DoD: Redacted AATIP Emails Released via FOIA
The Black Vault obtained official FOIA release of email correspondence between Luis Elizondo and Neill Tipton regarding AATIP responsibilities. The Department of Defense redacted key references to AATIP and an attached memorandum under exemptions (b)(5) and (b)(6), despite unclassified versions having circulated publicly since 2020.
Background
Through a FOIA request originally filed in June 2021, The Black Vault secured the official release of email communications between Luis Elizondo, former Pentagon official, and Neill Tipton, Director of Defense Intelligence. The emails were sent on the day of Elizondo's resignation from the Pentagon and addressed the transfer of AATIP responsibilities.
Notably, the Department of Defense applied heavy redactions to the officially released documents, citing FOIA exemptions (b)(5) for deliberative process and (b)(6) for personal privacy. These redactions obscured references to AATIP within the email body and entirely withheld a memorandum written by Elizondo intended to clarify Tipton's assumption of AATIP duties.
This official release contrasts with earlier public versions of the same documents that appeared in Popular Mechanics (2020), Elizondo's IG complaint (2021), and the New York Post (2022). The selective redaction raises questions about Pentagon transparency regarding Elizondo's actual role in the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program, which the Pentagon has consistently denied he directed. Via TheBlackVault.com (FOIA).