The Pentagon’s decades-long use of disinformation to fuel UFO myths is under fire as lawmakers and watchdogs demand transparency over secret military programs and media influence.
At a Glance
- The Wall Street Journal revealed Pentagon disinformation shaped America’s UFO narrative to protect classified defense projects.
- An internal Pentagon probe traced these tactics to Cold War-era stealth and missile concealment strategies.
- A 2023 Air Force “ritual” involved fake antigravity vehicle imagery.
- House Republicans seek disclosure about UAP programs and alleged military cover-ups.
- NewsGuard is under congressional investigation for potential Defense-linked influence on news rating systems.
UFOs, myths, and military secrets
A new Wall Street Journal exposé alleges the Pentagon has for decades manufactured UFO stories as a cover for advanced military programs. The effort dates back to the 1950s, when U.S. defense officials spread fabricated imagery and stories to mislead Soviet intelligence about stealth technologies and aerospace breakthroughs.
Sean Kirkpatrick’s recent investigation details how Pentagon commanders deliberately seeded myths around unidentified flying objects to create confusion. A now-infamous 2023 Air Force hazing ritual even featured doctored images of alleged antigravity vehicles.
The mythology around events like the 1967 missile shutdown—long attributed to alien activity—is now being reframed as Cold War-era psychological operations intended to mask human-engineered interference.
Watch a report: Disinformation, cover-ups, and UFOs: the military’s hidden history exposed.
A GOP-led call for disclosure
The revelations have reignited Republican scrutiny. Lawmakers such as Rep. Robert Salas have declared the revelations part of a “gigantic cover-up,” demanding that the Pentagon come clean about secretive Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) programs. Congressional interest spans multiple hearings and probes into how long the Department of Defense has perpetuated the deception and whether these narratives are still ongoing.
At the same time, the public narrative surrounding extraterrestrial contact has become a point of political contention. Transparency advocates argue that misdirection from the Pentagon erodes trust in national security institutions.
Rep. James Comer, chair of the House Oversight Committee, is now expanding the transparency push into related areas—namely, alleged federal censorship of media voices.
NewsGuard in the crosshairs
Comer recently announced an investigation into NewsGuard, a media rating firm contracted by the Pentagon. The inquiry questions whether government influence tainted the organization’s supposedly apolitical review standards and whether it may have suppressed First Amendment speech under the guise of misinformation control.
“Questions now surround the influence of NewsGuard’s business relationships,” Comer said, pointing to contracts involving federal defense agencies. NewsGuard co-CEO Gordon Crovitz responded, asserting their Pentagon work targets foreign propaganda from hostile states like Russia and China—not domestic content.
Still, as UFOs and disinformation collide with media accountability debates, many critics remain skeptical. With both national defense secrets and media trust in the spotlight, Washington’s new obsession with alien stories has turned into a broader battle over who controls the truth.
