CHAPTER 24: NUKES AND UFOS

December 30, 2025

CHAPTER 24: NUKES AND UFOS

CHAPTER 24: NUKES AND UFOS

By Steve Douglass

In the last post, we did a deep dive on the rarity of intelligent life in the Universe and how small the chances are that they've contacted us here on Earth.

There was a lot of math involved (sorry for that), but it is key to understanding what happened at Roswell.

I promise no math involved in this post - but it is important as well. In fact, it's crucial.

Let's start with a list of UFO sightings and how they correspond with nuclear sites, one of which is located within miles of where I live in Texas.

Notable UFO Incidents Near Nuclear Facilities
1940s–1950s

Los Alamos & Other Early Nuclear Lab Sightings (Late 1940s–1950s)

Multiple unidentified aerial phenomena were reported around Los Alamos National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories shortly after WWII, a period when nuclear weapons development was highly classified. These “green fireball” sightings were concentrated geographically near these research sites. SlashLore

FBI Document – Los Alamos (1950)

A declassified FBI memo from 1950 references reports of “flying saucers” near Los Alamos labs — a key nuclear weapons development location. HISTORY
1960s

Malmstrom AFB Missile Incident (Montana, USA — 1967)

Perhaps the most widely discussed case: USAF personnel reported glowing UFOs near missile silos at Malmstrom AFB. Former Captain Robert Salas and other guards later testified that 10 Minuteman ICBMs simultaneously became inoperable during the sighting. Skeptics attribute this to other causes, but the event remains central to the “UFO–nuclear nexus” narrative. Wikipedia+1

Minot AFB and Other 1960s Reports

Reports from Minot AFB (North Dakota) include sightings of glowing objects near missile storage areas and radar tracking of unidentified craft near nuclear payload areas. Unidentified Phenomena
1970s

Repeated Sightings at Missile/Nuclear Bases (1975)

Between late October and early November 1975, numerous sightings were reported at Loring AFB (Maine), Wurtsmith AFB (Michigan), Grand Forks and Minot AFB (North Dakota), and Malmstrom AFB. These involved mysterious lights or craft over nuclear weapons storage or missile sites. NICAP
1980s

Rendlesham Forest / Bentwaters (1980, England)

One of the best-known UFO cases in the UK occurred near RAF Bentwaters/Woodbridge, which was believed at the time to store nuclear weapons. USAF personnel reported unusual lights, radar contacts, and beams allegedly affecting areas close to weapons storage. HISTORY+1

Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant (1984, USA)

Guards from the Indian Point plant reportedly observed a large UFO hovering above the facility on multiple occasions. Wikipedia
Post-Cold War & Other Nations

Laguna Verde Nuclear Power Plant (Mexico, 2014)

A UAP resembling those seen in other incidents was filmed near Laguna Verde nuclear power station. APEC

French Nuclear Facilities (2014)

Security personnel observed unidentified objects near French nuclear power plants, initially thought to be drones. APEC

Other Reported Cases Worldwide

Sightings have been asserted at sites such as Hartlepool Nuclear Power Plant (UK), Trawsfynydd Power Plant (Wales), and other facilities, though these often come from UFO research compilations rather than government documentation. APEC

Summary of Recurring Themes

Cold War Military Bases: Many reports originate from nuclear missile silos and AFBs (e.g., Malmstrom, Minot, Loring) where sightings are coupled with alleged system malfunctions. NICAP

Nuclear Research & Power Sites: Other incidents involve civilian nuclear power plants and research sites (e.g., Los Alamos, Indian Point, France & Mexico). HISTORY+1

Official Records vs. Anecdote: Some cases (especially military ones) involve veteran testimony or declassified memos, while others are based on UFO research group databases or civilian sightings.

PANTEX

Of particular interest to me are those that occurred near the Pantex plant located just east of Amarillo.

Let's list the ones in the public record. Many DOE files on UAP are still classified.

I personally witnessed one about a decade ago—silent and hovering over the plutonium storage pits. At the time, I didn’t think much of it and assumed Pantex was using drones for security. Years later, after I obtained my FAA UAS license through my television station, I was invited to use our drone to film buildings at Pantex. That’s when I realized that, at least then, they didn’t actually have any drones. As I flew our drone toward the plant—fully authorized—I was quickly surrounded by security personnel who were intensely curious about what the drone could and couldn’t do. I had the distinct impression they had never worked with one before, which struck me as unusual.

1. November 7, 1957 — Bright Objects Hovering Over Pantex

• Guards at the Pantex Atomic Energy Commission ordnance plant reported bright, flashing objects hovering low (≈50 ft) over the plant for ~30 minutes on the night of November 7, 1957. Guards and a Texas state patrolman both reported seeing the lights, and one report claimed an object may have landed briefly on a road nearby. Multiple lights were later seen by local reporters en route to the site. NICAP+1

🔹 2. June 2005 — Triangle-Shaped UFO Report (MUFON)

• A triangle-shaped UFO with four lights (three yellow, one red) was reportedly seen hovering over the Pantex Plant area by a civilian witness and others pulled off the highway to observe the object. This claim comes from a MUFON submission and is not tied to official government documentation but is part of UFO research archives. Texas UFO Sightings

🔹 3. September 2, 2015 — UAP Observed by Pantex Personnel

• According to a Department of Energy document obtained via FOIA:

Security personnel at Pantex observed an unidentified object (described in reporting as “diamond-shaped with a rounded top”) on September 2, 2015.
The object was tracked by ground surveillance radar and followed for several miles until it disappeared from sight.
The DOE report was heavily redacted but confirms the sighting and tracking activity at the nuclear weapons facility. Unidentified Phenomena+1

