Academic Paper: On The AAWSAP/AATIP Confusion, (V.J. Ballester-Olmos and Luis Cayetano (June 30, 2024)

I can think of no better timely academic paper than this right now. First posted on r/AcademicUAP (the only sub dedicated to academic and scientific papers). From the introduction:

The exact difference between the Defense Intelligence Agency’s (DIA) AAWSAP UFO/paranormal program and the Pentagon’s AATIP UFO program has long eluded ufology. Skinwalkers at the Pentagon (Lacatski, Kelleher & Knapp, 2021), the book that would supposedly clarify the confusion, seems not to provide all the answers, while nevertheless providing some. (1) The current article is not a standard book review, which already exists. (2) Rather, it is a sort of data mining effort, with the book serving as an initial source and reference pertaining to recent developments in the UAP/Government milieu. We will begin by building a timeline that extends far beyond the contents and time range of the book, looking at the who’s who of key personalities, and showing affairs related to UFO/UAP studies in the United States in the 21st century. This chronology pertains both to the various developments that occurred and how they are interconnected. Then, as the paper’s title promises, the AAWSAP and AATIP programs are examined in full detail, outlining a number of contradictions in the existing information. Next, we show how the current UAP saga is but a tiny component of a larger historical milieu, and that, despite recent sightings tending not to have many of the folklore-like, "high strangeness” aspects of previous cases (close encounters, or abductions) there remains a consistent dynamic that has pertained for centuries, with modern waves showing similarity to crowd scare episodes reaching back at least to the 17th century. We then review the latest provisions in UAP language in Fiscal Year 2024’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), followed by our general assessment of the book under review. Finally, we reflect on what the future may bring in this arena.