Within De Longe
Why former officials changed De Longe's UAP story
Former defence and intelligence figures gave DeLonge's UAP project a national-security frame that celebrity belief alone could not supply.
On this page
- What Elizondo and Mellon added to the public narrative
- How national security language reduced UFO stigma
- Where credibility stopped short of proof
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Introduction
Tom DeLonge’s influence on mainstream UAP discussion depended on more than celebrity attention. The crucial shift came when his public campaign became associated with two former national security figures: Luis Elizondo, who said he had directed the Pentagon’s Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP), and Christopher Mellon, a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intelligence. Their presence changed how journalists, politicians and the public interpreted DeLonge’s project. Instead of appearing solely as a musician promoting an unconventional interest, DeLonge could present UAP as a question of aviation safety, intelligence collection and government transparency. That change in framing expanded public interest, even though it did not establish that extraordinary claims about UAP were true. Official investigations have continued to stress that unresolved cases are not evidence of extraterrestrial technology. [The New Yorker]newyorker.comhow the pentagon started taking ufos seriouslygovernment systems—not blurry amateur photos…Read more…
Why former officials changed DeLonge’s UAP story
Before the launch of To The Stars Academy (TTSA) in 2017, celebrity involvement in UFO culture usually centred on personal belief or entertainment. Elizondo and Mellon introduced a different kind of authority.
Elizondo presented himself not primarily as a UFO enthusiast but as a former counter-intelligence official concerned that unusual military encounters were not receiving adequate attention inside government. His resignation from the Department of Defense and subsequent move to TTSA became part of the public narrative that serious officials believed the issue deserved greater scrutiny. TTSA itself promoted his appointment as evidence that experienced defence personnel were joining the organisation rather than merely endorsing it from a distance. [To The Stars*]tothestars.mediaTo The Stars*TTSA in NYT Front Page Exposé on Pentagon Hidden UFODecember 18, 2017 — "I am first and foremost a soldier,” says Elizondo, who now serves as Director of Global Security & Special Programs…
Mellon brought a different form of credibility. Unlike Elizondo, whose reputation rested on his claimed operational role in AATIP, Mellon had long held publicly documented senior positions in defence and intelligence policy. He argued consistently that unidentified military encounters should be treated as an intelligence and flight-safety problem, regardless of whether any extraordinary explanation ultimately proved correct. His institutional background made it easier for editors, lawmakers and policy journalists to discuss UAP without assuming the subject belonged exclusively to fringe UFO culture. [HISTORY]history.comAre UFOs a Threat to National Security?This Ex-US Official…May 21, 2019 — 21 May 2019 — Chris Mellon believes the government should more aggressively gather intel on militar…
Together, they gave DeLonge’s celebrity platform access to audiences that might otherwise have dismissed it. The resulting coalition combined popular culture, former officials, military witnesses and investigative reporters into a single media narrative.
What Elizondo and Mellon added to the public narrative
The pair contributed several distinct elements that celebrity advocacy alone could not provide.
A national security vocabulary. Rather than leading with questions about alien visitors, they emphasised unidentified aircraft, restricted military airspace, sensor data and pilot reporting. This language aligned the discussion with defence oversight rather than science fiction. [HISTORY]history.comAre UFOs a Threat to National Security?This Ex-US Official…May 21, 2019 — 21 May 2019 — Chris Mellon believes the government should more aggressively gather intel on militar…
Institutional continuity. Both men portrayed UAP as an issue that already existed within government processes instead of a newly invented controversy. The emphasis shifted from “Do UFOs exist?” to “How should governments investigate unexplained military encounters?” [The New Yorker]newyorker.comhow the pentagon started taking ufos seriouslygovernment systems—not blurry amateur photos…Read more…
Named rather than anonymous sources. Earlier UFO reporting often depended on unidentified insiders or eyewitness testimony. Elizondo and Mellon appeared publicly under their own names, accepted media interviews and testified or briefed officials, allowing journalists to identify the people making claims rather than relying solely on anonymous leaks. [The New Yorker]newyorker.comhow the pentagon started taking ufos seriouslygovernment systems—not blurry amateur photos…Read more…
A concrete example was the publication of the Navy cockpit videos that became known as “FLIR”, “GIMBAL” and “GOFAST”. Mellon helped provide the videos to reporters, while Elizondo became the principal public face explaining why they deserved attention. Their involvement helped transform the 2017 reporting into a sustained policy discussion rather than a short-lived entertainment story. [Wikipedia]WikipediaPentagon UFO videosPentagon UFO videos
How national-security language reduced UFO stigma
One of the most significant cultural effects of Elizondo and Mellon’s participation was linguistic rather than evidential.
During this period, discussion increasingly moved from “UFOs” to “Unidentified Aerial Phenomena” and later “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena”. The newer terminology encouraged audiences to think about unidentified observations before assuming any explanation. It also matched the language increasingly adopted within government.
This change affected media coverage in several ways:
- reporters could frame stories around defence policy rather than paranormal belief;
- military pilots became central witnesses instead of civilian eyewitnesses;
- congressional oversight and aviation safety became recurring themes;
- uncertainty itself became acceptable to discuss without immediately implying extraterrestrial conclusions.
