Dr. James T. Lacatski

Program Manager, AAWSAP (Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program), c. 2000s–2012 (AAWSAP period); broader DIA career

Case File
AliasesLacatski, Jim Lacatski
Servicec. 2000s–2012 (AAWSAP period); broader DIA career
ClearanceHeld SCI-level access as DIA Defense Warning Office program manager; AAWSAP was classified as Sensitive Compartmented Information

Summary

The Defense Intelligence Agency officer who designed, initiated, and managed the Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program (AAWSAP) from 2008 to 2012 - the first formally funded U.S. government UAP research program in decades. While Harry Reid secured the political appropriation and Robert Bigelow's company held the contract, Lacatski was the government official who actually ran the program from inside the DIA. He reportedly visited Skinwalker Ranch in Utah and personally witnessed an anomalous event that galvanized his commitment to the program. In 2021 he co-authored 'Skinwalkers at the Pentagon' - the most detailed public account of AAWSAP's scope, findings, and institutional context ever published by a government program manager. His 2024 congressional testimony marked the first time he spoke publicly under oath about the program's findings.

Roles

  • -Program Manager, AAWSAP (Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program)
  • -Defense Warning Office, Defense Intelligence Agency
  • -Co-Author - Skinwalkers at the Pentagon (2021)

Organizations

Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)Defense Warning OfficeAdvanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program (AAWSAP)