Person

Christopher Mellon

Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and former minority staff director of the Senate Intelligence Committee. He took Lue Elizondo's concerns to the Secretary of Defense's office in 2017, joined To The Stars, and worked with Senate staff on the 2020 reporting law. In The Age of Disclosure he calls the UAP problem possibly the biggest intelligence failure in U.S. history and says the Air Force, which runs NORAD, sent almost no reports to the UAP Task Force. The film credits him with leading the push for the 2022 whistleblower protections.

Witness profile

Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Senate Intelligence Committee staff director who took Elizondo's concerns up the chain in 2017 and helped write the UAP reporting laws.

Describes the witness from the record, their own retellings and how they come across. No score for the person; the factors at the end belong to the cases.

From the record service · posting · clearance · testimony

Office	Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for IntelligenceDoD	documented
Senate	Minority staff director, Senate Select Committee on IntelligenceSenate records	documented
2017	Took Elizondo's concerns to the Secretary of Defense's office; joined To The StarsPublic record	documented
Law	Worked with Senate staff on the 2020 reporting law and the 2022 whistleblower protectionsSenate staff accounts	documented

Retellings over time from the transcript library and records

Following: The Air Force sat out, and the biggest intelligence failure

2017-12 New York Times; To The Stars · first tellingCalls from the Hill once the media paid attention.
2021 ODNI preliminary assessment · heldThe Air Force contributed almost no reports though it runs NORAD.
2024-04-23 Posts a redacted 2020 Signal exchange · detail addedAn anonymous correspondent on who recovered crashed craft and a 1950s Air Force memo.
2025 The Age of Disclosure · heldand that would amount to probably the biggest intelligence failure▶ 22:27Possibly the biggest intelligence failure in US history.

first tellingheldclarifieddetail addeddetail shiftedrecord

On camera demeanour notes, timestamped

How they look and speak: hesitations, self-corrections, emotion. Dashed slots still need the video.

The Age of Disclosure, 2025

Edited film. A former senior official speaking measuredly.Needs the video on Igor's PC

Feeds case plausibility consistency · restraint · character

Current factor values from the case ratings. The arrow shows which part of this profile backs each one.

The ODNI's preliminary assessmentplausibility High

Restraint2Reported plainly. ← Reported plainly.Character record2Trained professionals. ← The record table.

The New York Times breaks the storyplausibility Very high

Character record2Trained professionals. ← The record table.

Profile updated 2026-10-23

Claims (4)

The Air Force contributed 'any or maybe just a tiny number' of reports to the UAP Task Force, though it runs NORAD and space surveillance.ODNI report The Age of DisclosurefirsthandSourced, unconfirmedChristopher Mellon, The Age of Disclosure (2025)

On 23 Apr 2024 he posted a redacted 2020 Signal exchange in which a correspondent says they know who recovered crashed or landed UAP and under what authority, that 'a still highly classified memo by a secretary of the air force in the 1950s is still in effect', names 'the SCES2 who's the Air Force gatekeeper' and calls Kingman 1953 'landed'.Christopher Mellon's 2020 Signal screenshots (posted 2024)anonymousSourced, unconfirmedChristopher Mellon

He posted it in reaction to Kirkpatrick's Signal screenshots in a FOIA release to The Black Vault.Christopher Mellon's 2020 Signal screenshots (posted 2024)The Hidden Wing - US Air Force UFO Reverse Engineering ProgramsfirsthandSourced, unconfirmedUAP Gerb (Sam)

A 1989 SSCI memo for record links him and Mary Sturtevant, who logged identical per diem in Jan-Mar 1996.Lockheed Martin - UFO Reverse Engineering, Material Exploitation, & Legacy ProgramsfirsthandSourced, unconfirmedSSCI records (cited by UAP Gerb)

What Christopher Mellon said (8 claims)

On the record 1Witness testimony 6Alleged 1

“The Air Force contributed almost no reports, though it runs NORAD and space surveillance.”Witness testimonyThe Age of Disclosure

Consistent with the 2021 report's mostly-Navy sourcing.

“Christopher Mellon told Joe Rogan he had seen footage of a UAP right beside a pilot.”Witness testimonyIncredible UFO Footage - FLYBY

Gerb is sure this is not the FLYBY clip.

“In a 2020 Signal exchange Mellon released in 2024, his partner said a still-classified 1950s Air Force secretary's memo governs recoveries and that an SCES-2 is the Air Force gatekeeper.”On the recordThe Hidden Wing - US Air Force UFO Reverse Engineering Programs

Mellon's posted screenshots, 23 April 2024.

“Part of the GIMBAL video is still classified and shows the object with other craft in a V formation.”AllegedThe Alien and UFO Obscure Oddities Iceberg (Level 1)

Said by the pilots and by Mellon.

“Mellon introduced Elizondo, Davis and Puthoff to Kirkpatrick, and each spent hours briefing him in a classified setting; none received any feedback.”Witness testimonyThe Modern Day UFO Disinformation Agent - Dr. Sean Kirkpatrick's Lies

Mellon's post on X.

“An SES-2 official discussed Kingman in the 1950s with Mellon on Signal and cited a 1950s Secretary of the Air Force memo.”Witness testimonyDavid Grusch Fox Interview, Age of Disclosure, Sandia, Current Research, & QnA - UAP Gerb Live

The memo itself has not been seen.

“Kirkpatrick misled senators in AARO briefings.”Witness testimonyUFO Legacy Programs - Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC)

Christopher Mellon's own assessment.

“Mellon wrote that the memo lends credence to reports of a program exploiting recovered technology; Elizondo said 'that thing isn't going to die'; Coulthart and Dolan also treat it as genuine.”Witness testimonyThe Wilson Davis Memo and US Secret UFO Reverse Engineering Programs

Their views, not proof of authenticity. Gerb gives the Mellon post a 2002 date, which must be 2022.

Cases (4)

Connected

To The Stars Academy org United States Air Force org Luis Elizondo person Mary Sturtevant person Sean Kirkpatrick person Japan's Diet on UAP, 2014–2024 document Christopher Mellon's 2020 Signal screenshots (posted 2024) document