For DeLonge, this mattered enormously. His celebrity attracted attention, but Elizondo and Mellon supplied a vocabulary that mainstream institutions could use without embracing claims about aliens. The resulting narrative became one of transparency, reporting standards and intelligence analysis rather than simple belief. [The New Yorker+2HISTORY]newyorker.comhow the pentagon started taking ufos seriouslygovernment systems—not blurry amateur photos…Read more…
Where credibility stopped short of proof
The credibility provided by former officials had important limits.
Neither Elizondo’s government service nor Mellon’s senior defence experience constituted proof that extraordinary interpretations of UAP were correct. Credentials can strengthen confidence that a subject deserves investigation, but they cannot substitute for independently verifiable evidence.
This distinction became increasingly important as official investigations expanded. NASA’s independent UAP study concluded that there was no evidence that currently available observations required an extraterrestrial explanation. Likewise, the Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) reported that it had found no verified evidence of recovered alien technology or confirmed extraterrestrial craft after reviewing historical investigations, although many individual reports remained unresolved because of insufficient data. [Space+2Reuters]space.comPentagon UFO office finds 'no empirical evidence' for alienevidence of 'non-human intelligence'. — NASA UFO report finds no evidence of 'extraterrestrial origin' for UAP sightings. — Alien mummies…
Elizondo has continued to make broader claims about government knowledge of non-human technology, while the Department of Defense has disputed aspects of those assertions and maintains that official reviews have not substantiated them. This disagreement illustrates the distinction between a credible messenger and a verified conclusion. [New York Post]nypost.comElizondo, who resigned from the Department of Defense in 2017, alleges that the US has been recovering vehicles not from Earth or any kno…
Their lasting role as credibility bridges
Elizondo and Mellon are best understood as bridges rather than final authorities. They connected several communities that had previously operated separately: celebrity audiences reached by Tom DeLonge, military personnel willing to discuss unusual encounters, investigative journalists seeking named sources, and lawmakers interested in oversight of defence reporting.
Their influence did not rest on proving an extraterrestrial hypothesis. Instead, it lay in making UAP discussion appear compatible with mainstream institutions. That cultural shift helped move the conversation from late-night television and niche UFO conferences into congressional hearings, major newspapers and national security reporting. Whether the underlying claims ultimately prove mundane, advanced foreign technology or something else entirely, their role in reshaping how the subject entered public debate remains one of the defining mechanisms behind Tom DeLonge’s impact on mainstream UAP culture.
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Endnotes
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Source: reuters.com
Link: https://www.reuters.com/technology/space/pentagon-ufo-report-says-most-sightings-ordinary-objects-phenomena-2024-03-08/Source snippet
Most sightings were identified as ordinary objects or phenomena. The All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) released this conclusion...
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Source: history.com
Title: Are UFOs a Threat to National Security?
Link: https://www.history.com/articles/chris-mellon-ufo-investigationsSource snippet
This Ex-US Official...May 21, 2019 — 21 May 2019 — Chris Mellon believes the government should more aggressively gather intel on militar...
Published: May 21, 2019
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Source: Wikipedia
Title: [Pentagon UFO videos]({{ ‘navy-videos/’ | relative_url }})
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentagon_UFO_videos -
Source: space.com
Title: Pentagon UFO office finds ‘no empirical evidence’ for alien
Link: https://www.space.com/pentagon-ufo-office-aaro-historical-report-no-emprical-evidence-alien-technologySource snippet
evidence of 'non-human intelligence'. — NASA UFO report finds no evidence of 'extraterrestrial origin' for UAP sightings. — Alien mummies...
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Source: Wikipedia
Title: Disclosure movement
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disclosure_movementSource snippet
Disclosure movementThe same Times story included the first of a series of videos of UFOs... That year, Art Levine wrote that "UFO Mes...
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Source: Wikipedia
Title: Luis Elizondo
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luis_ElizondoSource snippet
Luis ElizondoAt AATIP, Elizondo was reputedly tasked with investigating "the national-security implications of military U.A.P.... Eli...
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Source: history.com
Link: https://www.history.com/shows/unidentified-inside-americas-ufo-investigationSource snippet
Unidentified: Inside America's UFO InvestigationCatch up on Unidentified: Inside America's UFO Investigation, only on HISTORY. Get exclus...
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Source: space.com
Title: UF O answers coming soon?
Link: https://www.space.com/ufo-report-military-dod-to-congress-next-monthSource snippet
US government to report on...19 May 2021 — In 2017, after he had left his position with the U.S. government, Mellon gave three recently...
Published: May 2021
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Source: newyorker.com
Title: how the pentagon started taking ufos seriously
Link: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/05/10/how-the-pentagon-started-taking-ufos-seriouslySource snippet
government systems—not blurry amateur photos...Read more...
