Ryan Graves
Former U.S. Navy F/A-18 pilot who became the first active-duty military pilot to publicly testify before Congress about UAP encounters, and founder of Americans for Safe Aerospace.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Ryan Graves |
| Born | c. 1986 (Baldwinsville, Massachusetts) |
| Status | ALIVE |
| Current Location | United States |
| Category | Military Witness / Whistleblower |
Assessment: AT RISK
Graves is the most prominent military pilot publicly advocating for UAP transparency. His organization, Americans for Safe Aerospace, has collected reports from over 1,000 military and commercial pilots, making him a central node in the disclosure effort. His Congressional testimony and public advocacy place him in a position similar to other UAP witnesses and whistleblowers who have reported retaliation.
Current Situation
Graves serves as the founder and executive director of Americans for Safe Aerospace, the world's largest UAP advocacy organization, which he founded in 2023. He also serves as the first Chair of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Integration Committee, representing over 30,000 members of the aerospace industry. He continues to advocate publicly for pilot safety and UAP transparency.
Background
Graves graduated from Narragansett Regional High School in Baldwinsville, Massachusetts, in 2004 and earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 2008. He served as a U.S. Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet pilot and T-45C Goshawk instructor pilot, deploying aboard the USS Enterprise in 2012 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt in 2015 in support of Operation Inherent Resolve over Iraq and Syria.
Between 2014 and 2015, while serving with Strike Fighter Squadron 11 (VFA-11), known as the "Red Rippers," Graves and his squadron repeatedly observed unidentified objects demonstrating advanced flight capabilities off the coast of Virginia Beach. In one pivotal incident during an air combat training mission in Warning Area W-72 east of Virginia Beach, a pilot in his squadron observed a dark gray cube inside of a clear sphere, forcing two jets to take evasive action to avoid collision.
On July 26, 2023, Graves testified before the House Oversight Subcommittee on National Security, stating that "advanced UAP are a national security and an aviation safety problem." He emphasized that UAP sightings "are not rare or isolated but routine," and that they are "grossly underreported" due to stigma.
Why This Person Matters
- First active-duty military pilot to publicly testify before Congress about UAP encounters
- Founded Americans for Safe Aerospace, which has been contacted by over 1,000 military and commercial pilots reporting UAP
- His July 2023 Congressional testimony helped legitimize UAP as a national security and aviation safety issue
- Described specific encounters with objects demonstrating flight characteristics beyond known technology
- Chairs the AIAA UAP Integration Committee, bringing institutional aerospace credibility to the issue
- Connected to Lue Elizondo and David Grusch through overlapping Congressional testimony efforts
- His advocacy addresses the systemic underreporting of UAP encounters due to professional stigma among pilots
- Wrote in Newsweek that his Congressional testimony "was the tip of the iceberg"
See Also
- David Grusch — UAP whistleblower who testified alongside Graves in July 2023
- Lue Elizondo — Former AATIP director and disclosure advocate
- Bob Lazar — Physicist who claims to have worked on alien craft near Area 51
- Tim Burchett — Congressman who organized the 2023 hearing and received death threats
- Dylan Borland — Air Force veteran facing retaliation for UAP whistleblowing
- George Knapp — Journalist who testified before Congress in 2025
- John Burroughs — Rendlesham Forest witness with government-acknowledged UAP injuries
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Sources
- Ryan Graves Congressional Bio
- Ryan Graves Written Testimony to Congress
- Americans for Safe Aerospace
- I Testified Before Congress on UFOs - Newsweek
- The Massachusetts Native Helping the Government Study UAP - BINJ
- Who is Ryan Graves? - Yahoo News
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