Navy Denied AATIP FOIA Appeal, Said No Responsive Records Exist

A March 13, 2020 letter from the Department of the Navy's Office of the Judge Advocate General denied a FOIA appeal seeking Navy records related to AATIP, stating no responsive records exist and rejecting claims about Navy involvement in the program.

Published

September 7, 2026

Declassified

Date not listed

Source agency

The Black Vault (FOIA archive)

aatipfoiaufouapdiadeclassifiedletterreid

Opening summary

A March 13, 2020 letter from the Department of the Navy, Office of the Judge Advocate General, denied a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) appeal filed by John Greenewald of The Black Vault. The appeal, tracked as DON-NAVY-2020-003752, challenged the Navy's response to an underlying request (DON-NAVY-2019-011490) that sought all Navy photographs, videos, reports, letters, and memos sent to the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence (USDI), or the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) regarding the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP). The Navy's Initial Denial Authority (IDA) had informed the requester that no responsive records exist, and the appeal was denied after the Navy found its search adequate.

This document joins two previously released sources: a June 24, 2009 letter from Senator Harry Reid to Deputy Secretary of Defense William Lynn III requesting a Restricted Special Access Program (SAP) for AATIP, and…

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This article is based on official FOIA releases available via The Black Vault. The documents are administrative records and declassified letters; their authenticity should be independently verified. The Navy letter is a FOIA appeal denial, not a release of substantive AATIP records. Official source documents referenced in this article: - https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/the-advanced-aerospace-weapon-system-applications-program-aawsap-documentation/ - https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/dia-says-ufo-program-had-no-mission-statement-outline-or-objective-document/ - https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/evidence-of-u-s-navy-involvement-in-ufo-program-may-have-been-destroyed/

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