I. General Ricardo Bermudez Sanhueza
In the last days of March[131] and beginning of April 1997, various anomalous aerial phenomena were observed over the city of Arica, in the far north of Chile. For two consecutive days, lights were seen west of the city and the airport, alarming the people of the region. Lights were also visible over the sea, apparently moving in a coordinated fashion. In addition to members of the civilian population, other witnesses included civil servants and official aeronautic experts at Aeropuerto Chacalluta, the airport in that city. The news made its way to the press, and the Ministerial Department of Civil Aeronautics, DGAC, issued a public statement acknowledging and confirming these observations. This was the first time the Chilean government had publicly recognized the existence of unidentified objects in national airspace.
Given the high profile of the case and the strong public interest in the subject, and discussions that had already occurred within the Air Force about addressing the UFO issue, General Gonzalo Miranda, the DGAC director, ordered the creation of a committee to study anomalous aerial phenomena. This group, the CEFAA, was charged with compiling, analyzing, and studying every incident involving anomalous aerial phenomena observed by any aeronautic personnel, civil or military. It began its work on October 3, 1997.
I was put in charge of the CEFAA from 1998 to 2002. As current director of the Technical School of Aeronautics, I had held other important educational posts in the Air Force, such as director of the School of Engineers and sub-director of the School of Aviation. I had been an active researcher of unidentified phenomena, especially when I served as aviation attache to England. It was during that assignment that I came to the conclusion that there was something happening in the world’s skies, and that we didn’t know what it was. My position as director of the CEFAA demanded that I keep a scientific view on this topic, but it also meant that I was willing to consider any hypothesis about the origin and nature of these phenomena.
My duties were, among others, to head the regular sessions of the staff and members of the group, to guide the research efforts, and to provide the logistical framework for implementing those efforts. In addition, I promoted cooperation with university and scientific organizations, both national and foreign. These included working with Dr. Richard Haines and NARCAP, and the French government’s GEIPAN. Every day I would check the progress of these various investigations and would oversee the design of their procedures. At times I carried on research myself, and was actively involved with case investigations.
Like America’s FAA, the DGAC’s legal mandate is to manage the national airspace and to ensure the safety of all civil, military, and commercial air operations. For the CEFAA, as well, working within this authority, aviation safety of commercial flights is the priority. Air operations demand careful preparation and execution, without any element of distraction for the pilots. The sighting of an unknown phenomenon is certainly a great distraction that could affect both the crew of the aircraft and the air traffic personnel in the control tower. It could potentially overload the radio communications for both the pilots and air traffic controllers if operators were to focus on the bizarre phenomenon, relaying details and questions, a fact that should concern the officials of any country. The policy of the CEFAA is to pursue solid cases with adequate scientific data, but only if there is an indication that the safety of the aircraft might have been at risk.
As the director, I stated early on that the CEFAA is committed to international cooperation for the following reasons:
• To share relevant information and new findings
• To provide an incentive for universities and scientific organizations to work on this in multidisciplinary teams in many branches of science
• To marginalize charlatans and pseudoinvestigators, and to denounce frauds
• To have a uniform method of investigative processes and analysis
• To coordinate recommendations for air traffic control operators when there are risks of electromagnetic effects or other hazards on board aircrafts
Chile has undoubtedly taken a great step forward in the investigation of anomalous aerial phenomena. And just as the Chilean Air Force was one of the first to be created in the world, it is also historic that we are also one of the first to officially recognize these phenomena and to form a government agency specifically for their investigation.
The CEFAA’s official position has always been to recognize that something is happening in our skies, but we, as yet, do not know what it is. A large percentage of reports we’ve received have upon investigation been confirmed to be planets, meteorites, or weather phenomena, or do not provide sufficient data for analysis. Occasionally we are unable to make a ruling because witnesses refuse to be interviewed, are not credible, or are even committing fraud. Sometimes our pilots are afraid of ridicule, although that problem is improving somewhat. Of all the cases that have been analyzed, about 4 percent have no explanation, meaning that using all the technical means available, we cannot reach a satisfactory conclusion.
We believe there is a possibility that we will be forced to confront greater interference from UFOs in the future, especially considering the documentation of incidents by experts in other countries. We believe it is of utmost importance to be prepared.
Officially, Chile has not directly requested the cooperation of the U.S.A. However, in April 1998, the CEFAA informed the adjunct aeronautic official at the U.S. Embassy in Chile about our existence and mentioned Chile’s interest in working with the appropriate agency in the United States to share experiences, policies, procedures, etc., regarding this topic. In July 2000, the CEFAA sent the embassy a document asking to consult the Pentagon about whether a sighting witnessed by a large number of people along the central coast of Chile the previous February had been due to activity by the National System of Antimissile Defense. Both requests went unanswered. To be frank, we’ve had no response from the United States any time we’ve tried to enlist its cooperation.
Now, as of early 2010, I have returned to my post as director of the CEFAA. We have three full-time investigators and many new cases to study.
In summary, I am convinced that UFOs exist and are a reality that cannot remain unacknowledged by governments. The phenomena are evident in all parts of the world and no efforts in their study should be neglected. Toward this end, international cooperation is vital to generate standards for protocols and policies for data analysis. Personally, according to my best judgment, I am in agreement with the findings of the French COMETA Report: There is a high probability UFOs are of extraterrestrial origin. However, until that hypothesis can be either confirmed or disproved, we should abstain from falling into the domains of either philosophy or religion. On the other hand, we should not discard that hypothesis just because it may sound harebrained. We need to put it through rigorous scientific analysis so we can come to viable conclusions.
II. Captain Rodrigo Bravo Garrido
Since the beginning of Chilean history there have been reports of unidentified phenomena, sometimes called UFOs, observed in our skies. Over the years, we have increased our capacity to explain many of the sightings, but there continue to be others without a scientific or logical explanation. In 1997, defense-related analysis was conducted within the telecommunications industry that touched on the issue of anomalous phenomena and their effects on electromagnetic fields. Cases were noted where there was a blockage of radio communications concurrent with the presence of a UFO near an aircraft.
Recognizing the potential impact on aviation safety, in October 1997 the Department of Civil Aeronautics, which is under the direct oversight of the chief commander of the Chilean Air Force, set up the Committee for the Study of Anomalous Aerial Phenomena, known as the CEFAA. In cooperation with aeronautic specialists, this
