering, and Oversight leadership in October 2020; meeting contents withheld under FOIA Exemption (b)(5). (DoW OIG document)
- Methodology steps 3–5 (SECRET/FVEY) and 6–8 (deliberative process privilege) are entirely withheld. (DoW OIG document)
- Approximately 245 pages of potentially responsive records remain pending processing. (DoW OIG FOIA response)
Notable Quotes
“Despite overwhelming evidence at both the unclassified and classified levels, certain individuals in the Department remain staunchly opposed to further research on what could be a tactical threat to our pilots, sailors, and soldiers, and perhaps even an existential threat to our national security.” — Lue Elizondo, resignation memo to Secretary of Defense (quoted in Evaluation Proposal 585)
“If there truly is ‘nothing to hide’, as various public relations campaigns and limited document drops by the military try to suggest, then the foundational policies, potential benefits, and historical background of UAP tracking would not require blanket censorship.” — John Greenewald, The Black Vault