Who?
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) — Member, Intelligence and Armed Services Committees
LISTEN: Laslo & Gillibrand
Ask a Pol asks:
“UAP” isn’t mentioned once in this year’s NDAA and there are only seven mentions of “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena” — has the 119th Congress just moved past the term “UAP” and started calling it “drones” and “UAS” instead?
Key Gillibrand:
“We know they’re drones. They’re not unidentified. So they’re unmanned aerial systems,” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand exclusively tells Ask a Pol UAP.
But in a classified briefing two years out from the Langley Air Force Base incursions —or “swarms“ that effectively shut the base down for 17 days — the Pentagon told Senate Intel Vice-chair Mark Warner and Sen. Tim Kaine they have no idea what they were.
“That’s fair,” Gillibrand says. “That’s fair. We could have called them UAP or we could have called them UAS.”
2026 NDAA* — 7 mentions of “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena” / “UAP” & “UFO” not mentioned
*NDAA’s forward-looking, so this year Congress is crafting the FY26 NDAA
Throwback:
2024 NDAA* — 64 mentions of “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena”
*NDAA the year UFO whistleblower David Grusch testified before Congress
Tis the season…
33 mentions of “UAS” in FY26 NDAA
Separately, “Unmanned Ariel Systems” mentioned 22 times in FY26 NDAA.
“UAP,” “UAS” & “drone” used interchangeably in DC
“It’s the same thing,” Gillibrand tells us.
TRANSCRIPT: Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (12-09-2025)
SCENE: Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and a staffer-turned-lobbyist are making their way through the Capitol when Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo snags the Senator for a quick NDAA update…
Matt Laslo: “Whole NDAA this year, there’s “UAS,” so — Unmanned Aerial Systems…”
Kirsten Gillibrand: “Yeah, yeah, we did a ton on drones this year…”
Laslo: “…and there’s “drones.” Well, but last year* it was “UAP” kind of looking at the same problem…”
Gillibrand: “Yeah.”
Laslo: “…like, has this Congress just moved past the term “UAP”…”
Gillibrand: “No.”
Laslo: “…and just now calling it “drones” and “UAS”?”
*Laslo meant FY2024 NDAA, which was crafted in 2023 after Grusch testified
“drones” mentioned 7 times in FY26 NDAA
Gillibrand: “No. The purpose is…”
Gillibrand aide (cuts off own boss): “She’s ready to roll, bud.”
Gillibrand: “…we’ve had a bunch of drone incursions on sensitive sites — such as military bases and nuclear sites — and so we need a specific provision that [Senate Inteligence Commitee Chair] Tom Cotton and I wrote to give the DoD [Department of Defense] the authority to take them down.”
Laslo: “Is that in there?”
Gillibrand: “It should be in there, yeah. It was agreed to. I haven’t seen the language yet, but the House agreed to our provision.”
Laslo: “Will that be classified section?”
Gillibrand: “Um, part will be unclassified and part will be classified.”
Laslo: “Because in the unclassified section, there’s no mention of “UAP”.”
Gillibrand: “But it’ll be under “UAS”.”
Laslo: “Yeah, yeah!”
Gillibrand: “Yeah.”
Laslo: “So, that’s interesting.”
Gillibrand: “So I don’t think that — so I don’t think there, I don’t — I didn’t work on any UAP provisions for this NDAA.”
Laslo: “Yeah?”
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Laslo: “Outside of fully funding ARRO [All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office].”
Laslo: “Yeah?”
Gillibrand: “So, hopefully AARO is fully funded.”
Laslo: “But you worked on UAS provisions…”
Gillibrand: “Yes.”
Laslo: “That were…”
Gillibrand: “Specific.”
Laslo: “…but last year they would have been called “UAP”.”
Gillibrand: “No, they wouldn’t have, because UAS is just — we know they’re drones. They’re not unidentified. So they’re unmanned aerial systems.”
Laslo: “But the Langley [Air Force Base] incursion, [Senate Intel Vice-chair Mark] Warner and [Sen. Tim] Kaine, two years out…”
Gillibrand: “They have called it a UAP?”
Laslo: “Well, no — the Pentagon says they have no idea what they were…”
Gillibrand: “And that’s fair.”
Laslo: “…and they shut down Langley for 17 days.”
Gillibrand: “That’s fair. We could have called them UAP or we could have called them UAS.”
Laslo: “Yeah?”
Gillibrand: “I think, Cotton probably just wanted to call them UAS.”
ICYMI — Cotton, Gillibrand COUNTER Act in FY26 NDAA
Laslo: “Yeah.”
Gillibrand: “It was probably a Cotton preference, but I’ll try and find out.”
Laslo: “Yeah?”
Gillibrand: “But it’s the same thing.”
Laslo: “Yeah?”
Gillibrand starts walking away.
Laslo: “Preciate you, ma’am.”
Let us know what to ask next.
AI Disclosure: Ask a Pol‘s playing around with as many new AI tools as we can, so this small, unfunded startup can compete in today’s new media landscape.
