HHRG-118-GO06-Wstate-GravesR-20230726.pdf

Ryan Graves / Americans for Safe Aerospace Written Testimony
Chairman Grothman, Ranking Member Garcia, distinguished Members of the House Oversight
Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs, Representatives Burchett
and Luna, thank you for holding the first public hearing on UAP to hear from military pilots and
whistleblowers.
My name is Ryan “FOBS” Graves and I am a former F-18 pilot with over a decade of service in
the U.S. Navy, including two deployments in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation
Inherent Resolve. I have witnessed advanced UAP on multiple sensor sy…

I joined the U.S. Navy in 2009. As a pilot, I was trained to be an expert observer, tasked with
identifying any aircraft within our operating area. In 2014, I was near Virginia Beach as part of
VFA-11, a Navy Fighter/Attack Squadron made up of F/A-18F Super Hornets. Upon an upgrade
to our radar system, we began to detect unknown objects in our airspace. Initially dismissed as
software glitches, we soon corroborated these radar tracks with infrared sensors, confirming
their physical presence.
Over time, UAP sightings became an open secret among our aircrew. They were a common
occurrence, seen b…

access program. He couldn’t believe there was no discussion of an urgent safety of flight issue.
He has stated publicly that after seeing the report, he didn’t believe these UAP represent any
known human technology.
Aircrews along the East Coast continue to encounter advanced UAP nearly a decade later, and
the identity of these UAP remains unknown.
Americans for Safe Aerospace aircrew and military UAP witness program
Recognizing the need for action and answers, I founded Americans for Safe Aerospace, which
now has nearly 5,000 members. What I did not anticipate was how many UAP military vetera…

There are credible reports from both military and commercial aircrew of unidentified objects in
our military and commercial airspace occurring with regularity.
The UAP Task Force reported in 2021 that there were 11 near misses with UAP and I
understand that number has grown.1 In April 2022, the FAA issued an alert to its operation
managers that a commercial aircraft over West Virginia experienced a double attitude and
double autopilot failure while flying under a UAP. Stigma surrounding UAP should not undermine
the seriousness of this domain awareness gap.
If UAP are foreign drones, it is an u…

We also heard him say in testimony to Congress that he only operated under Title 10 authority,
and that additional authorities related to Title 50 would help AARO execute its mission. In the
NASA IST public meeting he elaborated he needs access to the scientifically calibrated sensors
available to the intelligence community that can characterize UAP, and my understanding is that
he would need it to proactively investigate witness accounts.
However, last week, in his first public interview, he indicated he has what he needs. I am unsure
why or if his statement has changed. He also indicates wit…