Spanish Air Force UFO Research Program – Instrucción General 40-5

Since at least 1992, the Spanish Air Force has operated a classified UFO research program governed by the internal directive known as Instrucción General 40-5. Under this regulation, all UFO reports are automatically classified as 'confidencial' — the Spanish military equivalent of confidential/secret. In May 2022, the Air Force confirmed in response to a freedom-of-information request that the directive remains active and in force.

The directive mandates that any incoming UFO report be forwarded without delay through the chain of command, reaching the base commander, the General of the corresponding air command, and the Supreme Commander of Air and Space Operations (CJMOA). A commissioned officer of at least officer rank is assigned to investigate each case, and the public may be called upon via mass media to report sightings.

The program's witness questionnaire reveals the breadth of Spanish military interest: beyond standard sighting data, it asks about health effects on witnesses (paralysis, burns, neurological symptoms, and notably even health improvements), physical environmental effects (radioactivity, fires, motor failures), and dedicates two full pages to describing associated beings — their appearance, clothing, equipment, sounds, and behavior toward witnesses. Investigative journalist J. J. Benítez obtained a leaked copy of the full directive from a contact within the military, making its contents publicly known.