II. The EADT Challenge: EADT represent a paradigm shift. They combine advanced—and, in some cases, beyond-next-generation—capabilities in stealth, loiter, maneuverability, and speed. These technologies not only herald a revolution in military and intelligence capabilities but also enable rogue actors to wreak untold havoc. UAP technology in particular could fundamentally alter geopolitics—and our understanding of physics.

a. Drones: The Ukrainian conflict has witnessed rapid advancements in UAS, revolutionizing warfare and unlocking asymmetrical advantages that have upended traditional combat. China and other countries are taking note. At home, UAS frequently violate restricted military and civilian airspace, operating across spectrums either unintegrated or wholly unmonitored by our data collection systems. At the federal level, the U.S. military and an alphabet soup of agencies have responded haphazardly to UAS. Meanwhile, state, federal, local, and tribal authorities are left in the dark.

The proliferation of advanced UAS technology to rogue states and non-state actors portends a gray area of future conflict having consequences farther reaching than cyber warfare. In the wrong hands, UAS can surveil and disrupt sensitive U.S. installations and critical infrastructure, disrupt aviation, harass citizens, transport illegal drugs, and facilitate human trafficking. More than 20 years after terrorists flew commercial aircraft into buildings and despite the overhaul of the Intelligence Community (IC) to prevent such a catastrophe from recurring, the U.S. Government still has no remedy to UAS. The American people are livid over the chaos and the cover-ups.

b. UAP: UAP are even more perplexing, possessing capabilities that defy our conventional knowledge. The intentions behind them also remain dimly understood. Mastery of UAP technology would, however, eclipse the advent of yesteryear’s printing press and splitting of the atom, today’s transformations in semiconductors, and tomorrow’s breakthroughs in quantum computing and artificial intelligence—all at once.

But while the U.S. stigmatizes even discussing UAP, America’s enemies are racing to unlock their technology and gain a decisive edge. Consequently, UAP can no longer be distinguished entirely from UAS and other EADT, hobbling our domain awareness and response. The presence of UAP and UAS around U.S. nuclear facilities is especially disturbing, jeopardizing our strategic deterrent and international stability. Although Congress created the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office within the Department of Defense (DoD) to analyze UAP, the office remains hopelessly mired in bureaucracy, overly siloed, and unable to achieve its mission. The U.S. Government’s doubling down on the decades-long obfuscation of the UAP matter has similarly eroded the public’s trust.

c. Failure’s Price: The cumulative result of these failures includes: (1) unfocused research and development; (2) uncompetitive technological progress compared to Russia and China due to over-compartmentalization of classified projects; (3) a chaotic response to EADT incursions; (4) a reactive—or nonexistent—U.S. EADT diplomacy, industrial base, doctrine, and force posture; and (5) a citizenry rightfully suspicious of their government.