Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program
The Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP) was an unclassified but unpublicized investigatory effort funded by the United States Government to study unidentified flying objects (UFOs) or unexplained aerial phenomena (UAP). The program was first made public on December 16, 2017. The program began in 2007, with funding of $22 million over the five years until the available appropriations were ended in 2012. The program began in the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency.
| Successor | Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force |
|---|---|
| Formation | 2007 |
| Dissolved | 2012 |
| Type | United States governmental study |
| Legal status | Secret program, formally disbanded |
| Purpose | Study of unidentified flying objects |
Budget | $22 million over 5 years |
According to the Department of Defense, the AATIP ended in 2012 after five years, however reporting suggested that U.S. government programs to investigate UFOs continued. This was confirmed in June 2020 with the acknowledgement of a similar military program, the unclassified but previously unreported Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon Task Force. Luis Elizondo, who has claimed to be the AATIP program director, later worked for To The Stars... Academy of Arts & Science.