It has been widely believed that the government terminated investigation of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) in December 1969 with the closing of Project Blue Book as recommended by the Condon Committee. However, as recently revealed in the New York Times and other major media (December 2017), such is not the case. One such program, initiated in 2007 by the DIA and carried forward by the DoD, has come to light - the so-called AATIP program (Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program). AATIP is based on concern about continuing engagements between U.S. military platforms and UAP of seeming technological superiority over anything in the U.S. inventory. The renewed interest is fueled in part by the increased sophistication of U.S. sensor systems that reduce ambiguity about what is being detected. As a contractor and Senior Advisor to this program Puthoff will discuss various aspects of general interest about the program as well as additional initiatives he is now involved with that are being pursued in the public sector to seek answers and inform the public.

Dr. Harold (Hal) Puthoff is Director of the Institute for Advanced Studies at Austin. His current research interests range from theoretical studies concerning gravitation and quantum zero-point-energy effects, to laboratory studies of innovative approaches for energy generation and space propulsion. Puthoff's professional background includes engineering work at General Electric and Sperry; three-and-a-half years with the National Security Agency where his work on high-speed optoelectronic computers resulted in the award of a DoD Certificate of Commendation for Outstanding Performance; PhD (Stanford, 1967) followed by post-doc appointments and co-authoring a textbook Fundamentals of Quantum Electronics; and over a decade at SRI International where he established and directed the CIA/DIA-funded Remote Viewing Program. In 1985 Puthoff relocated to Austin to found the Institute.

Puthoff regularly serves various corporations, NASA, and the DoD and intelligence communities as advisor on leading-edge technologies and future technology trends. As recently revealed in the New York Times and other major media, as part of this activity Puthoff has been a contractor/ Senior Advisor to the DoD’s Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP) that addresses the issue of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) observed by our military platforms - the topic of his presentation to the SSE. Puthoff recently joined others to form To The Stars Academy of Arts and Science, whose missions include establishing a broad-based high-quality scientific Community of Interest in the public sector concerning UAP.