Military Whistleblowers Tell Congress of Close Encounters, Renewing Pressure for UAP Transparency

Former military personnel on Tuesday told a House oversight panel that they experienced unexplained aerial phenomena that interfered with electronics and came dangerously close to aircraft, underscoring calls for greater transparency and legal protections for whistleblowers.

At a hearing titled "Restoring Public Trust Through UAP Transparency and Whistleblower Protection" on Sept. 9, 2025, witnesses including former Air Force intelligence officer Dylan Borland, retired Air Force officer Jeffrey Nuccetelli, and U.S. Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Alexandro Wiggins recounted encounters they said involved rapidly moving, unidentifiable objects. The session drew lawmakers from both parties and renewed debate over how the government should investigate and disclose such incidents.

Borland, who described himself as an intelligence officer, told the committee that one object stopped about 100 feet away and approximately 100 feet above him and that his phone became "extremely hot" and "completely froze." Nuccetelli testified that a crew member on the radio screamed as an object approached rapidly. Wiggins said, "There is something out there, and we should know what it is," characterizing the witnesses' concerns as matters of safety and national security.

Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., showed what he described as a leaked intelligence video that he said depicts a U.S. drone firing a Hellfire missile at an unidentified object off the coast of Yemen last fall. UFO investigative journalist George Knapp told the committee that the missile appeared to strike and deflect from the object and that pieces of debris seemed to travel alongside it. "That's a Hellfire missile that smacked into that UFO and just bounced right off, and it kept going," Knapp said during his testimony. Burlison said the object continued without an apparent loss of speed.

The video and those descriptions were presented to the panel as evidence by advocates seeking renewed focus on UAPs. Committee members emphasized that the claims remain unverified by the forum and that the video was described to them as a leak rather than an authenticated intelligence product.

The hearing reflected growing congressional attention to unexplained aerial phenomena since lawmakers held their first major hearings in two generations beginning in 2022. In response to public concern and classified reports, lawmakers created an office charged with collecting and investigating reports from military, civilian and commercial pilots. Members of Congress described a reduction in stigma for personnel reporting incidents, but witnesses and some lawmakers said barriers to reporting and to independent inspection persist.

Several lawmakers framed the issue as national security. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., who called the hearing, said those who report encounters can lose security clearances, which she described as a livelihood issue. Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., said the events raise the question whether advanced technology in U.S. airspace is domestic or foreign. Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., said he was not sure what is true but expressed concern about being misled.

Lawmakers also debated terminology. Some members and witnesses used the term "UAP" — unidentified aerial phenomena — a term increasingly used in official channels. Others preferred the more familiar "UFO," which carries connotations of extraterrestrial activity. Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., asked the panel whether the choice of term matters for investigation and public perception.

Witnesses urged stronger whistleblower protections and more rigorous scientific standards for investigating anomalous reports. Dylan Borland told the committee he had been told by an investigating agency that the only way to scientifically prove an extraterrestrial origin would be to travel to the object's planet of origin and bring back material for comparison. "So you're saying they won't let anything out … unless they go to the planet and confirm its origin?" Rep. Burlison asked. Borland replied that the agency had characterized scientific proof in those terms.

Joe Spielberger, senior policy counsel at the Project on Government Oversight, and other panel participants urged legal and procedural changes to ensure that personnel who report incidents are protected from retaliation and that agencies are required to preserve and analyze evidence. Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., noted that he recently introduced a UAP Whistleblower Protection Act intended to shield federal personnel who disclose use of taxpayer funds related to UAP investigations.

The hearing also touched on broader technical and logistical questions about space travel and research. Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., asked rhetorically about navigating the Van Allen radiation belts and other challenges of deep-space travel; several members pointed out that Apollo-era missions demonstrated human ability to transit near-Earth radiation hazards but that extended deep-space operations present distinct difficulties.

Testimony from former service members contributed to a shift in tone among several lawmakers. Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., said he had been skeptical of UFO claims in the past but that the witnesses' service records and the materials presented had changed his view. Rep. Eric Burlison said he had not assumed the objects were extraterrestrial but that he remained open to possibilities.

The session underscored persistent gaps in public knowledge and the need for additional investigation rather than resolving the origin of the reported phenomena. Committee members and witnesses emphasized the priority of collecting and preserving data, protecting those who come forward, and assessing whether the objects pose an aviation or security threat.

Congressional inquiry into UAPs has expanded in recent years, with one to two hearings annually and legislative proposals aimed at increasing transparency and review. Lawmakers on Tuesday emphasized that while the accounts are compelling to some, they do not in themselves constitute definitive evidence of foreign or extraterrestrial technology. The committee said it will continue to examine the testimony, review submitted materials and consider legislative steps intended to improve reporting, analysis and protection for whistleblowers.

Until investigations yield verifiable evidence, the witnesses' accounts and the videos presented will remain part of an ongoing congressional effort to understand unidentified aerial phenomena and to determine whether additional resources or authorities are needed to address potential safety and security implications.