Kirsten Gillibrand

Legislative Champion of UAP Transparency

Kirsten Gillibrand is a Democratic U.S. Senator from New York who has emerged as the most prominent elected official in the United States actively advocating for official government acknowledgment, investigation, and declassification of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) and potential evidence of non-human intelligence (NHI). Beginning around 2020–2021, Gillibrand became involved in the UAP issue after learning about pilots and military personnel who faced retaliation and career damage for reporting sightings to their chain of command. This revelation motivated her to pursue comprehensive legislative solutions within the defense authorization process.

Establishing AARO and Securing Funding

In the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), Gillibrand partnered with Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida and Representative Ruben Gallego of Arizona to establish the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), tasked with detecting, tracking, and analyzing unidentified phenomena across all domains (air, sea, space, and cyber). The office was designed to consolidate and improve upon the earlier Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force, while reducing the stigma associated with reporting and investigating such events. Crucially, AARO was granted direct access to both Department of Defense and Intelligence Community data on UAP incidents, enabling coordinated research and inter-agency collaboration.

During the FY2024 budget cycle, Gillibrand secured full congressional funding for AARO's expanded operations, demonstrating sustained commitment despite bureaucratic resistance. She has publicly criticized insufficient funding levels and pushed the Biden administration to treat the office with the resources and urgency it requires, emphasizing that UAP investigations represent a legitimate national security and scientific priority.

Declassification Legislation and NHI Definition

Beyond establishing institutional infrastructure, Gillibrand has pursued aggressive declassification efforts. In the FY2024 NDAA, she led a bipartisan amendment (co-authored with Senators Rubio and others) proposing a comprehensive 64-page framework to accelerate the mandatory declassification of all U.S. government records related to UAP reports and potential non-human lifeforms. The legislation establishes a specific timeline and process modeled partly on the JFK Assassination Records Collection Act, requiring systematic review and release of documents with narrowly defined national security exceptions.

Critically, Gillibrand's legislation formally defines non-human intelligence (NHI) as "any sentient intelligent non-human lifeform regardless of nature or ultimate origin that may be presumed responsible for UAP or of which the Federal Government has become aware." The bill also asserts federal government eminent domain over any recovered technologies of unknown origin (TUO) and biological evidence of NHI, effectively preventing private corporations or entities from controlling such materials in the public interest. She also co-sponsored the broader UAP Disclosure Act, which would force comprehensive government release of long-classified UAP records.

Impact and Ongoing Advocacy

Gillibrand's combination of legislative muscle, bipartisan partnerships, and sustained focus has fundamentally changed the official discourse around UAP in Congress. Once considered fringe, UAP now receives serious Senate attention with dedicated hearing time, agency oversight, and defense appropriations. Her role as a sitting elected official—not a whistleblower or outsider—gives her unique leverage to move policy and normalize public discussion of the topic within government structures. She has participated in high-profile Senate Armed Services Committee hearings and continues to champion funding and transparency mechanisms into the mid-2020s.