- The Black Vault’s FOIA request for budgetary materials and financial records of the UAP Task Force was denied, citing exemptions (b)(1) and (b)(5).
- Exemption (b)(1) protects classified national defense and foreign relations information, while (b)(5) covers inter-agency or intra-agency deliberative processes.
- The use of these exemptions for financial information raises questions about the UAP Task Force’s operations and the sensitivity of the requested data.
The Black Vault has been denied access to budgetary materials and financial records relating to the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) Task Force. The denial comes as a response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) case filed by The Black Vault, citing FOIA exemptions (b)(1) and (b)(5) as reasons for non-disclosure.
The UAP Task Force was a government initiative formed to investigate and evaluate reports of unidentified aerial phenomena, commonly known as UFOs. The Task Force was tasked with assessing potential threats to national security, and its findings generated significant public interest.
The Black Vault sought to obtain detailed budget breakdowns, financial reports, payroll costs, personnel number breakdowns, and other related financial information for the UAP Task Force. However, the FOIA case DON-NAVY-2022-009713 has been denied under two exemptions.
Exemption (b)(1) of the FOIA protects classified national defense and foreign relations information from unauthorized disclosure. The government has the authority to classify information when its release could potentially damage national security.
Exemption (b)(5) of the FOIA allows the withholding of inter-agency or intra-agency memorandums or letters that would not be available by law to a party other than an agency in litigation with the agency. This exemption is often referred to as the “deliberative process privilege.”
Though it is believed by some that the UAP Task Force has been transitioned per a 23 November 2021 memorandum to the newer Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronization Group (AOIMSG) (which has since been renamed to All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office [AARO]), the Navy wrote their letter citing the UAP Task Force and their review of the denied material.
“The UAP Task Force has informed this office that any records located are ‘at resourcing/budgetary information that does exist were mostly draft planning documents and classified per the ODNI Classification Guide,’ the March 28, 2023, letter stated. “Based off of the response provided by the UAP Task Force office it has been determined that the records you seek are exempt in their entirety under exemptions 5 U.S.C. § 552 (b)(1) which protects national security information concerning the national defense or foreign policy from disclosure, provided that it has been properly classified in accordance with the substantive and procedural requirements of Executive Order 13526. As well as 5 U.S.C. § 552(b)(5) These records contain drafts, are predecisional in nature and/or proposals of documents not in their final form, and, therefore, are exempt from disclosure.”
The denial of budgetary information under the Freedom of Information Act is not entirely out of the ordinary. However, the use of exemptions (b)(1) and (b)(5) in this context raises questions about the funding and resources allocated to this initiative. The public has a vested interest in understanding how taxpayer dollars are being spent, particularly in the realm of national security. Denying access to this information may not only fuel speculation about the scope of the Task Force’s activities but could also contribute to a lack of trust in government transparency. Consequently, it is essential for the government to strike a balance between protecting sensitive information and maintaining accountability to the public in the pursuit of understanding and addressing the UAP phenomenon.
While it remains unclear why the government has chosen to withhold these financial records, The Black Vault has filed an appeal with the United States Navy to fight the denial.
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