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Skinwalkers at the Pentagon: An Insiders' Account of the Secret Government UFO Program

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Skinwalkers at the Pentagon unmasks the massive scope of the Pentagon’s landmark UFO study that ran from the Defense Intelligence Agency in Washington, D.C. The Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program, or AAWSAP investigated the “Tic Tac” and other “nuts and bolts” UFO events, analyzed intrusions of UFOs onto US military bases, as well as probed the plethora of bizarre phenomena that government investigators encountered on Skinwalker Ranch.

Written by two program insiders and a respected journalist, Skinwalkers at the Pentagon comes to a conclusion that has never before been revealed!

Encountering anomalies on Skinwalker Ranch often led to the “attachment” of strange phenomena to military personnel who visited the Ranch and brought “something” home to their families, resulting in frightening eruptions of paranormal events in their households that terrorized and sometimes injured their children.

By the end of the two-year program, more than 100 separate technical reports, some of which ran to hundreds of pages, were delivered to the Defense Intelligence Agency. Among them was a 149-page report on the Soviet (and now Russian) UAP investigation/analysis capability. Another details the design and build of a functional prototype for an autonomous Unidentified Aerial Phenomena surveillance platform.

Skinwalkers at the Pentagon has been reviewed by the U.S. Department of Defense and CLEARED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE May 11, 2021. Case 20-SB-0058

"The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense or the U.S. Government.

The public release clearance of this publication by the Department of Defense does not imply Department of Defense endorsement or factual accuracy of the material.

Where appropriate, in order to protect personally identifiable information (PII) and protected health information (PHI) names and personal details have been changed."

252 pages, Paperback

First published October 10, 2021

1023 people are currently reading
1689 people want to read

About the author

James T. Lacatski

3 books8 followers

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5 stars
822 (41%)
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598 (30%)
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395 (20%)
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104 (5%)
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41 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 143 reviews
Profile Image for MacWithBooksonMountains Marcus.
355 reviews20 followers
February 23, 2024
Despite the somewhat sensationalist title, this turned out to be rather non-sensationalist, researched-based writing about paranormal phenomena and government involvement.
Profile Image for Elford Alley.
Author 21 books86 followers
April 1, 2022
A secret program spent millions trying to understand the truth behind UAPs, and instead discovered new levels of paranormal weirdness, and the possibility that certain portions of the government may understand far more than they're willing to reveal. A fun read!
460 reviews2 followers
May 31, 2023
First hand history of the federal investigation of Skinwalker Ranch in Utah. The authors were hired by Robert Bigelow as part of the investigation team and document how the project was launched, the methods used, what was found, and how it ended. This included a lot of bipedal wolf creatures and orbs of light.

This is either an amazing story of how the government was tricked out of $22 million, a story of corruption and money laundering with an elaborate and bizarre cover story, or a true account of paranormal events. The number and caliber of witnesses lead me to believe it is true. World’s a crazy place.
23 reviews3 followers
April 20, 2022
How to make the interesting boring

This book is 70% PR fluff telling us how wonderful Robert Bigelow is, and how wonderful everything he does is; 10% quotes from official documents; 10% repetitive and uninformative narrative; and 10% kind of interesting stuff. I couldn’t finish it. At least I got it on Kindle Unlimited.
Profile Image for Michael Schmicker.
Author 14 books218 followers
May 21, 2022
cutting edge scientific investigation.

excellent scientific exploration of both UFOs and a range of paranormal phenomena. Both are validated as real by this book.
4 reviews
October 13, 2021
very clear and concise

Good chronological order of the issues, with new information, which has enhanced my opinion and interest on the topic.

Well worth the read.
4 reviews
October 31, 2021
The Revenge of the Skinwalker Ranch Beings!

