US Navy denies The Black Vault all UAP videos
On September 8, 2022, The Black Vault made public that the US Navy refused to release any UAP videos. According to the denial letter received on July 11, 2022, the recordings are fully classified under the UAP Task Force's classification guide and exempt from release in their entirety.
Background
Denial
On September 8, 2022, John Greenewald made public on The Black Vault that the Department of the Navy refused to release any videos related to Unidentified Aerial Phenomena. The denial letter for FOIA request DON-NAVY-2022-010360 had been received on July 11, 2022. It was signed by Gary Cason, Deputy Director of the Navy's FOIA/PA Program Office.
Justification
The Navy cited exemption 5 U.S.C. § 552 (b)(1), Executive Order 13526 and the UAP Task Force's classification guide. The recordings were classified in their entirety, and releasing them would reveal capabilities and vulnerabilities to adversaries. Unlike the three videos released in April 2020, the information could not be segregated for partial release.
Background
Greenewald had sought the videos since April 2020 through several requests to Naval Air Systems Command, the Office of Naval Intelligence and finally the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. After a 17-month delay at ONI, the request was referred to N2/N6, where the denial was issued after about two months.
Significance
The response shows how tightly access to military UAP footage remained restricted even after the official release of the three Navy videos in April 2020.