People have always been interested in unidentified flying objects, better known as UFOs. They lend credence to the concept of intelligent living beings roaming about elsewhere in the Universe. The Pentagon has now admitted that there was a UFO investigation program but said that it was closed in 2012 to make funds available for other issues that had the tag of a higher priority attached to them.
According to Sky News, the program was to examine the reported sightings of UFOs and was a part of a secret program to assess possible threats under the Advanced Aviation Threat Identification Program.
It ran for five years with annual funding of $22 million.
Work entrusted to the Pentagon
There have been reports of unnatural sightings of UFOs from the air as well as from the ground that have worried authorities. People had reported objects in the air moving at abnormally high speeds and vanishing. There were also instances of objects hovering in the air with no apparent means of lift, and experts were not in a position to explain these occurrences.
That, in short, was the reason the Pentagon was asked to investigate these strange sightings. The program was not classified, and a limited number of officials knew about the exercise. The initiative was taken by former Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid who had an apparent weakness for UFOs.
The seriousness attached to the secret program is evident from the funds that is believed to have been released. The logic was that UFOs could pose threats to the people, and the US Department of Defense was serious about protecting its people, and their assets from possible threats. Anyway, as of now, the program has been shelved.
UFOs and hunt for aliens
Unidentified flying objects, or UFOs, have appeared in sci-fi movies along with imaginary characters or aliens and the combination has fascinated the masses. Frequent sightings at different locations scattered around the world have added an aura of mystery, and filmmakers seized the opportunity to capitalize on that aspect by churning out movies that became box-office hits.
The interest in UFOs must have started with the sci-fi novel "War of the Worlds" when H. G. Wells let his imagination run wild to introduce alien beings in the form of Martians. That was in 1897 and, in today’s world, sci-fi movies have created an interest in extraterrestrial beings that could land upon our planet in their vehicles.
The secret program that was undertaken by the Pentagon has been put into cold storage but a question mark continues to remain regarding the mysterious sightings.
