Luis Elizondo

Director, Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP), 1994–2017

Case File

Background

Luis Elizondo is a former U.S. Army counterintelligence officer and career intelligence professional who served in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence. He claims to have directed the Pentagon's classified Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP) from approximately 2010 to 2017, an effort focused on investigating UAP reported by U.S. military personnel. He resigned from the DoD in October 2017, citing institutional resistance to taking the UAP issue seriously, and immediately co-founded To The Stars Academy with former Blink-182 frontman Tom DeLonge. His departure coincided with the release of three classified Navy gun-camera videos (Nimitz, Gimbal, GoFast) and a landmark New York Times investigation that brought the modern UAP disclosure era into public consciousness.

Service Period

1994–2017

Clearance

Top Secret / SCI with Special Access Program (SAP) access

Organizations

United States Army - Counterintelligence Corps · Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence · Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP) · Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) - liaison · To The Stars Academy of Arts and Science

Roles

Director, Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP)Counterintelligence Operations Officer, U.S. ArmySenior Intelligence Manager, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for IntelligenceCo-Founder / Chief Security Officer, To The Stars Academy

Education

›B.S. Biology - Florida International University
›U.S. Army Counterintelligence Special Agent training
›Multiple advanced intelligence and special access program courses (classified)

Career Background

›U.S. Army - Counterintelligence Special Agent; served in Afghanistan and Latin America
›Managed sensitive counterintelligence operations involving foreign actors and threat assessments
›Transitioned from Army to civilian intelligence role within Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence
›Managed multiple special access programs covering a range of advanced aerospace and national security topics

Key Events

1994Enlists in U.S. Army; begins career in counterintelligence

2001–2009Deploys in support of post-9/11 operations; counterintelligence assignments in Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay, and Latin America

~2010Takes over management of AATIP within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence; inherits program from its DIA-managed origins

2014–2017Attempts to formally brief the Office of the Secretary of Defense on AATIP findings; encounters institutional resistance and bureaucratic indifference

Sep 2017Submits formal resignation letter to Secretary of Defense James Mattis, citing the Pentagon's failure to take UAP seriously as a national security issue

Oct 2017Resignation from DoD officially effective; immediately joins Tom DeLonge's To The Stars Academy as co-founder and Chief Security Officer

Dec 2017New York Times publishes 'Glowing Auras and Black Money: The Pentagon's Mysterious UFO Program' - first mainstream confirmation of AATIP; Elizondo named; Nimitz Tic Tac video published

2018Serves as executive producer on History Channel series 'Unidentified: Inside America's UFO Investigation'; begins sustained public media campaign

2019Navy formally acknowledges three released videos (FLIR1, Gimbal, GoFast) as authentic gun-camera footage of 'unidentified aerial phenomena'

2020–2021Cooperates with congressional UAP efforts; briefs multiple senators and representatives in closed sessions; advocates for UAP reporting protections for military personnel

Apr 2022Testifies before Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities alongside other UAP advocates

2023Files Inspector General complaint alleging DoD improperly denied him access to Special Access Programs he was entitled to review as AATIP director

2024Publishes 'Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs' - first major book-length account of AATIP and the insider disclosure effort

Cross-References

Research Publications

The Invisible Danger: Why UAP Are a National Security Priority

Luis Elizondo, Christopher Mellon · The Hill · 2020