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David Grusch

Whistleblower

Former intelligence officer who alleged secret U.S. crash retrieval programs and briefed Congress

Disclosure Rating — 5/10

Former Air-Force intelligence officer David Charles Grusch (b. 1987) surfaced publicly in mid-2023 alleging that classified U.S. programs have retrieved and reverse-engineered craft "of non-human origin." He filed an urgent-concern complaint with the Intelligence Community Inspector General (ICIG) in May 2022 — the ICIG deemed it "credible and urgent" two months later.

Grusch left government service on 7 April 2023, obtained Pentagon pre-publication clearance, and on 5 June 2023 gave Leslie Kean and Ralph Blumenthal the first on-record interview for The Debrief.1 A NewsNation television special followed on 11 June.2

Under oath at the House Oversight UAP hearing on 26 July 2023 he repeated the crash-retrieval claims and added that "non-human biologics" had been recovered.3 Pentagon spokesperson Sue Gough and AARO leadership deny any evidence of such programs, and a March 2024 AARO historical review again rejected the allegations.4

Grusch continues to brief Members of Congress behind closed doors and collaborates with other veterans pressing for expanded whistle-blower protections.

  Service Record

CategoryDetails
ServiceFourteen years (2009–2023) as USAF officer and civilian GS-15 analyst. Roles included Senior Intelligence Officer at the National Reconnaissance Office (2016–2021) and co-lead for UAP analysis at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (2021–2023).3
Combat DeploymentsAfghanistan, supporting Special Operations, 2012–2013.1
UAP Task ForceOfficial NRO representative (2019–2021), tasked with identifying Special-Access Programs relevant to UAP events.5
Legislative WorkHelped draft whistle-blower language adopted in the FY-2023 National Defense Authorization Act.1

  Public Timeline

DateEvent
May 2022Files Disclosure of Urgent Concern; Complaint of Reprisal with ICIG, alleging illegal concealment of crash-retrieval efforts.1
July 2022ICIG rules the complaint "credible and urgent" and forwards a summary to DNI and congressional intelligence committees.1
4 & 6 Apr 2023DoD Pre-Publication & Security Review clears Grusch's prepared statements for open release.1
7 Apr 2023Resigns from NGA to pursue a public transparency campaign.1
5 Jun 2023The Debrief publishes "Intelligence Officials Say U.S. Has Retrieved Craft of Non-Human Origin."1
11 Jun 202351-minute NewsNation special with Ross Coulthart airs; full interview later uploaded to YouTube.2
26 Jul 2023Testifies under oath before House Oversight national-security sub-committee alongside Ryan Graves and Cmdr. David Fravor.3
27 Jul 2023NPR, AP and other outlets spotlight his claim of recovered "non-human biologics."6
28 Jul 2023Then-AARO director Sean Kirkpatrick calls the allegations "insulting" in Politico.4
9 Aug 2023The Intercept publishes leaked mental-health records; Grusch later sues Loudoun County for improper disclosure (2024).7
8 Mar 2024AARO historical review again finds "no extraterrestrial material"; cites Grusch's testimony as a catalyst for the study.4
Nov 2024-Jun 2025Continues classified briefings to Senate Intel and House Oversight staff as UAP language for FY-25 intel bill is negotiated.8

  Frequent Collaborators & Support Network

NameConnection
Karl E. Nell (Col., USA, ret.)Worked with Grusch on UAPTF; publicly vouches for his integrity.1
Christopher MellonFormer DASD-Intelligence who arranged classified briefings incorporating Grusch data.1
Jonathan Grey (NASIC analyst)Corroborates crash-retrieval claims in Debrief interview.1
Charles McCullough IIIEx-ICIG, now lead counsel for Grusch's whistle-blower filings.1
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand & Sen. Marco RubioIntegrated Grusch-drafted protections into the 2023 NDAA; host closed-door sessions with him.1
Reps. Tim Burchett & Anna Paulina LunaOrganized the July 2023 Oversight hearing and subsequent bipartisan push for a select UAP committee.3

  Pushback & Official Responses

Pentagon and AARO spokesperson Sue Gough has stated that investigators have found "no verifiable information" supporting any crash-retrieval or reverse-engineering program.7 The AARO Historical Review released in March 2024 documented one rejected DHS proposal ("Kona Blue") but concluded that no extraterrestrial craft were ever obtained.4 Major media outlets, including CBS, TIME, and PBS, covered Grusch's testimony while noting the Pentagon's denial and the lack of physical evidence.9

  2025

Grusch remains a private citizen under whistle-blower protection, coordinating with congressional staff on pending intelligence-authorization language that would compel disclosure of crash-retrieval records and expand retaliation remedies.

He has hinted at a forthcoming book but no publication date is public. The credibility of his claims now hinges on whether additional witnesses—or subpoena power—produce material proof.4

  References

  1. thedebrief.org ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12 ↩13

  2. youtube.com ↩ ↩2

  3. congress.gov ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  4. politico.com ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  5. congress.gov ↩

  6. npr.org ↩

  7. apnews.com ↩ ↩2

  8. time.com ↩

  9. cbsnews.com ↩

Born on January 1, 1987

4 min read