This blockbuster is at once a follow up to the first book Skinwalker Ranch and a total unmasking of the government’s Black Budgeted investigation into not only the extraterrestrial presence at the Unitas Basin but more concerning the investigation of many Paranormal events taken place there in Utah. The book will open your eyes and in my case an enormous amount of head shaking and awe and wonder at how much our government has been hiding from the general public. This is a must read for everyone!
Profile Image for Carol Ochs.
10 reviews6 followers
July 31, 2022
Must-reading for anyone just now catching up to the realization of the govt.(s) secrets they think we can't handle. And since the Penragon "ok'd" this tome for release, you can bet that what is in the book only barely scratches the surface. I would just be leery at the hints of "for our own safety" insinuations that may be implied now or in the future as far as ramped up efforts for space war defense and fear-mongering, blah, blah. Does anyone really think E.T.'s couldn't have already taken over Earth long ago if they really wanted to?
Profile Image for Stephanie Sanders-Jacob.
Author 8 books61 followers
October 26, 2021
Probably the most comprehensive, well written book I’ve read about the phenomenon. I appreciated the timeline leading up to the UAPTF report and the clarification on the difference between AATIP and AAWSAP. The book not only explained the breadth of the phenomenon, but also government and cultural reactions to it. That might sound kind of dry, but there were plenty of “spooky” stories to keep it exciting.
Profile Image for Nicholas.
2 reviews4 followers
January 22, 2024
A few interesting details on the formation and tasks of AAWSAP but mostly filler of rehashed stories that fail to provide any good details or information. There is always a convenient reason to not go into detail on the more interesting things that have happened. Quick and easy read at least!
Profile Image for J.R..
263 reviews4 followers
May 16, 2022
Another UFO related book I read to appease personal acquaintances in my life. I'm open minded to the topic and promises to overlay a naturally skeptical perspective on a subject near to their hearts. This one was a bit more palatable than prior book, though the title of the work is absolutely obnxious lmao.

Look, if you approach this topic with preconceptions of accuracy, you'll probably enjoy it. If you're ambivalent, you won't be convinced one way or the other.

Evidence seems to always be qualitative testimonials, with emphasis on glowing characteristics of the individual to buy support based on precieved authority. "So-and-so is a combat veteran and former detective," etc. So not only do you have to have faith that the anadetoal story actually occurred and isn't fabricated, but also that it is presented accurately and isn't tweaking or withholding information to steer conclusions. Its also frustrating in the blatantly different scenarios that the testimonies retell. One guy sees a werewolf, one a dinosaur, some aliens and orbs, others poltergeist activities. The inconsistencies would lead any sober minded person to be extremely wary of claiming this is evidence of anything. Finally, the testimonials can never be recreated or tested, so they are scientifically uselss as data.

Throw in that the BASS (as relied by the book) is a private contractor, who monetarily benefits from producing 'results' with renewed contracts (not to mention the owner of BASS also owns the ranch being studied and now there is a TV show and other capital generating enterprises linked with the site), findings are already dubious at best.

I'm not saying there is evidence to disprove the claims (at least not related to me in the book), I'm just saying nowhere in the book was there evidence proving anything. Wouldn't read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Kyle Grindberg.
398 reviews31 followers
June 28, 2023
Though the jargon-laden portions at the beginning were a slog to get through, the cases after that section were fascinating. In particular, the "hitchhiker" phenomena in which people who investigate these hotspot locations (like Skinwalker Ranch) have strange poltergeist and other esoteric phenomena that follow them home (hence hitchhiker), and then later it also afflicts their family as well. I have personally seen a microcosm of this arising from mere interest in strange phenomena, back in the day when I would watch ghost videos and shows, inevitably I would start to experience poltergeist activity around my house. C.S .Lewis calls interest in these things "spiritual lust," and just as with sexual lust, going down that road opens a door makes you vulnerable. In either kind of lust you're giving the devil a foothold.
23 reviews1 follower
October 25, 2021
Nothing new

Disappointed, nothing new. Nothing that hasn't be said before.

I thought there would have been something new .

Hardly secret.



Profile Image for Some Christian Lady.
175 reviews18 followers
August 20, 2023
With talk of “aliens” becoming more common-place, I thought it would be worthwhile to read this book… and with a foreword by Senator Harry Reid, this one seemed like it would have some credibility.

