(NewsNation) — The Defense Department confirms it is investigating claims made by government contractor Jake Barber on NewsNation that he helped the military retrieve UFO technology.
Investigative journalist Ross Coulthart, who interviewed Barber at length about his background and experiences, says the development could lead to a greater understanding of UFOs, or Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs). That’s if the government is forthcoming with its findings, he added.
“It’s an incremental step forward,” Coulthart told “NewsNation Prime” on Sunday.
Coulthart notes that Jon T. Kosloski, director of the Defense Department’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), has indicated his office is talking with whistleblowers like Barber while cautioning he’s limited in what he can say publicly.
“A lot depends on the degree of transparency and openness that’s permitted by the Pentagon, and a lot of that hangs on the new administration,” Coulthart said, referring to President Donald Trump.
“It really does rest with the president and also, to some degree, with the Congress whether or not we’re going to get any movement on any further disclosure about this alleged covert program.”
Barber said he flew helicopters during secret government missions to retrieve what may have been alien technology.
In one instance, he said, he transported a white, egg-shaped object the size of an SUV. On another occasion, he observed a flying disc with eight discernible edges, something he referred to as an “eightgon.”
UFO whistleblower did work with the US Air Force
NewsNation has confirmed that Barber was an airman in the U.S. Air Force who worked as an aerospace mechanic in the late 1990s. Later, he went on to work in a nonofficial capacity for the Defense Department and the intelligence community.
Although Coulthart is excited at the prospect of learning more about potential nonhuman technology, he added the federal government traditionally has not been forthcoming.
“So far, I’m a little bit skeptical, but we’ll wait and see,” he said.