SOURCE: BlackVault — theblackvault.com (Tier 2)
CATEGORY: BUREAUCRACY
CREDIBILITY SCORE: 78/100 | EVIDENCE SCORE: 30/100
LIKELY EXPLANATION: reputable lead — review and contextualize
TAGS: dod, pentagon, aatip, foia, archive
Source Excerpt
Neill Tipton A newly released series of Pentagon emails from May 2019 reveals an internal contradiction at the center of the Department of Defense’s narrative on the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program ( AATIP ) and Luis Elizondo. At the center of the records is a May 7, 2019, email from senior Pentagon official Neill Tipton , former Director of Defense Intelligence for Collection and Special Programs, which states in clear terms that Elizondo “had no assigned responsibilities” related to AATIP during his time under Tipton within the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD). Yet the same batch of emails, along with previously released records published by The Black Vault as released via the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), shows Tipton was directly communicating with Elizondo about AATIP, reviewing a memo to assume responsibilities tied to it, and participating in internal discussions about how the Department should respond to inquiries on the subject. The newly uncovered email chain also shows that Tipton’s statement did not stand uncontested internally. Instead, it prompted immediate concern among Pentagon officials about contradictions, prior statements, and the need to keep messaging consistent. Tipton’s Core Statement In the May 7, 2019, email, Tipton wrote: “Elizondo had no assigned responsibilities for this program… Elizondo worked for me from 2010 to early 2012.” He added: “At the time he was assigned to me, he brought with him no responsibilities for
Documents
- https://www.congress.gov/116/meeting/house/110298/witnesses/HHRG-116-AS26-Bio-TiptonN-20191211.pdf
- https://documents2.theblackvault.com/documents/osd/20-F-0163.pdf
- https://documents2.theblackvault.com/documents/osd/20-F-0163.pdf
- https://documents2.theblackvault.com/documents/osd/20-F-0163.pdf
Images
- https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/images.jpg
- https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/2026-04-24_04-47-53.jpg
- https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/2026-04-24_04-49-34.jpg
- https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/2026-04-24_04-50-20.jpg
- https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/2026-04-24_04-51-12.jpg
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