A secret U.S. government program known as the Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program (AAWSAP) operated from 2008 to 2011, investigating unidentified flying objects and related phenomena, according to investigators familiar with the project. The program, backed by then-Senator Harry Reid and funded through the Defense Intelligence Agency, was based largely in Las Vegas and employed dozens of investigators with top-secret clearances.
Beyond UFO sightings, researchers reported encounters with phenomena described as paranormal, including unexplained creatures, poltergeist-like activity, and unusual health effects. Much of the work centered on Skinwalker Ranch in northeastern Utah, previously owned by aerospace entrepreneur Robert Bigelow. “He offered a facility where we could see UFOs and the paranormal all at once,” program director Dr. James Lacatski said.
Investigators also documented what they called a “hitchhiker effect,” in which individuals experienced paranormal events after leaving the ranch. “That’s why you have to say paranormal,” Lacatski said. Despite later skepticism, Lacatski maintained the program ended for administrative reasons, not because of the nature of its findings, and that senior intelligence officials supported the work until its conclusion.