John L. Petersen

John L. Petersen is an American futurist, decorated naval flight officer, and former adviser to the White House National Security Council and Department of Defense. Founder and president of The Arlington Institute since 1989, a nonprofit focused on strategic foresight, surprise anticipation, and scenario modeling to navigate global uncertainties, including wild card events. In UAP/UFO research, he provided a strong endorsement for Leslie Kean's seminal book 'UFOs: Generals, Pilots, and Government Officials Go on the Record,' praising its rigorous analysis and calling it a tipping point for public acceptance of UFO reality. Petersen has influenced national security thinking, worked on DoD projects worldwide, and explored unconventional topics like AI, aliens, and transformative futures in podcasts and writings. No specific birth/death years or direct testimony found; key role bridges military expertise with forward-looking UAP discourse.