🔹 4. 2022 & 2023 — Unauthorized Aerial Incursions (Drones / UAS)

• Internal DOE and Pantex Field Office records released through FOIA identify multiple aircraft incursions over Pantex in recent years:

October 5, 2022: A black quad-rotor drone was observed entering Pantex airspace and flying directly overhead before disappearing.
June 25, 2023: A white drone with green blinking lights hovered over the facility before moving away; security responded but lost visual contact.
These incidents were classified as “Management Interest (AMI)” level security concerns and are confirmed in redacted DOE documents. theblackvault.com

Notes on Classification & Context

The 1957 and 2005 sightings originate from historical newspapers, UFO research groups (e.g., MUFON), and secondary sources. They are part of broader mid-20th-century UFO reporting but were not officially investigated by government UFO task forces at the time of occurrence. NICAP+1
The 2015 incident and 2022/2023 incursions appear in government records obtained via FOIA, though details are redacted and descriptions may blend unidentified drones with UAP/UFO reporting. Unidentified Phenomena+1
Some recent incursions are clearly attributed to unauthorized drones (UAS), which in official classification, are treated as airspace security violations rather than classic UFO phenomena. theblackvault.com

Where Pantex Fits in the Larger Pattern

Pantex’s inclusion in UFO/UAP reporting is often cited alongside other nuclear facilities where unidentified aerial phenomena have been reported — part of a broader pattern noted by researchers that these sightings cluster near sites tied to nuclear weapons production or missile operations.

Why UAPs Might Be Interested in Nuclear Technology

If UAPs (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena) represent non-human intelligence (NHI)—whether extraterrestrial, non-local, or something else—then nuclear weapons are interesting not because they are a threat to UAPs, but because of what they signal about us.

1. Nuclear Weapons as a Civilizational Threshold

Nukes represent a technological inflection point:

Ability to release planetary-scale energy
First technology capable of rapid self-extinction
Transition from biological limits to physics-level power

From an external observer’s perspective, this marks:

“A species has reached the capacity to destroy itself faster than it can evolve.”

This may be a universal milestone for intelligent civilizations—a filter between those that stabilize and those that disappear.

2. Interest in Risk, Not Aggression

UAP reports often cluster around:

Missile silos
Weapons storage sites
Nuclear power plants
Testing ranges

Notably:

No confirmed hostile action
No attempt at takeover
No sustained interference

This suggests observation and measurement, not defense or attack.

Analogy:
A wildlife biologist watches a species near environmental collapse but is prepared to interfere covertly if extinction is imminent.

So just how would an advanced intelligent species even know we had the bomb?

3. Nuclear Detonations as Beacons

Nuclear explosions produce:

Gamma rays
Neutrinos
Electromagnetic pulses
Sudden spacetime/ionospheric disturbances

These effects:

Are detectable across vast distances
Stand out sharply from natural astrophysical events
May propagate in ways we don’t fully measure yet

From this view, Earth’s nuclear tests were less like weapons use and more like shouting into the cosmic dark.

4. Ethical Intervention Hypothesis

An advanced intelligence might follow a covert interference directive if intervention could distort natural evolutionary paths of an entire intelligent species.

This aligns with:

Observation without contact
Disabling weapons temporarily (as some reports claim) without destruction
Avoidance of public disclosure

Ancient Extraterrestrial Detection Satellites (Hypothetical)

Assuming a civilization millions or billions of years more advanced, persistent, autonomous monitoring systems would be far more practical than constant travel.

1. Why Ancient Satellites Make Sense

Advanced probes could be:

Self-powered (stellar, vacuum, zero-point, or decay-based)
Extremely durable
AI-controlled and self-repairing
Designed to last geological timescales

They could be placed:

In stable orbital points (Lagrange points)
In high Earth orbit
On the Moon
In asteroid belts
In solar orbit disguised as natural objects

2. What They Would Monitor

Such systems wouldn’t need high-resolution cameras all the time. Instead, they’d watch for signatures of intelligence:

Signal Type	Why It Matters
Radio emissions	Early technological activity
Artificial EM patterns	Communication networks
Nuclear reactions	Energy mastery + extinction risk
Atmospheric changes	Industrialization
Planetary night lights	Civilization scale

When thresholds are crossed, higher-resolution monitoring could activate. Just maybe this is what Mark's antenna array intercepted at Trinity? Is it possible he accidentally monitored a transmission from an ancient overwatch satellite signaling "they have the bomb?" not because they are afraid of it but they are afraid for us?

3. Dormant Until Triggered

A key idea is event-driven activation:

Satellite remains passive for millennia
Detects a nuclear detonation or equivalent
Switches to active observation mode
Deploys atmospheric probes or UAPs

This would explain:

Sudden spikes in sightings after 1945
Focus near nuclear infrastructure
Apparent technological superiority but limited presence

4. Why Use UAPs Instead of Direct Observation?

UAP-like craft could be:

Local drones deployed from orbital platforms
Semi-autonomous probes
Capable of:
- Rapid acceleration
- Silent movement
- Trans-medium travel
- Short-duration missions

They would gather:

Environmental data
Electromagnetic readings
Human response patterns
Weapon system behavior

Not conquest—data acquisition.

Part III — A Broader Interpretation

From this perspective, nuclear weapons are not important because they threaten outsiders, but because they answer a question every advanced civilization may ask: