Chris Mellon and Luis Elizondo, who both recently became frequently quoted voices on the topic of UAP (a.k.a. UFO) research thanks in part to their involvement with To the Stars Academy of Arts & Science, brought an urgent message to the 60 Minutes stage on Sunday.
Mellon, who served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intelligence in both the Clinton and Bush administrations, was featured in Bill Whitaker’s report for having “surreptitiously acquired” and released three now-famous Navy videos showing UAPs that displayed remarkable (and logic-defying) maneuvers. Speaking with Whitaker, Mellon explained that he had grown frustrated with the inaction on the pressing UAP issue, noting the seriousness with which people should be treating what’s already known about these encounters.
“So, it’s not us,” Mellon said around 11 minutes into the video up top. “That’s one thing we know. I can say that with a very high degree of confidence, in part, because of the position I held in the department, and I know the process.”
Elizondo, meanwhile, urged the public and the government to swiftly move beyond the “is it real?” discourse in favor of turning attention to more important questions.
“I’m not telling you that, that it doesn’t sound wacky,” said Elizondo, who previously worked intimately with the UAP issue as part of the Pentagon’s Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program. “What I’m telling you, it’s real. The question is, what is it? What are its intentions? What are its capabilities?”
As for those who remain skeptical, Elizondo made it clear that this recent explosion of mainstream interest in documented UAP incidents is not an example of a group of people simply getting together in the name of jumping to conclusions. Per Elizondo, all involved have gone through “our due diligence” by first ruling out possible explanations for what’s being seen.
Due soon is a UAP report from the Pentagon. And while we probably can’t expect to hear anything definitive regarding the contents of that report until it’s actually released, the “stigma” with which some lawmakers still treat the UAP topic was briefly discussed in Sunday’s report. Also featured were UAP-spotting Navy pilots who were previously interviewed as part of the To the Stars Academy of Arts & Science-backed Unidentified series.
Both Mellon and Elizondo were key figures in the TTSA rollout in 2017. The company was co-founded by blink-182/Angels & Airwaves singer Tom DeLonge, a lifelong UAP research advocate whose public outspokenness on the issue dates back several decades.
Mellon and Elizondo are no longer listed as members of the TTSA board, which currently counts DeLonge as interim CEO. And while not much has been said publicly about Mellon and Elizondo’s apparent exit, DeLonge was quick on Sunday night to credit the work of TTSA for bringing revived and refocused mainstream attention to UAP research:
