1 - The Black Vault

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Directorate-of-Ai r-Staff (Lower Airspace)
Operations & Policy 1
MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
Room 6173, Metropole Building, Northumberland Avenue, London,
WC2N 5BP
Telephone (Direct dial) 020 721 a 2140
(Switchboard)
(Fax)
(GTN)
Your Reference
Our Reference
D/DAS/64/3
Date
20 August 200 I
Thank you for your letter addressed to the Prime Minister regarding 'unidentified fl yi ng objects'.
Your letter has been passed to the Ministry of Defence and this office is the focal point within the
MOD for correspondence of this nature. I have been asked to reply.
First, it may be helpful if I explain that the Ministry of Defence examines any reports of
'unidentified flying objects' it receives solely to establish whether what was seen might have some
defence significance; namely, whether there is any evidence that the United Kingdom's airspace
might have been compromised by hostile or unauthorised military air activity. I should add that
the integrity of the UK's airspace in peacetime is maintained through continuous surveillance of
the UK Air Policing Area by the Royal Air Force, and the MOD remains vigilant for any potential
threat. Unless there is evidence of a potential threat to the United Kingdom from an external
military source, and to date no UFO reported to us has revealed such a threat, we do not attempt to
identify the precise nature of each sighting reported to us. We believe that rational explanations,
such as aircraft lights or natural phenomena, could be found for them if resources were diverted
for this purpose, but it is not the function of the MOD to provide this kind of aerial identification
service.
Turning to the four points which you asked the Prime Minister to support, I will address these in
the same order as in your letter.
I. ?rJ hold open, comprehensive, secrecyjree hearings to take military/ axency
wirness testimony on events and evidence relating to an Extraterrestrial presence on and around
Earth.
Anyone, whether they are a member of the public or in the Armed Forces is able to report a
sighting to the Ministry of Defence and their report will be examined in light of our defence
interest as detailed above. There is therefore no need to hold ' hearings to take witness testimony'
on these events.