AAWSAP : Government UFO program or Bigelow/Reid private project ?

Here is a list of documented facts about AAWSAP and BAASS, based on available official documents. Unfortunately, very few official records about this program have been released yet, despite countless Freedom of Information requests submitted by numerous researchers. One central document is the AAWSAP solicitation, issued by the Defense Intelligence Agency under Solicitation #HHM402-08-R-0211. Once awarded to BAASS, the contract number was HHM402-08-C-0072.

Understanding what was required of Bigelow's company and what was offered in exchange is critical to understanding what AAWSAP really was, and why it may have been a good deal for Bigelow.

When was the AAWSAP contract awarded ?

The solicitation was issued and published on August 18th 2008. The deadline for offers and proposals was on September 5th, 2008. We don't know when the AAWSAP contract was awarded to BAASS.

When was Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies, LLC formally established ?

BAASS was created on January 29, 2008, more than 6 months before the DIA issued a solicitation for the AAWSA program. Nothing is known about what BAASS did between January and September 2008. They started posting hiring opportunities online in September 2008. It almost looks like Bigelow was quietly waiting for the AAWSAP solicitation document to be published.

The Black Vault's AATIP Timeline provides detailed information about AATIP history.

Who was in charge of the AAWSAP contract ?

AAWSAP was run by the Acquisition Support Division (DWO-3) of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). James T. Lacatski was the Government Project Lead (GPL) and Contracting Officer Representative (COR).

What was the objective of the contract ?

The AAWSAP contract statement of objectives was written on July 18, 2008 and the requirements were :

The contractor shall complete advanced aerospace weapon system technical studies in the following areas: lift, propulsion, control, power generation, spatial/temporal translation, materials, configuration, structure, signature reduction (optical, infrared, radiofrequency, acoustic), human interface, human effects, armament (RF and DEW) and other peripheral areas in support of (1-11)

Did the AAWSAP contractor BAASS have access to classified information ? 

Under the AAWSAP contract, the DIA was not required to provide BAASS with any data from US government records or databases. BAASS was in charge of data collection, but "a good faith effort will be made to fulfill any legitimate request". All information and data that BAASS required in order to accomplish its objectives had to be requested from the GPL, James Lacatski. The solicitation mentions that the contractor would mostly have access to unclassified data, but could request classified data if needed.

As specified in the Security Addendum, "This contract does require access to SCI at U.S. Government installations." BAASS personnel, if duly cleared, could request access to SCI material through James Lacatski, and could also request access to Special Access Program/Special Access Information through Lacatski if necessary. It was then the responsibility of the Agency/department who had custody of this material to allow access to BAASS personnel. "The contractor must contact the Special Access Program Manager for each program, through the CO/COR, for authorization and access to such material."

What was BAASS required to deliver ?

a. Status Reports - monthly reports outlining accomplishments, milestones, and work in progress.

b. Project Management Plan – For each technical area, the team lead shall submit, at the 60 day point, an overview paper identifying the scope of the final report; a Plan of Action and Milestones, and the composition of the analytical team. 

c. Research Reports – For each technical area, a comprehensive report and briefing forecasting potential advancements and their impact is to be submitted to the GPL by the end of the tenth month. An executive version of each report should also be submitted. Format will be specified by the GPL.

d. Integrated Threat Assessment – A final report and briefing that assesses the foreign threat from advanced aerospace platforms incorporating the technologies discussed in the individual research reports will be provided to the GPL at the end of the period of performance.  An executive version of the report should also be submitted. Format will be specified by the GPL.

e. Resumes - The Contractor shall submit resumes of all key personnel proposed for this effort.  The Government reserves the right to review resumes and qualifications prior to acceptance of individuals for assignment. 

Will AAWSAP records be publicly available ?

As a private company, most deliverables produced by BAASS were likely proprietary information, but "all classified information received or generated in performance of this contract is the property of the U.S. Government". All requests for public release of information (classified or unclassified) had to be submitted for approval to the Directorate for Freedom of Information and Security Review, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (PA), through the COR James Lacatski.

Analysis

BAASS, as the AAWSAP contractor, had access to classified information, but it was BAASS responsibility to find and collect relevant data to fulfill the contract objectives. What was required of BAASS was pretty straightforward : write technical papers regarding a dozen of specific topic, and deliver status reports and management plans.

Was AAWSAP a UFO or paranormal investigation program ?

According to the solicitation, it was not. It was only a study of 12 technical topics in relation with advanced aerospace technology.

Was BAASS required to conduct UFO sightings investigation ?

Once again, if we read the AAWSAP statement of objectives, BAASS was not required to investigate UFOs.

Did BAASS investigate UFOs ?

Yes, they did. And that's pretty much all they did. They fulfilled the DIA AAWSAP contract objectives by subcontracting and delivering 38 technical papers known as the 38 DIRDs (Defense Intelligence Reference Documents) about propulsion, lift, and other technical topics. But according to many documents such as e.mails, correspondence, and accounts from former employees, consultants or witnesses, BAASS pursued only one goal : the investigation of the UFO phenomenon. A lot of evidence, such as the MUFON-BAASS deal that was covered in a recent article by Roger Glassel and Curt Collins, e.mails sent by BAASS to UFOlogists from all over the world, the trip to Brazil by a BAASS team that was investigated by Keith Basterfield and the author prove that BAASS was all about UFOs. In his Popular Mechanics article, Tim Mc Millan writes "In July 2009, BAASS provided a comprehensive report to the DIA at the conclusion of the first-year option of the AAWSAP contract. The 494-page “Ten Month Report,” as it’s called, is (...) explicitly about unexplained aerial phenomena."

Did BAASS investigate UFOs for the U.S. Government ?

