U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (Credit: Youtube)Senator Mike Rounds, who supports the Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Disclosure Act (UAPDA), recently gave an in-depth interview to Ross Coulthart of NewsNation. Rounds serves on five key Senate committees, including Appropriations, Armed Services, and Intelligence—putting him at the center of national security and classified defense matters. In the interview, Rounds discussed renewed efforts to pass the UAPDA as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), after it was blocked in previous years. “I’ve been informed that Senator Schumer would like to partner once again and that we would offer it again this year in the National Defense Authorization Act, which we’ll begin working on here in the next few weeks. The answer is yes, we intend to move forward once again,” Rounds confirmed. The UAPDA proposes a presidentially appointed commission to oversee the declassification of materials related to UFOs, or what the government now calls UAPs—Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena. When asked why the bill includes the phrase “non-human intelligence,” Rounds was direct. “Our intent was to make sure that there wasn’t an assumption by folks who were following it that we were trying to hide anything,” he said. “Let’s just say, ‘look, if there’s any of that out there, then let’s disclose it.’” He clarified this wasn’t because he or Sen. Schumer had “a smoking gun,” but because they wanted transparency. If anything unusual exists, the goal is to collect it, review it for national security concerns, and release it when appropriate. Rounds expressed openness to working with the House to fine-tune the bill, especially if concerns arise about revealing sensitive U.S. or foreign weapons systems. He explained how secrecy had helped in the past—for example, stealth technology was deliberately kept under wraps for years to avoid giving away strategic advantages. “What we didn’t want to have happen was a demand for exposure on weapon systems… that might otherwise be… disclosed in an inappropriate way.” He added that some UAP sightings could actually be misidentified military craft. “There were some plans out there that allowed some of the stealth weapons to be unidentified for an extended period of time on purpose.” He emphasized that not all strange sightings point to aliens—some might be highly advanced human technology, either American or from adversaries. “The biggest concern I had was, is it ours or does it belong to somebody else on this earth? One of our adversaries, or is it really something that is out of this world?” Rounds said it’s not crazy to believe intelligent life might exist elsewhere in the universe, but such a discovery would be “one of the greatest announcements in the history of mankind.” Still, he added, “I really don’t believe that that is necessarily what’s happened here.” He also warned that some past UAP claims might have been used as cover for secret U.S. projects. “There may have been some overt attempts to actually create some thought that there were items of UFOs that we just couldn’t explain, and they were being used to actually hide some of the more advanced weapons systems,” Rounds said, citing the stealth bomber and high-altitude aircraft like the SR-71 Blackbird as examples. These aircraft often flew at altitudes and speeds that looked “out of this world” to the average observer, especially when seen briefly or unexpectedly—kind of like seeing a drone for the first time 20 years ago. He suggested that some recovered materials might even be misunderstood prototypes from stealth programs. “Some of those items that were recovered may very well have been part of the development of our stealth technology that we utilize today.” When asked about former Pentagon official Christopher Mellon’s statement that some UAPs appear to be “intelligently controlled vehicles exhibiting technological capabilities we do not understand and cannot replicate,” Rounds was cautious. “I think there is a probability that he could be correct. But what we don’t know is… it’s entirely possible that one part of our organization… does not know what another part… is doing.” He added, “I’ve seen some of the materials… and the individuals that I’ve talked to have shared that they do not have all the answers.” Despite his access to some of the highest levels of classified information, Rounds admits even he doesn’t know whether these sightings involve foreign powers, top-secret U.S. programs, or something else entirely. But Rounds’ message was clear: while some strange things are out there, it’s not always aliens. But it could be—and if so, the public deserves to know in a responsible way. The post Senator Rounds on UFOs: Some Strange Things Are Out There appeared first on Anomalien.com.