Thank you. Chairman Schiff, Committee Chairman Carson, Ranking Member Crawford, distinguished members of the subcommittee, it is a privilege to be here with you today to address your questions regarding unidentified aerial phenomena, or UAP. I am pleased to be joined by Mr. Scott Bray, the Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence, who will speak to the Navy's Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force, which laid the foundation for the efforts we will discuss today.
First, I would like to thank Congress for supporting the Department's UAP efforts. The NDAA for fiscal year mardi 17 has helped us to establish a dedicated office to oversee processes and procedures for the timely collection, processing, analysis, and reporting of UAP-related data.
What are UAP? Put simply, UAP are airborne objects that, when encountered, cannot be immediately identified. However, it is the Department's contention that, by combining appropriately structured collected data with rigorous scientific analysis, any object that we encounter can likely be isolated, characterized, identified, and, if necessary, mitigated.
We know that our servicemembers have encountered unidentified aerial phenomena and, because UAPs pose potential flight safety and general security risks, we are committed to a focused effort to determine their origins. Our effort will include the thorough examination of adversarial platforms and potential breakthrough technologies, U.S. Government or commercial platforms, allied or partner systems, and other natural phenomenon.
We also understand that there has been a cultural stigma surrounding UAP. Our goal is to eliminate the stigma by fully incorporating our operators and mission personnel into a standardized data-gathering process. We believe that making UAP reporting a mission imperative will be instrumental to the effort's success.
The Defense Intelligence and Security Enterprise provides real-time support to our warfighters and mission personnel across all domains. To optimize the Department's UAP work, we are establishing an office within the Office of the Secretary of Defense. That office's function is clear: to facilitate the identification of previously unknown or unidentified airborne objects in a methodical, logical and standardized manner. These goals will ensure that we are working closely with operational personnel on training and reporting requirements, developing data and intelligence requirements, standardizing and integrating processes and procedures for collection, operational surveillance, analysis, and reporting, leveraging our research and development capabilities to improve detection, characterization, and identification of UAPs, developing mitigating solutions and procedures, and identifying strategy and policy solutions.
This effort will maximize collaboration and build upon already existing relationships with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the FAA, DHS, and the FBI. We are also committed to strong partnerships with the Department of Energy, NOAA, the DEA, NASA, and the National Labs and, just as importantly, our international partners and allies.
With regard to the importance of transparency, the Department is fully committed to the principle of openness and accountability to the American people. However, we are also mindful of our obligation to protect sensitive sources and methods. Our goal is to strike that delicate balance, one that enables us to maintain the public's trust while preserving those capabilities that are vital to the support of our service personnel.
In closing, the Department is committed to this effort and welcomes the challenge. We thank you for your committed support and look forward to your questions.