There are a couple of possible scenarios :

1. The DIA intentionally hid a UFO phenomenon investigation within an advanced aerospace technology study program, and was well-aware that BAASS was looking into UAP.

2. There was some kind of agreement between Senator Reid, James Lacatski, Robert Bigelow and others that BAASS would receive government funding to investigate UFOs, but officially, for the DIA and the US Government, AAWSAP was only about research in "potential breakthrough technology applications employed in future aerospace weapon systems", not UFO-related.

3. Since UFO research was not officially part of the contract, Bigelow may have used his company for a private UFO study.

What stands out in this solicitation document is that everything had to go through, and get approval, from James Lacatski. He seems to be the only point of contact for the AAWSAP, and we may ask ourselves if a dedicated DIA team was overseeing and evaluating the program, or if Lacatski took sole command of the operational management of AAWSAP. Unfortunately, Lacatski has never talked publicly about his role in AAWSAP/AATIP. But according to several statements, and as evidence suggest, he was more than likely the "DIA Officer" who visited Skinwalker Ranch, then wrote the AAWSAP solicitation to hide a UFO investigation program within an advanced aerospace technology research program.

In a 2018 New York Magazine interview, Senator Harry Reid stated : "And here’s what he [the DIA officer] said: “What I will do is prepare something for you that anyone can look at it that wants to, it’s strictly science.” He put it in scientific language — what the study should consist of." As we can see in this solicitation document, Lacatski is a central figure in the history of AAWSAP. Whether he deliberately drafted a US Government contract to hide a UFO research operation to the benefit of Harry Reid and Robert Bigelow has to be investigated further. 

Did the DIA know that BAASS was investigating UFOs ?

In addition to the research papers, BAASS had to deliver a couple of monthly status reports and project management plans. According to several sources, the DIA received copies of the comprehensive UFO study known as the "10 Month Report" after it was published by BAASS in July 2009. Did the DIA know that BAASS was mainly a UFO research program before they received that report ? Or did the previous monthly status reports only mention the work being conducted in regard to the 12 technical topics ? By July 2009, when this report was delivered and disseminated through the DIA Defense Warning Office, the Agency was definitely aware of the extent of BAASS UFO research activities.

It is worth mentioning that a lot of things happened in the Summer of 2009, around the same time that the 494-page report was published. First, Harry Reid requested SAP status for the program. Then, as DoD Senior Strategic Planner and Spokesperson Susan Gough, publicly stated "After an OSD/DIA review in late 2009, it was determined the reports were of limited value to DIA and there was a recommendation that upon completion of the contract the project could be transited to an agency or component better suited to oversee it." In the course of our investigation about Bigelow's activities in South America, we also learned from multiple sources that all communications between BAASS and ufologists stopped in August 2009. This is all circumstantial, but we may wonder if the Summer of 2009 was a turning point for AAWSAP and BAASS, and if the DIA chose to review the whole program after they discovered that AAWSAP was a UFO research program.

Conclusion

There is no definitive evidence to prove that the DIA and the US Government initially knew AAWSAP was a UFO research effort. The solicitation document refers only to advanced aerospace technology. However, we have definitive evidence, such as the "10-Month Report", e.mail exchange between BAASS and ufologists, and numerous witness accounts that prove that BAASS, the DIA contractor for AAWSAP, did study UFOs. We have yet to determine if the DIA wanted a private contractor to secretly investigate the UFO phenomenon, or if Senator Reid and Robert Bigelow designed their own program with the help of James Lacatski, in order to pursue their interest in the UFO phenomenon.

According to the 2017 New York Times article "Glowing Auras and ‘Black Money’: The Pentagon’s Mysterious U.F.O. Program", the program was “largely funded at the request of Harry Reid.” Steven Aftergood, Director of the Federation of American Scientists on Government Secrecy, commented on the program in a January 2019 article : “Anyone who looks at these titles [the 38 DIRDs] will scratch their heads and wonder what on earth the Defense Intelligence Agency was thinking.” He added "the AAWSAP contract sounds like it was a good deal for the contractor. But it would be hard to argue that either the military or the public got their money’s worth."

One thing is certain : this contract was a very good deal for Bigelow. He received money from the Defense Intelligence Agency to fulfill his lifelong interest in Ufology. By allowing BAASS access to classified information and by making it possible for them to request access to SCI and SAP, the AAWSAP contract was definitely an opportunity for Bigelow to finally discover what the US Government really knew about UFOs. And all he had to do, according to the solicitation document, was to produce a couple of technical papers.

References

(1). AAWSAP Solicitation Documents : https://beta.sam.gov/opp/2e30b8192aaa2fb3f32c1497570cbcad/view?keywords=ADVANCED%20AEROSPACE%20WEAPON%20SYSTEM%20APPLICATIONS%20PROGRAM%20&sort=-relevance&index=&is_active=false&page=1&organization_id=300000423

(2). BAASS company information available at https://esos.nv.gov/EntitySearch/BusinessInformation

(3). https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/navigating-the-twisted-maze-of-the-aatip-timeline/ 

(4). https://www.blueblurrylines.com/2020/03/the-pentagon-ufo-programs-secret-partner.html

(5). http://parallaxuap.blogspot.com/2020/04/baass-visited-brazil.html

(6). https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/research/a30916275/government-secret-ufo-program-investigation/

(7). https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-new-yorker-interview/harry-reid-misses-george-w-bush-and-always-kind-of-liked-bernie-sanders

(8). https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/16/us/politics/pentagon-program-ufo-harry-reid.html

(9). https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/3kg8v5/the-governments-secret-ufo-program-funded-research-on-wormholes-and-extra-dimensions