DoD Has Not Released Response to Reid's 2009 AATIP Memo, Black Vault Reports

KEY FACTS:

• In June 2009, then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid sent a four-page letter to Deputy Secretary of Defense William Lynn III requesting enhanced classification protections for the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP)

• Reid argued portions of the program warranted Restricted Special Access Program (SAP) designation

• The Pentagon's formal response to Reid's request has not been publicly released, despite requests spanning over six years

• The AATIP, a Defense Intelligence Agency program focused on advanced aerospace threats, was previously unacknowledged by the Pentagon before its existence became public in 2017

DEVELOPING:

The significance of the missing response—whether it granted Reid's request, denied it, or remains classified—remains unclear. If the DoD confirmed AATIP's existence and special access status to Reid in 2009, questions arise about why the program remained officially unacknowledged until 2017. If no response was issued, it raises separate questions about whether a Senate Majority Leader's direct request to the Deputy Secretary of Defense went unanswered.

The Black Vault, a declassification research organization, continues seeking the document through FOIA requests.

SOURCE: The Black Vault