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Source: tothestars.media
Title: To The Stars*TTSA in NYT Front Page Exposé on Pentagon Hidden UFO
Link: https://tothestars.media/blogs/press-and-news/elizondo-leaves-pentagon-to-join-to-the-stars-academy-of-arts-science?srsltid=AfmBOoqHyxHfI_x_xmnKSSw7G83LFsd1tRqJC70RFoaFX8yo8haV4_G6Source snippet
December 18, 2017 — "I am first and foremost a soldier,” says Elizondo, who now serves as Director of Global Security & Special Programs...
Published: December 18, 2017
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Source: nypost.com
Link: https://nypost.com/2024/08/23/us-news/ex-pentagon-official-luis-elizondo-alleges-us-recovered-nonhuman-specimens-uaps-report/Source snippet
Elizondo, who resigned from the Department of Defense in 2017, alleges that the US has been recovering vehicles not from Earth or any kno...
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Source: tothestars.media
Link: https://tothestars.media/pages/research?srsltid=AfmBOooSLguNu06VOrq9QEn3zYtx89teACIJM72vaVw0qUprIuBrvlB1Source snippet
researchDirector of Special Programs Luis Elizondo speaks with TTS* former National Security Advisor Chris Mellon and we learn a little b...
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Source: go3.ee
Title: Unidentified: Inside America’s UFO Investigation
Link: https://go3.ee/en/live_tv/history2%2Clive-6352337/unidentified-inside-americas-ufo-investigation%2Cprogramme-11228362Source snippet
History2 - Go3In December of 2017, The New York Times published a stunning front-page exposé about the Pentagon's mysterious UFO program...
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Source: aegm.com
Link: https://www.aegm.com/article/history-greenlights-new-limited-non-fiction-series-unidentified-inside-americas-ufo-investigation-executive-produced-by-tom-delongeSource snippet
A+E Global Media12 Mar 2019 — Elizondo resigned after expressing to the government that these UAPs could pose a major threat to our natio...
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Source: history.co.uk
Title: Unidentified S2: Episodes Episode Five: The UFO Cover-Up
Link: https://www.history.co.uk/shows/unidentified/articles/unidentified-s2-episodesSource snippet
Unidentified S2: EpisodesEpisode Five: The UFO Cover-Up - Tuesday 29 September at 9pm. In 2017, Tom DeLonge and Luis Elizondo helped engi...
Additional References
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Source: govinfo.gov
Link: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-118hhrg53022/html/CHRG-118hhrg53022.htmSource snippet
UNIDENTIFIED ANOMALOUS PHENOMENA... no evidence of extraterrestrial activity. NASA has also stated they do not have evidence of extraterr...
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Source: medium.com
Link: https://medium.com/six-articles/5-the-new-architecture-tracing-the-apparatus-of-the-modern-ufo-disclosure-push-afd40ed1c381Source snippet
5. The new architecture: tracing the...The named source, Luis Elizondo, had resigned from the Pentagon in early October 2017, but within...
Published: October 2017
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Source: instagram.com
Link: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CxMLzoNMY11/Source snippet
NASA TV) #nasa #uap #ufo #billnelson #extraterrestrial #...#UFO #Aliens #UAP #Disclosure #Mystery Conspiracy Space Extraterrestrial Para...
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Source: theguardian.com
Link: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/08/pentagon-ufo-report-hiding-aliensSource snippet
Conducted by the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), the investigation reviewed historical data and conducted interviews with of...
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Source: facebook.com
Link: https://www.facebook.com/TheHill/posts/unidentified-anomalous-phenomena-uap-disclosure-advocate-christopher-mellon-says/1380982480556836/Source snippet
Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) disclosure...Full article by Christopher Mellon: bit.ly/3lXqt1t Follow @disclosure_team #ufo #ufo...
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Source: reddit.com
Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/aliens/comments/1ffe5z1/serious_tldr_on_lou_elizondo_whats_the_general/ -
Source: youtube.com
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XD4gQS_-qYSource snippet
The UFO Lie: Shocking truth of Pentagon AAWSAP programThe pentagon via the defense intelligence agency created a ufo program called the a...
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Source: facebook.com
Link: https://www.facebook.com/NewsNationNow/posts/ross-coulthart-and-luis-elizondo-two-noted-figures-in-the-study-of-unidentified-/993309193076098/Source snippet
no verified evidence of alien [beings]({{ 'beings/' | relative_url }}), alien technology, or extraterrestrial activity.Read more...
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Source: washingtonpost.com
Title: The Washington Post The military keeps encountering UFOs
Link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/the-military-keeps-encountering-ufos-why-doesnt-the-pentagon-care/2018/03/09/242c125c-22ee-11e8-94da-ebf9d112159c_story.htmlSource snippet
Why doesn't...9 Mar 2018 — A colleague of mine at To the Stars Academy, Luis Elizondo, used to run a Pentagon intelligence program that...
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Source: facebook.com
Link: https://www.facebook.com/TheAVAMovement/posts/a-photograph-of-tomdelonge-lueelizondo-and-paolo-guizzardi-during-ttsas-visit-to/929986165836401/Source snippet
ctor of Special Programs for To the Stars Academy of Arts and...Read more...
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