U.S. Space Force is reportedly reluctant to accept the Pentagon's UFO portfolio

(Image credit: Samuel Corum-Pool/Getty Images)

published 10 August 2021

The Pentagon, nudged by the Senate, is finally taking UFOs seriously. And as it decides where to house its "unidentified aerial phenomena" task force, currently led by the Navy, the Pentagon is considering the newly created U.S. Space Force. The Space Force "isn't over the moon about the idea," Politico report. "Space Force leaders are still struggling to rebrand an organization that has been lampooned since before its birth," starting with what appeared to be an off-the-cuff comment by former President Donald Trump. Searching for alien life and technology may not lend it self to developing a reputation as a serious military organization.

"They really are sensitive to that," a former intelligence official who is advising the military in the planning told Politico. "They want people to take them seriously. They don't want to do anything that is embarrassing. But this is national security. This is their job."

The former official argued that the Space Force, in conjunction with the revitalized U.S. Space Command, is actually a great home for the juiced-up mission to collect and analyze information on UFOs. But the Pentagon is also considering the secretive Space Security and Defense Program, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), all of which focus on different areas of surveilling the skies for foreign threats — and none of which are regular fodder for late-night comedians.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.