Former Air Force intelligence officer Dylan Borland reaffirmed on September 24 that the federal government has physically recovered non-human craft, declaring he knows this 'for a fact' during an appearance on Sean Hannity's podcast. The claim directly contradicts official AARO findings and renews pressure on Congress for deeper transparency on alleged secret aerospace retrieval programs.
On Thursday, September 24, 2026, former U.S. Air Force intelligence specialist Dylan Borland made a striking public reaffirmation of recovered non-human craft in the hands of the federal government. Speaking with Sean Hannity on the popular "Hang Out with Sean Hannity" podcast, Borland responded affirmatively when Hannity directly asked whether the U.S. government possesses recovered craft. When pressed further on whether he knew this assertion 'for a fact,' Borland stated unequivocally: 'Yes.' This latest testimony represents the most recent high-profile whistleblower declaration on the contentious issue of alleged government possession of non-human aerospace technology.
Borland, a former 1N1 geospatial intelligence specialist who served in the U.S. Air Force from 2010 to 2013, previously testified before the House Oversight Committee's Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets on September 9, 2025. His credentials as a federal whistleblower and his direct experience with classified military intelligence systems lend significant weight to his assertions. The timing of his September 2026 podcast appearance comes amid accelerating UAP disclosure efforts under the Trump administration's PURSUE initiative, which has released multiple tranches of declassified files since May 2026. Borland's unwavering stance contrasts sharply with both official Pentagon denial and the cautious findings of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, which has maintained that available evidence does not support claims of recovered non-human craft.
The whistleblower's testimony is particularly significant given documented restrictions placed upon him by intelligence community leadership. According to publicly available records, Dylan Borland was interviewed by the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community in September–October 2023, during which intelligence officials allegedly discouraged him from testifying before Congress again. At that time, ICIG personnel informed Borland that all statements made during his interview—including unclassified remarks—would be subject to executive review, effectively limiting his ability to discuss the matter publicly. Despite these constraints, Borland has chosen to re-emphasize his claims on a major media platform, suggesting either a change in administrative posture toward whistleblower speech or his determination to speak regardless of prior restrictions.
Borland's September 2026 declaration also arrives as whistleblower David Grusch continues to amplify similar claims through public channels. In late September 2026, Grusch revealed to Joe Rogan that he believes everything he previously testified to Congress about—including recovered vehicles and reverse engineering operations—will be released before the end of President Trump's current term. Grusch additionally claimed knowledge of an undersea 'base of operations' spanning multiple city blocks where unidentified objects allegedly come and go. The convergence of corroborating statements from multiple credible whistleblowers strengthens the public pressure on Congress and executive agencies to provide clearer accounting of any classified aerospace recovery programs.
The Pentagon's official position, articulated through AARO and senior Defense Department officials, remains that no conclusive evidence demonstrates the recovery or possession of non-human craft. However, Congress has begun scrutinizing the adequacy of current AARO investigations. House members have raised concerns that legitimate recovery programs may exist outside AARO's purview—hidden in compartmentalized 'black' defense contractor programs or legacy classified initiatives beyond normal oversight channels. Rep. Eric Burlison and other UAP-focused legislators have highlighted potential gaps between what AARO has reviewed and what may remain concealed at the classified contractor level.
Borland's renewed public claim also intersects with broader legislative and executive efforts to create stronger protections for UAP whistleblowers. In September 2026, the Pentagon announced targeted legal relief for whistleblowers willing to cooperate with the PURSUE declassification program, suggesting official acknowledgment that additional witnesses may possess classified information they wish to disclose. Meanwhile, the House Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets continues to push for enhanced whistleblower protection mechanisms, recognizing that many potential witnesses fear retaliation or criminal prosecution for unauthorized disclosure of classified materials.
The credibility question facing Borland's claims hinges on several factors. His military background in geospatial intelligence—a discipline central to satellite reconnaissance and target identification—positions him as someone potentially exposed to classified imagery or operational intelligence regarding aerospace anomalies. However, critics point out that Borland's prior testimony has not been independently corroborated by other declassified government documents, and that his knowledge may be secondhand or based on classified compartments he did not directly access. AARO director Dr. Sean Kirkpatrick previously stated in 2023 that whistleblower testimony alone, without supporting physical evidence or documentary proof, does not meet the threshold for confirming extraordinary claims about non-human technology.
Looking forward, Borland's latest statement may prompt renewed congressional demands for specific, detailed interviews with him conducted in classified settings where he could elaborate on his claimed knowledge without violating current secrecy laws. Such oversight hearings, conducted in secure chambers (SCIFs), could allow Borland to provide granular details about alleged recovery programs, their locations, timelines, and the chain of custody for any recovered materials. The extent to which the Trump administration's PURSUE program ultimately releases further documentation on aerospace recovery operations will be critical in assessing whether independent corroboration exists for whistleblower claims like Borland's or whether they remain unverified assertions from credible but unconfirmed sources.
