{"blocks":[{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"The advancement of low Earth orbit technologies and addressing unresolved challenges like unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) were among the issues discussed during a recent meeting hosted by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and attended by more than 120 experts."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"The interagency working group meeting, held on November 4, 2024, convened to exchange information and explore ways to advance the development of disruptive technology and 'edge science' within the U.S. government. "}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Discussions focused on the complexities of pushing technological boundaries in government projects while navigating the evolving challenges presented by unidentified aerial objects, which have remained a pressing area of scientific inquiry and a national security challenge for many decades. "}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"The U.S. National Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Research and Development Strategy refers to a coordinated effort by various U.S. government agencies to establish policies, programs, and partnerships focused on utilizing, managing, and securing the low-earth orbit environment. Groups attending the meeting ranged from space economy and advanced manufacturing to experts in human systems, biological sciences, bioengineering, and agriculture, as well as research innovators and entrepreneurs committed to advancing innovation. "}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"With over 120 people in attendance, the November online event was chaired by Anna Brady-Estevez, National Program Director at the National Science Foundation, Co-Chair of US Digital Assets Research and Development Strategy, and Co-Chair of US Interagency Space Economy."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"“I am thrilled to see the National Science Foundation participating in this important initiative,” said Nicole Wagner, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of LambdaVision. Experts like Wagner and others in attendance explored the impact of space, microgravity, and advanced materials at the November meeting, including their potential in biomaterials, semiconductors, and retina development. "}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"“The research and work that is happening in low earth orbit right now has the potential to benefit people on Earth, and these types of interagency conversations and discussions are necessary to lay the foundation for research to come,” Wagner said. "}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"The November meeting brought together thought leaders and experts from diverse fields to discuss the future of space, technology, and their potential applications in advancing national security, aerospace, and scientific discovery. Speakers included keynotes Charles Chase, Co-Founder of UnLAB, who focused on disruptive technologies that could pave the way for a more abundant future, and Hal Puthoff, President & CEO at the Institute for Advanced Studies at Austin and EarthTech International Inc., who discussed the history and technological development of UAP studies."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Discussions also touched on space-based research and the prediction and prevention of accelerated stem cell aging and cancer evolution, as presented by Cat Jamieson, Ph.D. Other presentations covered extended electrodynamics, tissue multiplexed staining, and the intersection of UAP phenomena with biological science, as discussed by Mike Fiddy, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and Stanford professor of pathology Garry Nolan, Ph.D. "}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Others in attendance included Rhodium Scientific founder Olivia Holzhaus, former fighter pilot and Americans for Safe Aerospace co-founder Ryan Graves, and Jay Stratton, the former Director of the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force (UAPTF), who shared perspectives on government engagement with UAP research. "}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Further presentations included topics on quantum propulsion, space-time distortion, lattice confinement fusion, and advanced sensing. Experts like American scientist and engineer Travis Taylor, Ph.D, and Dr. Chance Glenn, President of Morningbird Space Corporation, offered their expertise in cutting-edge research areas. "}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Others who presented included NASA Glenn Research Center scientist Larry Forsley; Stevens Institute of Technology researcher Lou DeChiaro, Ph.D; Sonny White, founder of Limitless Space Institute; Phillip Lentz, founder of UnSpace; Richard Banduric, CEO of Field Propulsion Technologies Inc.; Julia Mossbridge Ph.D Neuroscientist and co-founder of RISE; and Ankur Bhatt, a researcher with UCLA Electrodynamics. "}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Ryan Graves, who characterized the meeting as being “ 70 percent edge and deep technology and 30 percent UAP,” said he was there primarily to discuss his personal experiences involving the anomalous phenomena his organization promotes awareness of. "}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"“ I was there to talk about my experiences, both as a pilot and as someone who had to interact with these things (UAPs) for a period of time,” Graves told The Debrief."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Chaired and assembled by Anna Brady-Estevez, a low-profile but influential figure advancing innovation within the National Science Foundation, the event's coordinator is no stranger to pushing the boundaries and helping to finance disruptive or edge science research. With a Ph.D in Chemical and Environmental Engineering from Yale University, Brasy-Estevez leads the NSF's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, managing a national portfolio and investments in chemical, environmental, and distributed ledger technologies (including blockchain and DAGs) and fosters positive relationships, funding, and advancements within the science and technology communities."}},{"type":"header","data":{"text":"Staying Ahead of Foreign Adversaries","level":2}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Amid modern global challenges involving geopolitical tensions with China, Russia, and the United States, parallels to the Cold War era seem increasingly evident. During the height of the Cold War and the first modern space race, the U.S. government pursued what some now call 'edge science'—cutting-edge research that the U.S. aimed to use to help secure global power, technological dominance, and ideological influence. Throughout that period, the topic of UAPs (then primarily called unidentified flying objects, or UFOs) repeatedly surfaced, drawing attention from key government entities like the CIA, the Air Force, and other federal agencies, whether entirely welcome or not."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"The U.S. must continue investing in frontier scientific research and emerging technologies to remain competitive. Staying at the forefront of edge science is essential for maintaining superiority in critical fields such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, aerospace engineering, and defense technologies. Falling behind in these areas could jeopardize national security and risk losing technological dominance, particularly in the context of UAPs and advanced aerospace systems. Moreover, failure to prioritize these innovations could hinder U.S. capabilities in space exploration, military defense, and strategic intelligence."