Senate Intelligence Committee UAP hearing — 22 April 2026

On 22 April 2026, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence convened an open session on the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office's progress and the FY2025 annual UAP report. The Council is logging the hearing's substantive disclosures, witness commitments, and any new case references.

The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence convened an open session on the morning of 22 April 2026 addressing the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office’s (AARO) progress, the office’s FY2025 annual report (Case #00471), and outstanding implementation of the UAP Disclosure Act provisions of the FY2024 National Defense Authorization Act.

This entry serves as the Council’s structured record of the hearing as a discrete event in the modern disclosure timeline. We are logging the proceedings rather than adjudicating substantive claims; specific case references made by witnesses during testimony will be assigned their own case numbers as they are independently documented.

Hearing posture and significance

This is the first SSCI open session on UAP since the FY2024 NDAA established the Controlled Disclosure Campaign Plan mechanism. The hearing’s structural significance is twofold:

1. Open-session format. A substantial portion of UAP-related congressional activity occurs in closed (classified) session. Open hearings function as the public’s window into the disclosure process and as a forcing function on the Executive Branch’s release schedule.
2. AARO Director’s testimony. The AARO Director testifies on the office’s case-resolution rate, its international cooperation framework, and any cases elevated to the Director of National Intelligence under the FY2024 NDAA’s “credible report” provisions.

What we are watching for

• Specific historical cases acknowledged or de-acknowledged. AARO’s FY2025 annual report and the hearing testimony are expected to address legacy cases referenced in the FY2023 and FY2024 reports.
• The status of the Brazilian Air Force 1986 declassification. The U.S.-Brazil intelligence relationship and any AARO international cooperation on the Brazilian release (Case #00484) is a watching point.
• Witness protection / whistleblower testimony. Implementation of the FY2024 NDAA’s whistleblower provisions, including the UAP Records Review Board equivalent, remains incomplete.
• 3I/Atlas references. AARO’s posture on the interstellar object’s anomalous brightening (Case #00482) — a question that crosses planetary defense and UAP jurisdictions.
• New case identifiers introduced into the public record. Each will be assigned a Council case number on confirmation.

Mundane factors to track

1. Political theater. Senate UAP hearings have historically served broader political objectives. The Council distinguishes substantive disclosure from performative oversight.
2. Budget cycle effects. AARO’s authorities and funding are subject to annual NDAA reauthorization. Hearing timing relative to the FY2027 budget submission affects what the office is willing to say publicly.
3. Inter-agency posture. Tensions between AARO, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Department of Defense, and the intelligence community have shaped prior disclosure cycles. The hearing’s tone will indicate the current state.

The Council’s verdict

Watching. This case file documents the hearing as a structured event in the disclosure process. The substantive verdict will follow once the hearing transcript, AARO’s FY2025 annual report, and any associated document releases are available for analysis. We commit to updating this case file within 72 hours of the hearing transcript becoming public.

For Council members tracking the hearing in real time, the Council’s recommended starting reading is Imminent by Luis Elizondo — the former AATIP director’s account of the institutional context that produced AARO. American Cosmic by D.W. Pasulka provides the cultural background.