vault backup: 2026-10-04 00:22:17

40 - EVENTS/MODERN_INCIDENTS/Tic Tac.md

@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ category: "Modern Incident"
 summary: "UAP encountered by the USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group in November 2004 and captured on video as 'Tic Tac'; the FLIR1 video was published in December 2017 and authorized for release April 27, 2020."
 date: 2004-11-14
 location: "Pacific Ocean, off San Diego, California"
+updated: 2026-10-03
 ---
 The [[Tic Tac]] refers to a specific [[Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena|UAP]] encountered by the [[USS Nimitz]] Carrier Strike Group in November 2004. The object was designated the "Tic Tac" by the pilots and crew due to its resemblance to the white, oblong candy. The series of encounters is considered a cornerstone case in modern UAP investigation due to the high-fidelity data collected by multiple military sensor platforms and the corroborating testimony from numerous highly credible and trained observers.[^1]
 
@@ -24,10 +25,11 @@ Later that day, a second flight, piloted by Lieutenant Chad Underwood, was launc
 
 The incident was investigated by [[Jay Stratton]] for the [[Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program]] (AATIP). The analysis concluded that the Tic Tac exhibited performance characteristics well beyond any known technology, including hypersonic velocity and instantaneous acceleration, which would subject a conventional craft to thousands of G-forces. The lack of official follow-up at the time of the incident, and the subsequent dismissal by some in the chain of command, highlighted the deep-seated stigma surrounding the UAP topic within the military.[^1]
 
-The "FLIR1" (Tic Tac) video was one of two published by the [[New York Times]] in December 2017 ([[December 2017 New York Times AATIP Report]]).[^2] Politico reported in 2021 that [[Washington Headquarters Services]] had approved the videos "for unlimited distribution" inside the government, and the [[Pentagon]] stated on April 27, 2020 that it authorized the release of three unclassified Navy videos "circulating in the public domain after unauthorized releases in 2007 and 2017."[^2][^3] The publication of the video, along with the testimony of Commander Fravor and Lieutenant Dietrich, was a seminal event in the UAP disclosure movement. It provided credible, verifiable evidence that forced a public and congressional conversation about the reality of UAP and the potential national security threat they represent.[^1]
+The "FLIR1" (Tic Tac) video was one of two published by the [[New York Times]] in December 2017 ([[December 2017 New York Times AATIP Report]]).[^2] Politico reported in 2021 that [[Washington Headquarters Services]] had approved the videos "for unlimited distribution" inside the government, and the [[Pentagon]] stated on April 27, 2020 that it authorized the release of three unclassified Navy videos "circulating in the public domain after unauthorized releases in 2007 and 2017."[^2][^3] The Office of the Secretary of Defense file released to [[The Black Vault]] under the Freedom of Information Act in August 2019 contains an August 23, 2017 email in which [[Luis Elizondo]] asked Michael Russo of the Defense Office of Prepublication and Security Review to "consider our request for unrestricted release"; an August 24, 2017 reply from Russo that if the service-level classification authority verified that removing the metadata made the videos unclassified, "please feel free to move forward with release"; and a DD Form 1910 whose publication-data block reads "Not Applicable. Not for publication. Research and analysis ONLY and info sharing with other USG and industry partners for the purposes of developing a database to help identify, analyze and ultimately defeat UAS threats." Joseph Gradisher, a Navy spokesman, said in 2019 that neither the cognizant Navy offices nor the review office had a record of correspondence responding to a request for unrestricted release of the videos in 2017.[^4] The publication of the video, along with the testimony of Commander Fravor and Lieutenant Dietrich, was a seminal event in the UAP disclosure movement. It provided credible, verifiable evidence that forced a public and congressional conversation about the reality of UAP and the potential national security threat they represent.[^1]
 
 ### Footnotes
 
 [^1]: Elizondo, Luis. *Imminent*. William Morrow, 2024.
 [^2]: U.S. Department of Defense. "Statement by the Department of Defense on the Release of Historical Navy Videos," April 27, 2020. https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/2165713/statement-by-the-department-of-defense-on-the-release-of-historical-navy-videos/ (read through the Internet Archive capture, https://web.archive.org/web/2020id_/https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/2165713/statement-by-the-department-of-defense-on-the-release-of-historical-navy-videos/). Greenewald, John, Jr. "Navy Officially Releases UFO/UAP Videos, Calls Them 'Historical.'" The Black Vault, April 27, 2020 (reproduces the statement and gives the GOFAST date). https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/navy-officially-releases-ufo-uap-videos-calls-them-historical/
 [^3]: Bender, Bryan. "The Hidden History of How Washington Embraced UFOs." *Politico Magazine,* May 28, 2021. https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/05/28/ufos-secret-history-government-washington-dc-487900
+[^4]: [[The Black Vault]], FOIA release of Office of the Secretary of Defense case 18-F-0644, August 2019 (emails of August 23 and 24, 2017 between Luis Elizondo and Michael Russo of the Defense Office of Prepublication and Security Review, with the DD Form 1910; the form's text is poorly legible in the scan and is quoted as transcribed in the research notes), https://www.theblackvault.com/casefiles/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/18-F-0644.pdf ; Joseph Gradisher quoted in "U.S. Navy Confirms Videos Depict Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, Not Cleared for Public Release," The Black Vault, September 2019, https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/u-s-navy-confirms-videos-depict-unidentified-aerial-phenomena-not-cleared-for-public-release/