Luis Elizondo

Luis Elizondo is a former U.S. Army and Department of Defense intelligence officer who directed the Pentagon's Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP), an unpublicized government program created in 2007 to investigate unidentified anomalous phenomena. After resigning from the DoD in 2017, he became a public advocate for government transparency on UAP matters, releasing declassified military videos and testifying before Congress.

What was his role at the Pentagon?

Elizondo enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1995 and was assigned to Military Intelligence. In 1998, he was recruited as a civilian intelligence officer into a sensitive DoD program, eventually rising to Senior Intelligence Officer and Special Agent In-Charge. From 2008 to 2017, he directed AATIP, the Pentagon's unpublicized program committed to investigating UAPs. As a senior counterintelligence officer, he operated throughout Afghanistan, the Middle East, and Latin America.

Why did he leave the Pentagon?

Elizondo resigned from the DoD in 2017, citing resistance to his UAP findings. His departure marked a shift from government work to public advocacy on the topic.

What has he done since leaving government?

After resigning, Elizondo joined To the Stars Academy of Arts and Sciences (TTSA) as Director of Global Security and Special Programs. He starred in the History Channel series "Unidentified: Inside America's UFO Investigation" and was involved in releasing three declassified UAP videos filmed by U.S. Navy pilots from the USS Nimitz and USS Theodore Roosevelt, which were subsequently published by the New York Times. In 2024, his memoir "Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs" debuted at number one on the New York Times Best Seller list, and he testified before Congress that same year.

What is his background?

Elizondo graduated from the University of Miami with a B.S. in microbiology and immunology before beginning his military service in 1995.