Scientific advice on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena

UAPSAC is a newly assembled scientific advisory body created to bring outside scientific, technical, and analytical expertise into the U.S. government's work on unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP). It supports the effort to resolve UAP cases through evidence-based analysis, improved data collection, better instrumentation, and modern computational methods.

The council is chaired by Professor Abraham "Avi" Loeb, the Frank B. Baird Jr. Professor of Science at Harvard University and director of the Galileo Project. His stated approach is to "follow the evidence" using better sensors, multiple independent data streams, artificial intelligence, and quantitative analysis.

The council's chair, Professor Avi Loeb, has led the Galileo Project at Harvard University for the past five years. The project operates three observatories that collect and analyze data on millions of objects, searching for any that fall outside the performance envelope of known human-made technology. That instrument-based, data-driven approach informs how the council thinks about resolving UAP.

The council was established in support of President Trump's directive on UAP transparency, alongside the U.S. government's release of UAP files in May and June 2026. Those releases included a June 5, 2026 AARO report on a Western U.S. case in which law enforcement officials reported orbs launching other orbs, about 40% of which remained unresolved.

UAPSAC is an external expert advisory group supporting the UAP Governance Board — an interagency body established by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) alongside the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of War (DOW) to coordinate UAP guidance, investigation, data collection, analysis, and declassification across the federal government.

No. The All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) remains the Pentagon office responsible for UAP analysis and resolution. UAPSAC is designed to support AARO and other agencies — for example by helping improve analytic tradecraft and design better collection protocols — not to replace it.

No. The UAP Governance Board, not the council, is the entity that coordinates declassification (under Executive Order 13526). UAPSAC may inform those processes by helping identify which data are scientifically useful, but it has no independent authority to declassify information.

No. The council will only review unclassified information that can be communicated openly to the public — which the council describes as a benefit for open scientific deliberations.

No. The council does not begin from the assumption that UAP are extraterrestrial or non-human. Conventional explanations — known aircraft, drones, balloons, atmospheric phenomena, or sensor artifacts — are tested first. Its mandate allows for the possibility that a small number of cases may remain unexplained after those hypotheses are tested.

UAP investigation requires more than one discipline. Physical scientists and engineers assess sensor data, kinematics, and possible material evidence; data scientists and AI specialists process large volumes of observations; and psychologists and anthropologists address witnesses, perception, and reporting behavior. Bringing these fields together helps reduce blind spots and strengthen the council's conclusions.

The frequency of meetings has not yet been decided. The council will make the best use of whatever data it is given, and the quality of its conclusions depends on the fidelity of that data — resolving UAP is described as a detective story that can be solved with better data, which calls for better sensors and AI to collect and interpret new observations.

Evidence first; corroboration from multiple independent sensors rather than isolated testimony or video; quantitative analysis of factors such as distance, velocity, timing, and environmental context; testing conventional explanations before extraordinary ones.

The ODNI officially communicated with DefenseScoop and the NY Post in the following articles:
https://defensescoop.com/2026/06/17/new-science-advisory-council-forms-to-help-us-government-resolve-the-uap-mystery/
https://nypost.com/2026/06/20/us-news/cosmic-council-trump-creates-ufo-panel-to-be-advised-by-harvards-avi-loeb/
Because of the leadership transition triggered by Tulsi Gabbard's departure, their official press release will have to wait for the next leader to be in place.

No. All work is done on a volunteer basis.