Luis Elizondo

Luis Elizondo is a former U.S. Army enlistee and career civilian intelligence officer who describes himself as the senior leader of the Pentagon’s Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP) – the secretive effort to investigate unidentified aerial phenomena within the Department of Defense. His October 2017 resignation, followed by the landmark New York Times investigation that December, cracked open a subject the U.S. government had publicly dismissed for decades.

Elizondo’s father was a Cuban exile who participated in the Bay of Pigs invasion. Raised in South Florida, Elizondo studied microbiology and immunology at the University of Miami before enlisting in the Army in the mid-1990s, serving tours in South Korea and Kuwait. He was recruited into civilian intelligence work in 1998 and spent nearly two decades in counterintelligence and counterterrorism roles – including deployments to Afghanistan after 9/11, assignments with the Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive (ONCIX), and work within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

Career Timeline

Year	Role	Organization
c. 1995–1998	Enlisted service (South Korea, Kuwait)	U.S. Army
1998–2017	Civilian intelligence officer / special agent – counterterrorism, counterintelligence	U.S. Department of Defense / Intelligence Community
2008–2017	Senior leader, Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP)	Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence
2017–2020	Affiliate / public-facing leadership	To The Stars Academy of Arts & Sciences
2021–present	Author, speaker, congressional witness	Private / media

Role in UAP Disclosure

AATIP and the Pentagon

Elizondo says he was invited to join AATIP in 2008 and took over the program in 2010. Originally funded through a $22 million congressional appropriation secured by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, AATIP’s formal budget ended around 2012 – though Elizondo has stated the work continued in a limited capacity. By his account, the program investigated military encounters with objects displaying flight characteristics far beyond known technology: hypersonic speed, instantaneous acceleration, transmedium travel, and the absence of visible propulsion.

The Department of Defense has disputed the scope of Elizondo’s role. In 2019, Pentagon spokesperson Christopher Sherwood stated:

“Mr. Elizondo had no responsibilities with regard to the AATIP program while he worked in OUSD(I), up until the time he resigned effective 10/4/2017.”

This tension between Elizondo’s account and the Pentagon’s public position has never been fully resolved. FOIA-released emails show Elizondo asserting his role internally and naming potential corroborating witnesses. Multiple members of Congress and former colleagues – including Chris Mellon – have publicly supported his account.

The 2017 Resignation and New York Times Story

In October 2017, Elizondo resigned from the Department of Defense. FOIA documents describe multiple factors: frustration with internal opposition to the UAP portfolio, a desire to bring the subject to public attention, and personal considerations. His resignation letter to Secretary of Defense James Mattis warned that the phenomena demanded attention.

Two months later, on December 16, 2017, the New York Times published “Glowing Auras and ‘Black Money’: The Pentagon’s Mysterious U.F.O. Program” – naming Elizondo as the man who ran AATIP and featuring previously unreleased Navy UAP footage. The story, reported by Helene Cooper, Ralph Blumenthal, and Leslie Kean, became the single most consequential piece of UAP journalism in the modern era. Elizondo appeared on CNN that same week:

“My personal belief is that there is very compelling evidence that we may not be alone.”

To The Stars Academy

After leaving the Pentagon, Elizondo joined To The Stars Academy of Arts & Sciences (TTSA), co-founded by musician Tom DeLonge, alongside Chris Mellon and engineer Steve Justice. He appeared as a featured participant in the History Channel series Unidentified: Inside America’s UFO Investigation (2019–2020). He departed TTSA in late 2020, citing a desire to focus on mission-oriented work rather than entertainment.

60 Minutes and Mainstream Media

In May 2021, Elizondo appeared on CBS 60 Minutes with correspondent Bill Whitaker – one of the most-watched segments on the UAP topic:

“Imagine a technology that can do 6-to-700 g-forces, that can fly at 13,000 miles an hour, that can evade radar and that can fly through air and water and possibly space. And oh, by the way, has no obvious signs of propulsion, no wings, no control surfaces and yet still can defy the natural effects of Earth’s gravity. That’s precisely what we’re seeing.”

Congressional Testimony (2024)

On November 13, 2024, Elizondo delivered sworn written testimony to the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Accountability:

“Let me be clear: UAP are real. Advanced technologies not made by our Government – or any other government – are monitoring sensitive military installations around the globe. Furthermore, the U.S. is in possession of UAP technologies, as are some of our adversaries. I believe we are in the midst of a multi-decade, secretive arms race – one funded by misallocated taxpayer dollars and hidden from our elected representatives and oversight bodies.”

He also testified about a pattern of retaliation against those who have attempted to bring the subject forward:

“A small cadre within our own Government involved in the UAP topic has created a culture of suppression and intimidation that I have personally been victim to, along with many of my former colleagues. This includes unwarranted criminal investigations, harassment, and efforts to destroy one’s credibility.”

Imminent (2024)

In August 2024, HarperCollins published Elizondo’s book Imminent: Inside the Pentagon’s Hunt for UFOs, which became a bestseller and provided his most detailed public account of AATIP-era work, internal Pentagon dynamics, and the nature of reported UAP encounters.

Notable Statements

“My personal belief is that there is very compelling evidence that we may not be alone.” – CNN, December 2017

“The government has already stated for the record that they’re real. I’m not telling you that. The United States government is telling you that.” – CBS 60 Minutes, May 16, 2021

“What I’m telling you – it’s real. The question is, what is it? What are its intentions? What are its capabilities?” – CBS 60 Minutes, May 16, 2021

“UAP are real. Advanced technologies not made by our Government – or any other government – are monitoring sensitive military installations around the globe.” – House Oversight Committee written testimony, November 13, 2024

Key Publications & Appearances

Date	Title / Appearance	Outlet
December 16, 2017	Named as AATIP director in “Glowing Auras and ‘Black Money‘“	The New York Times
December 18, 2017	First on-camera interview post-resignation	CNN (Erin Burnett OutFront)
2019–2020	Unidentified: Inside America’s UFO Investigation (featured cast)	History Channel
May 16, 2021	UAP segment with Bill Whitaker	CBS 60 Minutes
August 20, 2024	Imminent: Inside the Pentagon’s Hunt for UFOs	William Morrow / HarperCollins
August 23, 2024	The Joe Rogan Experience #2194	Spotify
November 13, 2024	Sworn written testimony – UAP hearing	U.S. House Oversight & Accountability Committee

Sources

1. Luis Elizondo – Official Bio
2. The New York Times – Glowing Auras and ‘Black Money’ (December 16, 2017)
3. CNN – Former Pentagon UFO Official: ‘We may not be alone’ (December 18, 2017)
4. CBS News – 60 Minutes UAP Segment (May 16, 2021)
5. U.S. House Oversight Committee – Written Testimony, Elizondo (November 13, 2024)
6. HarperCollins – Imminent Product Page
7. DoD FOIA Reading Room – AATIP Documents (18-F-0324)
8. DoD FOIA Reading Room – Elizondo Emails (21-F-0938)
9. Mystery Wire – Elizondo Leaves TTSA (December 2020)
10. The New Yorker – How the Pentagon Started Taking UFOs Seriously (May 10, 2021)
11. Wikipedia – Luis Elizondo