Ryan Graves

Early Career and Military Service

Ryan Graves is a retired U.S. Navy officer who earned a B.S. in Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (2008) before enlisting in the Navy in early 2009. He served as a lieutenant and F/A-18F Super Hornet pilot with Strike Fighter Squadron VFA-11 (the "Red Rippers") and completed two combat deployments supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq/Syria. By mid-career, he transitioned to F/A-18 instructor roles and later worked as a commercial airline pilot.

The USS Theodore Roosevelt Encounters (2014–2015)

In 2014–2015, while assigned to the USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group operating in restricted airspace off the Virginia coast near Virginia Beach, Graves and fellow pilots began detecting unidentified objects on newly upgraded radar systems. Initially dismissed as software glitches, the encounters were corroborated by independent sensors—an AN/APG-79 AESA radar and AN/ASQ-228 ATFLIR (infrared targeting pod) across multiple aircraft. Objects were typically described as 5–15 feet in diameter, dark gray or black, occasionally reported as a "cube inside a clear sphere." Flight characteristics were remarkable: stationary positioning despite hurricane-force winds, jittery radar signatures resembling housefly movements, variable speeds (120 knots to near-supersonic), and sustained low-altitude flight for extended periods. In one incident, a pilot came within approximately 50 feet of an object. Graves emphasized the encounters were daily occurrences over several months, not rare isolated sightings, yet pilots avoided reporting due to professional stigma and career risk.

Congressional Testimony and Public Disclosure (2023)

On July 26, 2023, Graves testified before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee in the most-watched congressional UAP hearing in U.S. history, alongside Air Force whistleblower David Grusch and retired Navy Commander David Fravor (USS Nimitz Tic Tac pilot, 2004). Under oath, Graves stated: "Sightings of UAPs in our airspace are not rare, but they are grossly under-reported." He emphasized aviation safety and national security implications, arguing that reporting stigma and fear of professional consequences prevented pilot disclosure. His testimony framed the issue not as extraterrestrial speculation but as a concrete operational and safety problem within U.S. military command structures. He highlighted how modern sensor systems (radar, infrared, electronic warfare) had made detection more reliable than visual observation alone, yet organizational culture suppressed formal reporting channels.

Americans for Safe Aerospace (2023–Present)

Following his testimony, Graves founded and became executive director of Americans for Safe Aerospace (ASA), an advocacy organization supporting aviators and airspace professionals who report UAP encounters. ASA frames disclosure as an aviation safety imperative—reducing professional repercussions, normalizing reporting, and building a credible database of incidents—rather than pursuing extraterrestrial confirmation. Graves has appeared on 60 Minutes, NBC News, Joe Rogan Experience, Politico, The New York Times, and History Channel programs, maintaining consistent messaging: unknown objects in U.S. airspace demand serious investigation, military pilots are credible witnesses, and transparency serves national security.

Significance and Credibility

Graves represents the modern disclosure era's most credible military witness: active-duty fighter pilot, engineering degree, verifiable combat deployments, congressional testimony under oath, and multiple independent corroborating witnesses (squadron mates, radar operators, infrared sensor operators) in a controlled military environment. No credible accusations of fabrication exist; mainstream skepticism focuses on extraterrestrial interpretations rather than the factual basis of the sightings themselves. His framing of UAP as an aviation safety issue—rather than demanding ET confirmation—has given him legitimacy among military and aerospace institutions traditionally hostile to UFO narratives.