FOIA 18-F-0324 release

OFFICE
OF
THE
UNDER
SECRETARY
OF
DEFENSE
5000
DEFENSE
PENTAGON
WASHINGTON.
DC
20301
.:>000
INILLLIGENCE
INFO MEMO
MEMORANDUM
FOR
RECO
FROM: Garry
id.
Director for Defense
Intelligence.
Office
of
the
Under Secretary
of
Defense
for Intelligence
SUBJECT:
(U) Update
on
Media Reporting
Related to the Advanced Aerospace ThreatIdentification
Program (AATIP)
and Actions
of
Former DoD
Employee
Luis
Elizondo
(U/011
BLUF: This
memorandum summarizes recent media interest
in
the AATIP,
which
has
been accentuated by the
public statements
of
former DoD
employee
Luis
Elizondo, who has
aggrandized
his
role in
the
program.
We are collecting
facts
regarding
Mr. Elizondo's
actualrole
in the AATIP, reviewing the program's
history with DIA,
Navy, and Air Force. and
pursuing
options to investigate Mr.
Elizondo's
possible mishandling
of
sensitive
information.
•
(1111111
Mr. Elizondo was
assigned to
OUSDI from
September
28, 2008 to
October
4,
2017. He served as an
action officer
in Partner Engagement,
and subsequently as
a
branch
chief managing classified information to support
the Office
of
Military.
-Commissions.
To the best
of
my knowledge, he had
no job
responsibilities related to
the
AATIP.
The
AATIP
was
terminated
in 2012.
An
information paper on the
program
is at
Tab A.
•
(u/
On October
3,
2017, Mr.
Elizondo submitted
a
resignation letter (Tab B)requesting immediate termination
of
his employment. He
was
cleared
out
of
USDI thenext day. He provided no
reason for th4sudden departure.
twri-Lu
4/...Attprq
•
(W.
On or about October 4,
after Mr. Elizondo had departed the organization, a
§
second resignation letter (Tab C) was delivered
to the USDI Chief of Staff office. In thisletter, which
is
formatted
as a "Memorandum
for
Record" but uses the salutation "Mr.
Secretary," Mr. Elizondo cite omalous aerospace threats as the basis for
his resignation. Given th the second letter, OUSDI retained
acopy but did not provide it
to
i
e ec ef
office.
"Z
.
•
In
a
phone call on
October 5, when asked about the second letter, Mr.Elizondo told me
that for many years he
had
been secretly tasked by the Secretary
ofDefense as the program manager for investigating UFOs and other aerial threats. He said
nobody in USDI was cleared for this program and would not discuss it
further.
I
discussed his claims with senior officials who would likely have known of such an
arrangement, but was unable to substantiate them.
(b)(6)
11111111111111111
0S0072 5947/CW073134-17