From 2007 to 2012, the Pentagon operated the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP), a $22 million effort funded through Senate earmarks and run by intelligence official Luis Elizondo that collected and analyzed UAP encounter data from U.S. military personnel.

The $22 million was appropriated through Senate earmarks by Majority Leader Harry Reid, with support from Senators Ted Stevens and Daniel Inouye. An initial $10 million DIA contract went to Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies (BAASS) in 2008 to conduct field research under the precursor program AAWSAP; after that contract lapsed in 2010, AATIP continued within the Pentagon under Elizondo's direction until 2012.