A new UAP hearing was held by the Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets on September 9, 2025 that received testimony from a panel that included military personnel that were direct witnesses to UAP events; an expert on government oversight; and George Knapp, a veteran investigative journalist that has nearly four decades of UFO investigation under his belt. The hearing also saw the introduction of a video that depicted a UAP shrugging off a hit from an anti-armor missile—that then proceeded to fly off as if nothing had happened.

Titled “Restoring Public Trust Through UAP Transparency and Whistleblower Protection”, the hearing’s witness panel included:

• Former U.S. Air Force military police officer Jeffrey Nuccetelli, who detailed his involvement in one of the five UAP incursions that took place at Vandenberg Air Force Base between 2003 and 2005. Nuccetelli also recounted an off-duty 2005 encounter that involved “a huge glowing orb of blue-white light”
• U.S. Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Alexandro Wiggins, who discussed his 2023 experience tracking UAP while serving as an Operations Specialist on the USS Jackson (LCS-6). Wiggins participated in the tracking of numerous objects, including a transmedium “platform” and “Tic-Tac-like” objects using SAFIRE infrared sensors, the presence of which were corroborated by other linked sensor platforms
• Chief Investigative Reporter for Las Vegas’ KLAS-TV George Knapp, who offered insight into government secrecy regarding the UFO phenomenon, based on his 38 years of investigating the subject; how to both vet and protect UAP whistleblowers; and his ongoing efforts as a civilian investigator.
• Former U.S. Air Force geospatial intelligence specialist Dylan Borland, who discussed his experience in analyzing UAP data. Borland also claims to have “direct knowledge of the reality of certain legacy UAP programs” and that he has “endured sustained reprisals from government agencies for more than a decade” due to what he knows about the subject.
• Joe Spielberger, a senior policy counsel at the Project On Government Oversight (POGO), discussed the importance of the role played by whistleblowers, describing them as “a crucial first line of defense against wrongdoing in our government”. He also explained why certain politicians of all stripes loath whistleblowers, along with the importance of protecting such valuable informants.

The highlight of the two-and-a-half-hour hearing was a video introduced by Representative Eric Burlison (R-MO) of an encounter where two combat drones engage in combat with an apparent UAP off of the coast of Yemen. The video, recorded on October 30, 2024 by a MQ-9 Reaper drone, shows a luminous orb travelling above the surface of the ocean as it is struck by an AGM-114 Hellfire missile, launched by a second MQ-9 from off-screen.  

Upon impact, the missile doesn’t explode, but instead appears to be deflected by the object. The impact appears to break three smaller objects off of the main object—of which is briefly knocked off course—that fall into a loose triangular formation behind the orb. The recording then zooms out to provide a broader view of the scene; however, instead of crashing into the ocean, the objects collectively continue flying as if nothing happened, and even change course shortly after regrouping.

When asked whether or not the existence of an airborne object that is impervious to a missile strike frightened them, all but one of the witnesses answered in the affirmative; the exception was Knapp, who replied that he “was really happy that [the video] got out.”

“The American people deserve maximum transparency from the federal government on sightings, acquisitions, and examinations of UAPs and whether they pose a potential threat to Americans’ safety,” Task Force Chairwoman Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) said in a pre-hearing statement. “Whistleblowers who provide details on spending information and policies and procedures regarding the classification and declassification of UAPs should be able to do so without retribution.”