Summary
U.S. Senator from Florida and former Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence who authored the 2020 UAP Task Force legislative mandate - the first official government UAP reporting body since Project Blue Book. Has consistently framed UAP as a national security concern and pushed for government transparency, including publicly acknowledging David Grusch's 2023 whistleblower allegations as credible and warranting investigation.
Roles
- -U.S. Senator (R-FL)
- -Chairman, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (2020-2021)
- -Vice Chairman, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (2021-present)
- -Primary Senate architect, UAP Task Force legislative mandate (2020)
Organizations
Education
- -J.D., University of Miami School of Law, 1996
- -B.S., University of Florida, 1993
Early Career
- -Served in the Florida House of Representatives (2000-2008), including as Speaker of the Florida House (2006-2008), building a record in state politics before running for the U.S. Senate
- -Elected to the U.S. Senate in 2010 in a three-way race, defeating then-Governor Charlie Crist; re-elected in 2016 and 2022
- -Joined the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence early in his tenure, gaining access to classified intelligence products and oversight responsibilities that would later inform his UAP advocacy
Related Documented Cases
PANTEX Plant UAP Incident (Date Unknown)
Tier 2Date unknown (incident date fully redacted in source document) · Pantex Plant, Amarillo, Texas
2023 Western U.S. Orbs Launching Orbs
Tier 22023-2025 · Western United States (multiple classified test sites and federal law enforcement jurisdictions)
DOW-UAP-D14: Iraq UAP Mission Report
Tier 2May 2022 · Iraq (specific coordinates not publicly released)
2023 Southeastern U.S. Metallic Oval
Tier 2September 2023 · Southeastern United States (precise location undisclosed)
2024 INDOPACOM Football-Shaped UAP
Tier 22024 · Pacific Theater, near Japan (USINDOPACOM area of responsibility)
2025 U.S. Supra-Velocity Orb
Tier 22025 · United States (precise location classified)
DOW-UAP-D64: Iran UAP Mission Report
Tier 2November 2020 · Iran (specific coordinates not publicly released)
DOW-UAP-D27: UAE Coast UAP Mission Report
Tier 2October 2023 · United Arab Emirates coast (specific coordinates not publicly released)
DOW-UAP-D25: Greece UAP Mission Report
Tier 2January 2024 · Greece (specific coordinates not publicly released)
1985 Papua New Guinea UAP — State Dept Diplomatic Cable
Tier 2January 1985 · Papua New Guinea
1994 Kazakhstan UAP — State Dept Diplomatic Cable
Tier 2January 1994 · Kazakhstan
DOW-UAP-D55: Syria UAP Mission Report — November 2016
Tier 2November 2016 · Syria (specific coordinates not publicly released)
DOW-UAP-D49: Launch Summary — February 2000
Tier 2February 2000 · USCENTCOM Theater (specific location not publicly identified)
Lake Huron F-16C AIM-9X Engagement — February 12, 2023
Tier 1February 12, 2023 · Lake Huron, Michigan, United States
2022 Colorado Springs UAP Incident
Tier 2February 2022 · Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States
2024 Northeastern United States UAP Series
Tier 2October 2024 · Northeastern United States (specific location undisclosed)
2026 Northeastern Orb Sighting Series
Tier 2July 2025 - February 2026 · Northeastern United States (specific location undisclosed)
Related Primary Documents
PURSUE Release 1 — UAP Declassified Files Corpus (May 2026)
May 8, 2026 · government report
DOW-UAP-D14: Mission Report — Iraq, May 2022
May 2022 · government report
DOW-UAP-D25: Mission Report — Aegean Sea / Greece, January 2024
January 2024 · government report
DOW-UAP-D27: Mission Report — United Arab Emirates Coast, October 2023
October 2023 · government report
DOW-UAP-D64: Mission Report — Iran, November 2020
November 2020 · government report
NASA-UAP-D5: Apollo 17 Crew Debriefing for Science (1973)
January 8, 1973 · mission debriefing
NASA-UAP-D6: Apollo 17 Technical Crew Debriefing (1973)
January 4, 1973 · mission debriefing
State Dept Cable: UFOs Over Georgia - Strange Encounters of an MFA Kind (2001)
October 30, 2001 · diplomatic cable
