US: Shellenberger reveals Immaculate Constellation UAP program
Journalist Michael Shellenberger disclosed claims from a whistleblower about a secret US government program named Immaculate Constellation, started in 2017, managing classified UAP data and possibly exotic tech retrievals. Pentagon spokesperson Sue Gough denied its existence the next day.
Background
Incident
On October 8, 2024, the journalist Michael Shellenberger published on his platform Public the statements of a new whistleblower, initially anonymous and later identified as the Pentagon employee Matthew Brown. He claims that the executive branch of the US government has run a highly classified, unacknowledged special access programme called Immaculate Constellation since 2017.
Claims
The programme is said to collect, analyse, and isolate instrumented UAP observations from the military and the intelligence services. It is said to include a database of videos and images from infrared (IR), forward-looking infrared (FLIR), full motion video (FMV), and still photographs of UAP. The acquisition of exotic technologies is also mentioned, from which "alien reproduction vehicles" might potentially be derived. Another source located control of the programme in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security.
Reactions
On October 9, 2024, defence department spokeswoman Sue Gough denied the existence of any such programme. The disclosure attracted wide media attention and was taken up in reports by Public, Sentinel News, NewsNation, and the New York Post.
Significance
The allegations feed continuing debates about transparency on UAP matters and the lack of congressional oversight of secret programmes. They connect to earlier disclosures such as AATIP and invite further investigation.