Skinwalker Ranch — The AAWSAP Program: Government Investigation

Skinwalker Ranch — The AAWSAP Program: Government Investigation

AAWSAP vs. AATIP

Feature	AAWSAP	AATIP
Full name	Advanced Aerospace Weapon Systems Applications Program	Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program
Agency	Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)	Initially DIA; later associated with OUSD(I)
Contract	HHM402-08-C-0072 to BAASS	No external contract
Value	~$22 million	Same funding often cited; complex relationship
Skinwalker connection	Direct — key research site	Less direct; more aerospace threat focus
Scope	Broad: UAP, paranormal, consciousness effects, Hitchhiker Effect	Narrower: aerospace threats
Senior advocate	Senator Harry Reid	Harry Reid; Senators Inouye and Stevens
Program director	Dr. James Lacatski	Luis Elizondo

The Creation of AAWSAP

The chain from paranormal book to government program:

• 2005: Hunt for the Skinwalker published
• DIA official James Lacatski reads the book
• Lacatski contacts Bigelow; visits the ranch officially
• Lacatski personally experiences an anomalous event during the visit
• He advocates within the DIA for a formal research program
• Senator Harry Reid — longtime personal friend of Bigelow — facilitates political support
• 2008: DIA awards BAASS contract HHM402-08-C-0072 (~$22 million)

What AAWSAP Investigated

AAWSAP's scope was significantly broader than conventional UAP investigation:

• Unidentified aerial phenomena and their aerospace implications
• Paranormal phenomena including those at Skinwalker Ranch specifically
• Human physiological effects of UAP encounters
• The Hitchhiker Effect — phenomena apparently traveling with individuals
• Consciousness effects of anomalous encounters
• Exotic physics potentially underlying observed phenomena (vacuum energy; metric engineering)

Senator Harry Reid's Role

Harry Reid (D-Nevada, 1987–2017; Senate Majority Leader 2007–2015) was AAWSAP's primary political patron. His long personal friendship with Robert Bigelow predated the program. His position as Majority Leader allowed him to facilitate funding in ways unavailable to more junior senators. He has publicly confirmed his role after leaving office and expressed continued belief that UAP warrant serious scientific investigation.

AAWSAP's Legacy

The program's active funded phase ended approximately 2012. Its legacy:

• Generated a massive database of reports and investigations, most remaining classified
• Created the community of people who would drive the December 2017 New York Times UAP disclosure
• Its paranormal scope — including Skinwalker Ranch — distinguishes it from AATIP and makes it more controversial
• Kelleher, Lacatski, and Knapp's 2021 Skinwalkers at the Pentagon partially disclosed the program's scope