State Dept Cable: Turkmenistan, Civil Society and UFOs (2004)
November 12, 2004 · diplomatic cable
State Dept Cable: Mexico Weekly Political Blotter - Mexican Congress Hears Testimony on Alien Life (2023)
September 16, 2023 · diplomatic cable
DOW-UAP-D55: Mission Report — Syria, November 2016
November 2016 · government report
NARA RG255: Gemini 7 UFO Sighting by Borman - Tape T-00763 Transcript (1965)
December 1965 · mission transcript
NARA RG38: Navy UAP Incident Summaries 1-100 (1947-1948)
July 1947 - early 1948 · government investigation report
NARA RG38: Navy UAP Incident Summaries 101-172 (1946-1948)
February 1946 - late 1948 · government investigation report
NARA RG38: Navy UAP Incident Summaries 173-233 with Photographic Attachments (1947-1950)
July 1947 - early 1950 · government investigation report
NARA RG18: Army Air Forces Flying Disc Investigation - Twining Letter and Project Sign Genesis (1947)
August - December 1947 · government investigation report
NARA RG18: Army Air Forces Flying Disc Investigation - 1948 Operations (Hobson Ohio, Horten Brothers, Fighter Alert)
February - June 1948 · government investigation report
NARA RG341: USAFE TOP SECRET - Swedish Air Intelligence on Flying Saucers (1948)
November 4, 1948 · intelligence report
NARA RG59: Gen. Samford - Credible Observers Reporting the Incredible (1952)
July 28, 1952 · policy memorandum
NARA RG59: NASA - Thoughts on the Space Alien Race Question (1963)
July 18, 1963 · policy memorandum
DOW-UAP-PR20: USCENTCOM MDR Recommendation to AARO (October 2025)
October 8, 2025 · government recommendation
NARA RG331: SHAEF Foo Fighter Reports - 415th Night Fighter Squadron (1944-1945)
December 1944 - March 1945 · military incident report
DOW-UAP-D3: Mission Report — Arabian Gulf, 2020
2020 · government report
DOW-UAP-D4: Mission Report — Arabian Gulf, 2020
2020 · government report
DOW-UAP-D5: Mission Report — Arabian Gulf, 2020
2020 · government report
DOW-UAP-D6: Mission Report — Arabian Gulf, 2020
2020 · government report
DOW-UAP-D7: Mission Report — Arabian Gulf, 2020
2020 · government report
DOW-UAP-D10: Mission Report — Middle East, May 2022
May 2022 · government report
DOW-UAP-D12: Mission Report — Iraq, May 2022
May 2022 · government report
DOW-UAP-D16: Mission Report — Syria, July 2022
July 2022 · government report
DOW-UAP-D18: Mission Report — Iraq, December 2022
December 2022 · government report
DOW-UAP-D19: Mission Report — Syria, February 2023
February 2023 · government report
DOW-UAP-D20: Mission Report — Iraq, 2023
2023 · government report
DOW-UAP-D23: Mission Report — United Arab Emirates, October 2023
October 2023 · government report
DOW-UAP-D33: Mission Report — Greece, October 2023
October 2023 · government report
DOW-UAP-D35: Mission Report — Greece, October 2023
October 2023 · government report
DOW-UAP-D74: Mission Report — Syria, November 2023
November 2023 · government report
DOW-UAP-D32: Mission Report — Syria, October 2024
October 2024 · government report
DOW-UAP-D54: Mission Report — Mediterranean Sea
Undated · government report
DOW-UAP-D56: Range Fouler Debrief — Arabian Sea, August 2020
August 2020 · government report
DOW-UAP-D58: Range Fouler Debrief — October 2020
October 2020 · government report
DOW-UAP-D57: Mission Report — Gulf of Aden, September 2020
September 2020 · government report
DOW-UAP-D75: Mission Report — Gulf of Aden, July 2024
July 2024 · government report
DOW-UAP-D60: Mission Report — Persian Gulf, August 2020
August 2020 · government report
DOW-UAP-D61: Mission Report — Persian Gulf, August 2020
August 2020 · government report
DOW-UAP-D65: Mission Report — Persian Gulf, July 2020
July 2020 · government report
DOW-UAP-D62: Mission Report — Strait of Hormuz, September 2020
September 2020 · government report
DOW-UAP-D63: Mission Report — Strait of Hormuz, October 2020
October 2020 · government report
PURSUE Release 2 — CIA, DOE, ODNI UAP Files Corpus (May 2026)
May 22, 2026 · government report
DOE-UAP-D001: Enhanced PANTEX Imagery (Unidentified Object Incident Report)
Unknown — incident date fully redacted · government report
PURSUE Release 3 — CIA, DOW, FBI, ICA, NASA, and USG UAP Files Corpus (June 2026)
June 12, 2026 · government report