Navy FOIA Reveals Classified 2022 Briefing on AATIP and AOIMSG

A recent Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) release from the Department of the Navy has unveiled details of a Top Secret-Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS-SCI) briefing held in March 2022. The briefing focused on the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP) and the Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronization Group (AOIMSG). This information came to light through two separate FOIA requests, filed nearly a year apart, which both yielded the same single email chain confirming the event. The email chain indicates the briefing took place at Roosevelt Hall on the National Defense University campus at Fort McNair.

The released records show the email chain originated from a "[Non-DoD Source]," suggesting that the initial coordination for the AATIP/AOIMSG presentation began outside official Department of Defense channels. This implies collaboration between government personnel and at least one external entity in arranging classified discussions. While the identities of participants are heavily redacted, the inclusion of Brennan P. McKernan, a civilian with the USN DCNO N2N6, in the FOIA search parameters suggests his involvement in these communications.

The March 23, 2022, event was structured into three sessions, with the classified portions explicitly designated as TS-SCI level briefings, requiring access within a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF). The fact that external actors were involved in arranging or participating in these highly classified briefings raises questions about the scope of information sharing and the nature of the ongoing discussions surrounding unidentified aerial phenomena. The Navy's limited response to the FOIA requests, yielding only a single email chain despite broad search parameters, further fuels speculation regarding the depth of information available on these programs.