Skinwalker Ranch — The AAWSAP Program: Government Investigation
From KB42
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
