Defense

From: JONIFERRIS <jferris@mindspring.com>
Stunnng High Level French Government Report On UFOs And Defense
From CNI News, Vol 5 No 11, 8-1-99
Note - Our thanks to Michael Lindemann for permission to bring this report to you

The third part, "UFOs and Defense" ("Les OVNI et la defense"), states that, if it is true that no hostile UFO action has been proved yet, at least some actions of "intimidation" have been recorded in France (case of the Mirage IV for instance). Since the extraterrestrial origin of UFOs cannot be ruled out, it is therefore necessary to study the consequences of that hypothesis not only at the strategic level but also at political, religious and media/public information levels.

The first chapter of Part III is devoted to prospective strategies ("Prospectives strategiques") and it begins with fundamental questions: "What if extraterrestrials? What intentions and what strategy can we deduce from their behavior?"

Such questions open a more controversial part of the report. Possible motivations of extraterrestrial visitors are explored here, such as protection of planet Earth against the dangers of nuclear war, suggested for instance by repeated flying over nuclear missile sites.

The committee then ponders the possible repercussions on the behavior, official or not, of different nation-states, and focuses on the possibility of secret, privileged contacts which might be "attributed to the United States". The attitude of the U.S. is seen as "most strange" since the 1947 wave and the Roswell event. Since that time, a policy of increasing secrecy seems to have been applied, which might be explained by the protection at all cost of military technological superiority to be acquired from the study of UFOs.

Next, the report tackles the question: "What measures must we take now?" At the least, whatever the nature of UFOs, they impose "critical vigilance", in particular regarding the risk of "destabilizing manipulations". A kind of "cosmic vigilance" should be applied by the elites, nationally and internationally, in order to prevent any shocking surprise, erroneous interpretation and hostile manipulation.

Nationally, COMETA urges the strengthening of SEPRA, and recommends the creation of a cell at the highest level of government, entrusted with the development of hypotheses, strategy, and preparation of cooperation agreements with European and other foreign countries. A further step would be that European states and the European Union undertake diplomatic action toward the Unites States within the framework of political and strategic alliances.

A key question of the report is: "What situations must we be prepared for?" It mentions such situations as: extraterrestrial moves for official contact; discovery of a [UFO/alien] base within the territory of Europe; invasion (deemed improbable) and localised or massive attack; manipulation or deliberate disinformation aiming at destabilizing other states.

COMETA devotes special attention to "aeronautical implications", with detailed recommendations aimed at various personnels, such as air staffs, controllers, weathermen and engineers. It also makes recommendations at the scientific and technical levels,> aimed at developing research with potential benefits for defense and industry.

The report further explores the political and religious implications of UFOs, using as a model the perspective of our own exploration of space: how would we do it, and how would we handle contacts with less advanced civilizations?

Such an approach is not new to well-informed readers of the abundant ufological literature, but it has a special value here, being treated seriously at such a level. The media/publicity implications are not forgotten, with the problems of disinformation, fear of ridicule, and manipulation by certain groups.

In its conclusion, COMETA claims that the physical reality of UFOs, under control of intelligent beings, is "quasi certain". Only one hypothesis takes into account the available data: the hypothesis of extraterrestrial visitors. This hypothesis is of course unproved, but has far-reaching consequences. The goals of these alleged visitors remain unknown but must be the subject of speculations and prospective scenarios.

In its final recommendations, the COMETA report stresses again the need to: 1) inform all decision-makers and persons in positions of responsibility; 2) reinforce means of investigation and study at SEPRA; 3) have UFO detection taken into account by agencies engaged in space surveillance; 4) create a strategic cell [for UFO study/analysis] at the highest state level; 5) undertake diplomatic action toward the United States for cooperation on this "capital question"; 6) study measures which might be necessary in case of emergencies.

Finally, this document is accompanied by seven interesting annexes: 1) Radar detection in France 2) Observations by astronomers 3) Life in the Universe 4) Colonization of space 5) The Roswell case - The disinformation (a text which will be criticized by some readers and welcomed by others, including myself) 6) Antiquity of the UFO phenomenon and elements for a chronology [of UFO events] 7) Reflection on various psychological, sociological and political aspects of the UFO phenomenon