48 lines
5.6 KiB
Markdown
48 lines
5.6 KiB
Markdown
---
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aliases:
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- "United States Department of Defense"
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created: 2025-07-23
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updated: 2026-10-08
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title: Department of Defense
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tags:
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- Organization
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- Government
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- Military
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- Defense
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- USA
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description: The Department of Defense (DoD) is an executive branch department of the U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government concerned directly with national security and the United States Armed Forces.
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category: "U.S. Government"
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summary: "Executive department of the U.S. federal government that coordinates and supervises all agencies and functions concerned directly with national security and the armed forces."
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start: 1947
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location: "Arlington, Virginia"
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---
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The [[Department of Defense]] (DoD) is an executive branch department of the U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government concerned directly with national security and the [[United States]].[^1]
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In the context of psychic research, the DoD played a significant role, particularly after the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]]'s initial involvement. The DoD became the primary sponsor of the [[Stargate Project|Stargate Project]], overseeing its various phases and applications for military and intelligence purposes. Figures like [[William Perry]] and [[Richard DeLauer]] were involved in funding decisions for these programs.[^1]
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The DoD's interest in [[Psi|psi]] phenomena was often driven by concerns about perceived advancements in [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] and [[China|Chinese]] psychic research, leading to programs aimed at understanding and potentially weaponizing these abilities. This included research into [[Psychotronic Weapons]] and the biological effects of electromagnetic radiation, as seen in [[Project Pandora]] and the work of scientists like [[Allan H. Frey]] and [[Robert O. Becker]].[^1]
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### Intelligence Panel Appointments, 1972
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A letter of July 26, 1972, from Assistant Secretary of Defense [[Albert C. Hall]] to Director of Central Intelligence [[Richard Helms]] states that Hall had appointed "my Deputy, Dr. M. S. Malkin, to represent ASD (I)" on an ad hoc panel that would study [[SIGINT_COMINT|SIGINT]] issues before the September [[EXCOM]] meeting. The letter names [[Dale Hamilton]] as Malkin's alternate.[^2] The Final Report of the COINS Review Group (February 1, 1973) lists "OASD(I), Chairman Dr. Myron S. Malkin Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Technical Evaluation)" as head of its working group.[^3] The obituary of [[Myron S. Malkin]] states that in 1972 he was named the first Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Technical Evaluation, a post he held until he joined [[NASA]].[^4]
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### Role in UAP Investigation and Modern Programs
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The DoD has been the primary government entity responsible for the investigation of [[Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena]] (UAP) for over seventy years. The DoD's involvement with the UAP issue dates back to at least the [[Roswell Incident]] in 1947. Since then, it has been responsible for a series of official and unofficial programs to investigate the phenomenon, including [[Project Blue Book]], the [[Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program]] (AATIP), the [[UAP Task Force]], and the current [[All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office]] (AARO).[^5]
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However, the DoD has also been the primary source of the official secrecy and denial that has surrounded the UAP topic for decades. According to [[Luis Elizondo]] and other whistleblowers, the DoD has actively worked to suppress information about UAP, create a stigma around the topic, and mislead the public and Congress. This has been driven by a desire to protect national security, to prevent public panic, and to allow for the secret reverse-engineering of recovered UAP technology by the "Legacy Program."[^5]
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### Internal Conflict and Recent Developments
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The DoD has been the site of significant internal conflict over the UAP issue. The efforts of individuals like Luis Elizondo, [[Christopher Mellon]], and [[Jay Stratton]] to bring the issue to the attention of senior leadership have been met with resistance from within the department, including from the alleged "[[Collins Elite]]" and the powerful forces behind the "Legacy Program."[^5]
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In recent years, however, the DoD has been forced to take the UAP issue more seriously due to pressure from Congress and the public. The department has officially released UAP videos, produced public reports on the phenomenon, and established the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) to standardize the collection and analysis of UAP data. Despite these steps towards transparency, the DoD continues to be criticized for its lack of openness and its failure to provide a full accounting of its historical involvement with the UAP issue.[^5]
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### Footnotes
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[^1]: Jacobsen, Annie. *Phenomena: The Secret History of the U.S. Government's Investigations into Extrasensory Perception and Psychokinesis*. Little, Brown and Company, 2017.
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[^2]: Letter, Albert C. Hall to Honorable Richard Helms, July 26, 1972 (DD/S&T# 2 6 JUL 1972). CIA CREST, CIA-RDP75B00514R000200220004-7. https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp75b00514r000200220004-7
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[^3]: "Final Report of the COINS Review Group," February 1, 1973, CIA-RDP79M00096A000300010003-7. CIA CREST. https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp79m00096a000300010003-7
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[^4]: Warren E. Leary, "Myron S. Malkin Is Dead at 70; Designed Space Shuttle Program," *New York Times*, October 26, 1994, Section B, page 13. https://www.nytimes.com/1994/10/26/obituaries/myron-s-malkin-is-dead-at-70-designed-space-shuttle-program.html
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[^5]: Elizondo, Luis. *Imminent*. William Morrow, 2024.
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