Christopher Mellon

Former DASD for Intelligence who gave the 2017 Pentagon videos to the NYT, shaped the first Senate UAP reporting language, and chairs the Disclosure Foundation.

Current role: Chairman of the Board, Disclosure Foundation; private equity investor; UAP transparency advocate

Former roles:

Board member, UAP Disclosure Fund (from April 2025)
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, later for Security and Information Operations (Clinton and G.W. Bush administrations)
Minority Staff Director, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
Advisor, To The Stars Academy (TTSA)

@ChrisKMellon on X

Background

Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and later for Security and Information Operations, with over a decade of Senate Intelligence Committee staff experience including oversight of NRO, CIA and NSA compartmented programs. While at the Pentagon he sat on a small committee overseeing all DoD special access programs. He has lobbied for government UAP investigation since at least 2016, confirmed on film that he provided the three 2017 Pentagon UAP videos to the New York Times, and, per Politico, effectively drafted the 2020 Senate language requesting UAP reports. He joined the UAP Disclosure Fund's board in April 2025 and in 2026 chairs the Disclosure Foundation, which convened a public forum in the Russell Senate Office Building in June 2026.

On the record

2026-08-05 – Substack, text of his SCU conference keynote "The Hierarchy of Proof" (delivered Toronto, 24–26 Jul 2026). Substack · SCU
2026-07-14 – Disclosure Foundation interview, as chairman – described the PURSUE release process as fragmented rather than part of a coordinated disclosure plan, argued agencies should release more context (distance, time, sensor data) while protecting technical details, and said the Foundation works with members of Congress, administration officials and potential whistleblowers on lawful release. Disclosure Foundation
2026-06-25 – chaired Disclosure Forum 2026, Kennedy Caucus Room, Russell Senate Office Building, with panels including Hal Puthoff and Avi Loeb. A 29-signatory expert letter was released. Disclosure Foundation · Panel video
2026-05-14 – DefenseScoop, on the first PURSUE file drop – "Data alone is not disclosure." DefenseScoop
2026-02-20 – DefenseScoop, on the Trump directive to release UAP files – "This might be a consequential moment, but the impact will depend on the follow-through." DefenseScoop
2025-06-26 – three-page letter to the Wall Street Journal demanding a correction to its 21 June article, citing "serious inaccuracies", omission of AARO director Kosloski's statements and misrepresentation of Dr. Eric Davis, and called the paper's 1967 EMP claim "bizarre". Letter on X
2025-06-20 – X – "Every American should know that their government has confirmed the reality of UAPs. … Data confirms intelligently controlled vehicles with tech we can't replicate. And they are not secret US tech." X post
2025-06-04 – UAP Disclosure Fund video, "a reflection on UAP & Humanity's Context". Video
2025-02-05 – The Debrief – a set of recommendations for Congress and the new administration on closing UAP information gaps. The Debrief
2024-10-15 – DailyMail interview (named, in his own voice) – on base incursions: "our drone signal-jamming devices have proven ineffective and these craft are making no effort to remain concealed". He said "mother ships" have been reported releasing and collecting smaller craft. DailyMail
2021-05 – JRE – "Both countries [China and Russia] have active UFO groups... This is very much a global phenomenon." JRE
2020 – The Phenomenon (documentary) – confirmed he was the source of the three Pentagon videos published by the NYT in Dec 2017. Film
2016-05 – HuffPost – "Are there UFO cases that are sufficiently well-documented to warrant a scientific investigation of the phenomenon? In my view, the answer is yes." Also: "If it were me, and I were trying to bury it deep, I'd take it outside government oversight entirely and place it in a compartment as a new entity within an existing defense company". HuffPost

Reported claims (secondary / anonymous-sourced)

2026-08-06 – Daniel Sheehan, on That UFO Podcast – made uncorroborated claims about Grusch reviewing 2017 clearance challenges to Elizondo and Mellon. According to Sheehan, with no filing or document located. Podcast
2021-05-28 – Politico – reported that Mellon, as a TTSA advisor, drafted the language later adopted by the Senate in 2020 requesting UAP reports. Politico

Timeline of involvement

2016-05 – public call for scientific UAP investigation
2017-12-16 – NYT story, videos sourced via Mellon
2020 – Senate UAP report language
2023-08-15 – Sol Foundation founding figure
2024-10 – base-incursion commentary
2025-03-27 – attends Japan's parliamentary UAP federation general assembly (stream)
2025-04-02 – joins the UAP Disclosure Fund board (UAPDF)
2025-04 – scheduled SCIF meeting with lawmakers alongside Grusch and Elizondo (per Rep. Luna)
2025-05-21 – US–Japan UAP roundtable with Rep. Burlison and Ross Coulthart (video)
2025-06-26 – letter to the WSJ
2026-06-25 – chairs Disclosure Forum 2026 on Capitol Hill
2026-07-24 – keynote, SCU conference, Toronto

Relevant links

Part of the Key People in Disclosure series. Verified 2026-10-10. Spotted an error? Reach out.