By Aaron Miller-
A secretive global race to unlock the mysteries of alleged extraterrestrial technology is intensifying, according to a leading UFO disclosure advocate who claims newly declassified US government documents reveal that Russia and China are actively attempting to reverse-engineer recovered unidentified aerial objects.
The extraordinary allegations have emerged following the release of a third tranche of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) files by US authorities on June 12, reigniting a debate that has moved from the fringes of public discussion into the heart of national security policy.
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Jordan Flowers, executive director of the UAP Disclosure Foundation,(pictured) says the newly released documents provide further evidence that America’s geopolitical rivals are engaged in highly classified programmes aimed at understanding and replicating technology recovered from unexplained aerial craft.
Speaking to NewsNation Prime, Flowers claimed that both Moscow and Beijing have allegedly recovered their own anomalous objects and are racing against the United States to determine their origins and technological capabilities. “We also have reason to believe that the Chinese and the Russians may have retrieved their own objects related to this and may have tried to reverse engineer them,” Flowers said.
The claims come amid growing international scrutiny of UAPs, the term now preferred by governments and defence agencies in place of the more familiar UFO designation. While no government has publicly confirmed the existence of extraterrestrial spacecraft, recent years have witnessed an unprecedented wave of disclosures, congressional hearings, intelligence reviews and military investigations into unexplained aerial encounters.
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Flowers argues that the implications extend far beyond questions about whether humanity is alone in the universe. Instead, he believes the issue has become a strategic competition with potentially enormous military consequences.
“This is a global phenomenon, and it’s really a race to see who can reverse engineer this first, and it has extreme national security implications that we really need to get our hands around,” he said.
The allegations echo claims made by former US Air Force intelligence officer and whistleblower David Grusch, whose testimony before Congress in 2023 transformed the public conversation around UAPs. Grusch alleged that elements within the US government and defence establishment had been involved in long-running programmes to recover and study non-human technology. He further claimed that foreign adversaries were aware of these efforts and were actively attempting to infiltrate or monitor related projects.
Although many of Grusch’s assertions remain unverified and have been challenged by sceptics, his testimony prompted renewed investigations and intensified political pressure for greater transparency. Lawmakers from both major US political parties have since demanded wider disclosure of government records relating to unexplained aerial incidents.
The latest document release has therefore been viewed by some observers as part of a broader shift towards openness within Washington. Flowers suggested that the pace of recent disclosures indicates that UAP transparency has become a significant policy priority under President Donald Trump’s administration.
To explore the implications of the latest revelations, the UAP Disclosure Foundation is convening a summit in Washington, DC, later this month. The gathering is expected to bring together researchers, former military personnel, intelligence experts and policymakers to discuss the technological, scientific and geopolitical ramifications of the emerging evidence.
“We really want to understand the impact of this across all of these disciplines,” Flowers said.
Among the most striking records contained within the newly released files is a declassified CIA cable detailing a mysterious aerial incident over Zimbabwe in 2008. The document describes how US intelligence personnel became concerned after reports emerged of an unusual object hovering over Harare International Airport.
According to the cable, intelligence officials circulated urgent reports throughout government and military channels after witnesses observed a strange craft suspended at an undetermined altitude above the airport. The object was reportedly disc-shaped, featuring a hollow centre and rotating lights on its underside.
Observers claimed that beams appeared to emanate from the craft during the encounter, while its lighting configuration changed colours before it executed what witnesses described as an extraordinary ascent, rapidly disappearing from view.
The incident generated considerable debate within intelligence circles. Analysts reportedly considered whether the object could have been an advanced surveillance platform operated by a foreign power or something entirely unknown.
Such reports have become increasingly prominent since the Pentagon established formal mechanisms for investigating unexplained aerial phenomena. In 2022, the US Department of Defense created the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) to collect, analyse and investigate reports of unusual objects observed by military personnel.
AARO has since reviewed hundreds of cases involving unexplained sightings. While the majority have ultimately been attributed to balloons, drones, sensor anomalies or other conventional explanations, a small number remain unresolved due to insufficient data. Earlier this year, AARO reiterated that it has found no verifiable evidence linking reported UAP incidents to extraterrestrial technology. The office also stated that its investigations have uncovered no evidence that the US government possesses secret alien spacecraft or operates reverse-engineering programmes involving non-human technology.
Nevertheless, scepticism surrounding official conclusions remains widespread among UFO researchers and disclosure advocates. They argue that decades of secrecy, classification and fragmented record-keeping have obscured the true nature of the phenomenon.
The debate has also become increasingly entangled with global security concerns. If advanced aerospace technologies of unknown origin were ever proven to exist, the potential military advantages would be immense. Defence analysts have long warned that even the perception that a rival power possesses revolutionary propulsion, surveillance or weapons technology can influence strategic calculations and fuel international competition.
This dynamic has led some commentators to compare the current UAP debate to historical intelligence rivalries such as the nuclear arms race of the Cold War. During that era, uncertainty about technological breakthroughs often drove nations to invest heavily in research programmes to avoid falling behind potential adversaries.
For now, however, the central question remains unresolved. Despite mounting disclosures, congressional inquiries and declassified records, definitive evidence that any nation has recovered extraterrestrial spacecraft has yet to be publicly produced.
What is clear is that UAPs have evolved from a niche subject associated with conspiracy theories into a serious topic of discussion within intelligence agencies, defence ministries and legislative chambers around the world. As governments continue to release records and investigators scrutinise unexplained encounters, public fascination shows little sign of fading.
Whether the latest claims ultimately reveal evidence of revolutionary technology, foreign military innovation or misunderstood natural phenomena, the growing international focus on UAPs suggests that the search for answers has become a matter not only of scientific curiosity but also of geopolitical significance
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