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"“I had a long career at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, where I was a Senior Technical Fellow and led the Revolutionary Technology organization, focusing on developing and transitioning breakthrough technologies,” says Charles Chase, Co-Founder of UnLAB. “This experience gave me good insight into advanced technologies, military systems, and threats.”"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"For Chase, the most promising disruptive technologies are those that he says can reduce conflict and its drivers by creating abundance."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"“Falling behind could mean that disruptive technologies are developed without regard for peaceful applications, increasing global instability,” Chase said. “Without leadership, the U.S. might lose its ability to shape the ethical use of advanced technologies, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation by others.”"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"However, government policy plays a critical role in how edge science evolves. Determining what comes first—policy adjustments or technological advancements—remains a crucial part of the equation. "}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"“Investing in edge science, or what I call frontier science, is essential to maintaining national security, driving economic growth, and giving the U.S the ability to help shape the future by using technological advancements for good,” said Jay Stratton, former director of the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force (UAPTF) and Chief Operating Officer with QuantumFrontier, LLC, in a statement provided to The Debrief. "}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"“Whether it’s UAP research or quantum physics, leading in frontier science challenges what we know, pushes innovation forward, and impacts our future,” Stratton said. “Falling behind risks not only losing our nation’s competitive edge but also leaves critical discoveries in the hands of adversaries, giving them an incredible advantage on both the battlefield of the future and the global stage of technological and economic dominance.” "}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"“I’m committed to helping make sure the United States occupies a position of pre-eminence on the global stage,” Stratton said."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Often, policies are created retroactively to manage new developments within culture and society, such as the internet, AI, social media, or nuclear weapons. Ideally, governments would anticipate cultural market trends and scientific and technological advancements to design proactive policies supporting national defense and cultural and economic goals."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"“ But the problem with policy is that you can be wrong, right?” Graves says. "}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"“ If we were a very organized government, we would hope that we would have the ability to have an understanding of where the market is going, where the technology is going, what's capable, and then ideally crafting policy that would allow us to advance any of those particular technology regimes or areas that we,” Graves told The Debrief."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"It seems fitting that the UAP subject has been brought to the table again, especially amid the heightened modern-day global tensions. This demonstrates that government agencies and scientific officials are finally viewing it as a serious field of inquiry and emphasizing its relevance to interagency efforts like those outlined at the November meeting. "}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"While the meeting wasn’t primarily focused on UAPs, the presenters were tackling some of the most complex issues in frontier science. Yet, one consistent point of contention, both within and outside of progressive meetings like these, involves government and private funding."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"“The way edge science and technology has been advanced in the past is by dedicated funding that isn't transitioned to more mainstream work,” explained Julia Mossbrige, Ph.D, in an email to The Debrief."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"“For example, the Bial Foundation in Portugal funds mainstream psychophysiology research and also funds PSI research—they have conferences in which the researchers doing this work meet one another and discuss their fields,” Mossbridge said."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"“This approach—mainstreaming the edge—is key. But if it is mainstreamed so much that the new edge fails to be explored, that's a problem.”"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Given that these ideas and concepts were, for now, only the subjects of presentations, the obvious next step is to address how all of this will be funded and why funding is so critical to advancing cutting-edge science within the government."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"“Dedicated funding allows you to focus on the things that matter without fear of losing access to resources when a funding cycle is over, or an administration changes,” Dr. Chance Glenn observed in an email to The Debrief. “Science and technology is what has placed the United States firmly in the position of a global leader. It is what will keep us there. It is what could catapult another nation forward as well. Therefore, bleeding edge science and technology must be supported consistently.” "}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Although the November meeting was the first of its kind that Graves and the others present had attended, he anticipates that additional promising developments will result from the effort."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"\"I expect there'll be more,\" Graves told The Debrief. "}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Indeed, as governments and private technology companies gear up for the new year, a wave of similar edge-science meetings and summits is already on the horizon. Several groundbreaking discussions are scheduled before the end of the year, and even more are slated for 2025. "}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Such events, with their diverse participants, aim to push the boundaries of innovation and exploration across a range of important fields in science and technology, not just into the new year but well into the decades to come. "}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Chrissy Newton is a PR professional and founder of VOCAB Communications. She currently appears on The Discovery Channel and Max and hosts the Rebelliously Curious podcast, which can be found on The Debrief’s YouTube Channel on all audio podcast streaming platforms. Follow her on X: @ChrissyNewton and at chrissynewton.com."}}]}

Story of Former Pentagon Official Who Led U.S Government’s UAP Investigations Is Coming to Television

National Science Foundation Hosts Interagency Meeting on Disruptive Technology with UAP in Focus