Former intelligence official David Grusch called for the public release of classified federal UFO and alien investigation files during a March 15, 2026, hearing.
The push for transparency highlights a growing tension between government secrecy and public interest regarding unidentified aerial phenomena. Grusch said that the disclosure of these materials is essential for historical record and public awareness.
Speaking in a U.S. Capitol hearing room in Washington, D.C., Grusch identified himself as a whistleblower. He said that the American people deserve to know what the government knows about UFOs [1]. He said that releasing these files could be historically significant [2].
While Grusch called for the release of files that remain classified, the Pentagon reported a separate move toward transparency. A Pentagon spokesperson said the department has released 162 previously classified UFO files [3]. This creates a distinction between the broad archival release of documents and the specific, high-level investigation files Grusch is seeking.
Grusch's testimony comes amid ongoing scrutiny of how the U.S. government handles non-human intelligence and aerospace anomalies. The whistleblower's efforts aim to force a systemic change in how federal agencies manage and report on these phenomena to the public.
Related reports from the same period noted other irregularities within the military establishment. According to reports from CNN, a retired Air Force major general was missing for several weeks [4]. While not directly linked to Grusch's testimony in the provided records, the timing coincides with the heightened focus on military transparency and accountability.
“The American people deserve to know what the government knows about UFOs.”
The contradiction between Grusch's demands and the Pentagon's release of 162 files suggests a strategic gap in disclosure. By releasing a specific number of documents, the government may be attempting to satisfy public curiosity without revealing the more sensitive 'program-level' secrets Grusch claims exist. This tension underscores a broader struggle over the classification of national security data versus the public's right to know about potential extraterrestrial contact.
