National Defense Authorization Act FY2023 - UAP Provisions (Sections 1671-1683)
Date
December 23, 2022
Document Type
Legislation
Pages
12
Authentication
Official PublicationIssuing Authority
US Congress; signed by President Biden
Summary
The UAP-related provisions of the FY2023 National Defense Authorization Act represent the most significant legislative action on UAP in US history. Section 1683 established the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) with a formal mandate, budget authority, and reporting requirements. The provisions created new whistleblower protections for UAP witnesses, mandated a historical record review, established a central UAP reporting mechanism, and required the production of what became the AARO Historical Record Report. The legislation was shaped in significant part by Chris Mellon and operationalized Grusch's eventual protected disclosure.
Significance
The NDAA FY2023 UAP provisions transformed UAP from a peripheral intelligence topic into a formally institutionalized federal matter with statutory authority. AARO was created, defined, and funded by this legislation. The whistleblower protections in Section 1673 gave David Grusch the legal framework to make his 2023 protected disclosure to the ICIG without risking career consequences under the Espionage Act. Chris Mellon directly shaped the legislative language. The bill passed with bipartisan support - one of the very few bipartisan agreements in contemporary US Congress.