Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs

Elizondo notes that UAP often appear as orbs of light or metallic spheres. During World War II, they were referred to by military pilots as foo fighters. Many Indigenous peoples tell stories of mysterious luminous orbs. People who come close to these orbs—particularly to blue orbs—report injuries and health issues. Elizondo reports that his own family began seeing orbs near their home shortly after he took the job with AAWSAP. People near the Roswell site in 1947 and people at Skinwalker Ranch have also seen orbs. Elizondo suggests that the injuries they suffered “stem from some sort of directed energy exposure, almost like radiation” (69). As the number of orb sightings at home increased, Jennifer confronted her husband to ask whether they were related to his work. Since he couldn’t share classified information, Elizondo couldn’t discuss UAP with his wife. He was increasingly worried that UAP activity may not be benign.

Elizondo discusses the Tic Tac UAP encounter, which is considered the “gold standard” of UAP encounters due to the fidelity and quantity of information that was gathered. The Tic Tac encounter refers to an event in November 2004. The USS Nimitz (a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier) and several other Navy ships were gathered off the coast of San Diego.