The UAPTF Awarded a Meritorious Unit Commendation from the Director of National Intelligence

The Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force has received the National Intelligence Meritorious Unit Commendation from Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines for their efforts in investigating, raising awareness of and combating the stigma surrounding the subject of UFOs during the Task Force’s two-year run.

Established by the Department of Defense on August 4, 2020, the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force (UAPTF) was formed “to improve [the DoD’s] understanding of, and gain insight into, the nature and origins of UAPs,” according to an August 14, 2020 press release. “The mission of the task force is to detect, analyze and catalog UAPs that could potentially pose a threat to U.S. national security.” The UAPTF was officially dissolved by Congress in July 2022, to be replaced with the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), an organization that sparked a great deal of controversy, with its investigators projecting a dismissive attitude toward UAP witnesses, and releasing official reports that generated a great deal of criticism.

News of UAPTF being awarded the National Intelligence Meritorious Unit Commendation was announced by the Task Force’s inaugural director and former intelligence official Jay Stratton, in a December 5 post on X/Twitter.

“I am proud to share that on October 17, 2024, in Washington, D.C., I joined my colleagues from the UAP Task Force (UAPTF) in receiving the National Intelligence Meritorious Unit Commendation from the Director of National Intelligence,” Stratton sated in his post. “This recognition honors our groundbreaking efforts to advance the U.S. Government’s understanding of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) and to address related national security concerns.

“The UAPTF was the first whole-of-government, interagency effort designed to centralize UAP investigations, bringing together expertise from across the DoD, the Intelligence Community, and other federal agencies, to address the complexities of the long-ignored national security concerns related to UAP and to provide national leadership with actionable intelligence.

“This commendation and the achievements of the UAPTF are also a reflection of the progress made by those I worked with to investigate UAP for nearly two decades at the Defense Intelligence Agency and Naval Intelligence (AAWSAP and AATIP),” Stratton continued. “Together, we have brought much-needed attention to a profoundly important topic.”

An image depicting the Citation’s certificate was posted on X/Twitter by Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies co-founder and former MUFON director of research Robert Powell, reading “National Intelligence Community CITATION; Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force is hereby awarded the National Intelligence Meritorious Unit Commendation”.

“In recognition of outstanding service from August 2020 to July 2022,” the certificate’s text reads. “During this period, the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force built whole-of-government coalitions, raised awareness, removed stigma associated with unidentified aerial phenomena, and applied the highest levels of analytic rigor to a problem of long-standing national significance.

“In doing so, the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force transformed the perception of unidentified aerial phenomena within the Intelligence Community, the United States Government, and among the American public. The Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force’s accomplishments reflect great credit upon themselves, their respective agencies, and the Intelligence Community.”

“We now stand at the beginning of a transformative chapter for humanity,” Stratton concluded in his X/Twitter post. “The process of responsibly addressing UAP and related matters is complex, requiring careful consideration of national security, scientific understanding, and public interest. I remain committed to supporting the U.S. Government in expanding its understanding of UAP while fostering a transparent public dialogue about these critical issues.”