Documents / Report

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) KONA BLUE Information Release

All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office · 56 pages · text by GLM-OCR

This All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office release makes public Department of Homeland Security records on KONA BLUE, a DHS prospective special access program that was ended on February 10, 2012. DHS declassified the records on July 18, 2023. The briefing slides and program proposal describe an Advanced Technology Threat program. It would collect reports on advanced aerospace vehicles, inventory recovered technology, gather oral histories and fund consciousness studies. The release also contains Senator Harry Reid's 2009 letter asking for a restricted SAP for AATIP and a 2010 DIA memo on the program.

Open the PDF at page 38 Original source ↗

“The Advance”28 pages

  • p. 3 …and analyze sensitive information, advanced materials and technologies to increase the basic knowledge of potential emerging…
  • p. 5 …the Data Collection and Analysis Center, the Advanced Technology Center, the Consciousness Center, and the Technology…
  • p. 7 …TS//KB//NF) Due to the advanced nature of the research in this project and security…
  • p. 8 ## Advanced Technology Threat ## 7. (U) What is the history of this project? (TS//KB//NF) Advanced…
  • p. 9 # (U) Advanced Technology Threat (S//KB//NF) The technical/scientific approach consists of four research centers…
  • p. 10 …in order to determine the activity and purpose of the advanced technology, especially any threat posed…
  • p. 17 …Program Description (Key program objectives/milestones) ## The Advanced Technology Threat Program will consist of seven operational…
  • p. 18 …of the Data Collection Center - Continue to maintain the world's largest libraries on advanced aerospace…
  • p. 19 …The structure consists of two primary components, or Centers: (1) an Advanced Technology Center that addresses…
  • p. 20 …Data Collection Center - Develop Internet-based site(s) for advanced aerospace vehicle (AAV) reporting. - Expand the…
  • p. 21 …This will increase data collection coverage of these events in the United States. - Expand liaison center…
  • p. 22 …Advanced Technology Center The mission of the Advanced Technology Center is to establish a comprehensive program…
  • p. 24 …on identification of possible advanced technological processes being exploited, experts with the relevant expertise will be…
  • p. 25 …The oral history project will include gathering all information pertaining to the location of advanced aerospace…
  • p. 26 …of the detection and registration of anomalous as well as mundane signals -thus the use of…
  • p. 28 …for supplementing efforts within the Data Collection, Advanced Technology, and, especially, the Experimental and Medical Centers…
  • p. 29 …medical effects of advanced aerospace vehicles (AAVs) within the United States. The database will have pattern…
  • p. 30 …The database will have advanced pattern analysis and correlative capabilities. Deliverables: (1) The databases. (2) Utilizing…
  • p. 31 …Collection Center performance. - The Education Center could also provide supplemental training for the conducting of collection…
  • p. 36 …The purpose of KONA BLUE is to investigate, identify and analyze sensitive advanced materials and technologies…
  • p. 41 …To investigate, identify and potentially exploit sensitive advanced aerospace-related technology and to prevent disclosure of…
  • p. 43 …Aerospace to research advanced aerospace threats and technologies. The focus of the contracted research was within…
  • p. 46 …The focus of the contracted research, named the Advanced Aerospace Threat and Identification (AATI) Program, was…
  • p. 47 …with the AATI program information concerning the opportunity to investigate, identify and analyze sensitive advanced materials…
  • p. 51 …These individuals must be specialized in the areas of advanced sciences, sensors, intelligence/counterintelligence, and advanced…
  • p. 53 …the U.S. to maintain its preeminence as a world leader. Thank you in advance from…
  • p. 54 …Senate) FY10 Preliminary Bigoted List of Contractor Personnel funded under the AATIP: This document contains information…
  • p. 55 …The purpose of this congressional add was to investigate foreign advanced aerospace weapon threats from the…

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why the FBI specifically was not approached to do this program. She answered that FBI had no organic capability to do research & development in the scientific arena. (FOUO) The discussion then shifted to what the rationale was for making the program a Special Access Program. The General Counsel said

(FOUO) A brief discussion was also held concerning why DHS was selected to conduct this research. Dr. O'Toole explained that the Senators felt that the technologies involved effected the security of the United States and was more than worthy of further investigation. Dr. O'Toole explained that there is very serious science involved with this program and that she felt the US Government had the responsibility to continue its investigation. She further stated that if only a small portion of the research provided viable results for DHS application it would be worth it.

( S//KB/NF) A discussion concerning "collection" also occurred in which the U/S I&A felt that S&T didn't have the authority to conduct. The discussion centered around whether the KONA BLUE program is actually an intelligence program which DIA no longer had the authority to conduct per Executive Order 12333or whether the "collection" of information in this case was merely the assimilation of data provided willfully with the full knowledge, consent and understanding from those which provided the data. Data in the sense of the KONA BLUE program is neither covertly nor clandestinely collected as is the norm in intelligence programs.

o (S//KB/NF) Finally the S2 tasked Dr. O'Toole and Mr. Cover with preparing a 5-10 page paper that fully documents how we got to where we are now with the KONA BLUE program, it's provenance (history) while at DIA, and exactly what science would be researched that had applicability to the DHS mission. S2 is still not certain of what the "It" is in the program or otherwise what exactly we are researching. She also stated that some kind of formal request to DHS to accept this program and the associated funding would be very helpful.

## Action Items

- Dr. O'Toole (U/S S&T) and Mr. Cover (DHS SAPCO) were tasked with preparing the paper discussed above as soon as possible.

- The meeting adjourned at 8:50am, November 21, 2011.

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About this file

Report, from the aaro collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. The text was read from the page images by GLM-OCR; expect the odd misread word. 56 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.