Description
This paper examines the intersection of security, knowledge, power, and popular culture, focusing on how security information is concealed and disclosed. On June 25, 2021, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released the "Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena," also known as the UFO report. It detailed 140 cases of "unexplained" unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs) and suggested they might pose a threat to US flight safety and national security. The report, based on a 2019 hearing which referenced three videos initially released by the New York Times and To The Stars Academy of Arts & Sciences (TTSAAS), led by Tom DeLong of the pop-punk band Blink-182. DeLong celebrated his involvement with merchandise that said “Tom was f****ing right: aliens exist”. Yet in the report various explanations for the UAPs were proposed including classified US military projects or technology from foreign entities like China or Russia, but excluding extraterrestrial life. This paper explores how DeLong, a known conspiracy theorist and singer of "Aliens Exist," became part of a US military disclosure and its implications for the dissemination of information. Ultimately, it seeks to enhance our understanding the complex relationships between culture, knowledge, power, and security.