Suffice it to say that this book only reinforced my opinion that “aliens” are nothing more than demons in disguise. This book talks extensively about the fact that “UAP” (unidentified aerial phenomena) is consistently connected with paranormal activity. In fact most of the people involved with this work subsequently experienced frightening things at their houses (orbs, strange noises in their homes, black figures standing at the foot of their bed at night, etc.).

Additionally, many people who claim to have had interactions with these “beings” recount that they were given advice about not destroying the environment, loving your fellow man, and other religious advice. These encounters have even spawned religious-cults.

Does this not sound exactly what the devil (the great deceiver) would set out to do? He wants to draw people away from belief in God, and instead get people to worship these “beings”.

I also find it interesting to note that in another book I read on this topic, people who claimed to have been abducted and experimented on, when they called out in the name of Jesus for help, the entire experience immediately ended.

This particular book is not written by Christian’s. The authors of this book are through and through secular naturalists. So they never address the possibility that what they are experiencing is in fact spiritual and not natural. They are mentally constrained by their naturalistic straightjacket, which undergirds their interpretations and conclusions. Thus they are eliminating from the get-go the actual answer to what this is.

As Christians, we need to be able to give an answer to those who ask. And as the topic of aliens/UFO’s/UAP’s becomes more common (to the point of congress going on TV and talking about this a few weeks ago) I think it’s important that we educate ourselves so that we can explain to people who believe in this stuff that what they are seeing is NOT life from other planets, but in fact nothing more then demonic activity.

Satan is not a fool, and he knows that people are willing to accept belief in this stuff, and as the great deceiver, he will use whatever tactics work to draw more people away from the true and living God, to an eternity of torment in hell. This is his main goal, and people are so set in their sins that they will willingly accept any “answer” that will allow them to continue in their sins without having to believe in the God who created them.

I pray people will wake up and open their eyes to this evil deception, orchestrated by the one who came to steal, kill and destroy! 🙏
549 reviews
June 12, 2024
A fascinating look inside the governmental programs attempting to learn what is going on at the famous Skinwalker Ranch. Whether you believe in UFOs, skinwalkers, bigfoot or the like, there are many incidents and readings that defy science at the ranch.
Profile Image for Michael.
97 reviews2 followers
October 30, 2021
Fascinating book that reveals how governmental agencies provided financial support spearheaded by U.S. Senator Harry Reid to explore, document, and investigate, unknown aerial phenomenon and the trail of para-happenings that seem to follow those involved; with specific coverage of the Tik Tok UAP as reported in the NYTimes, and specifically at the Skinwalker Ranch in Utah. The operational point from which these investigations were made, was grounded in scientific, academic, and military rigors, that protected the integrity of navigating what can no longer be cited as magical thinking or novel fantasy.
18 reviews
November 5, 2021
Excellent information we all must know at this time.

This book is packed with information that I know is true. Get ready for a new paradigm because it's here. Wake up everyone!
Profile Image for Mónika.
210 reviews4 followers
May 4, 2024
Wasn’t what I expected but still a captivating listen. Mostly covered Skinwalker Ranch here in Utah and the associated phenomena experienced by visitors. I was expecting more about other encounters, and I am still a staunch extraterrestrial/UAP/paranormal skeptic. No pics in audiobooks, sadly.
Profile Image for Karen Danielson.
461 reviews1 follower
December 25, 2024
Another mind blowing book about crazy things. I’m still trying to figure out the UFO stuff.
Profile Image for Melodyhay.
46 reviews
April 8, 2026
Awesome read for fans of secret of skinwalker ranch! Skeeery! 🐺👽💫
10 reviews1 follower
November 3, 2021
very objective, just the facts

This is not a typical book on ufos. This book just sticks to objective facts and the reader can form their own opinion. Excellent read. A great base for additional research. Highly recommended.
2 reviews1 follower
October 15, 2021
If you have ever seen a UFO and thought to run up to it and ask for a ride, think again. This book is the 'disclosure' that the UFO community has been waiting for. Although dry reading, it reveals the evidence, the methodology used to obtain it, and the agencies that were formed to procure it. Along with Ross Coulthart's "In Plain Sight", Diana Pasulka's "American Cosmic", Nick Cook's "The Hunt for Zero Point" and anything written by the great Jacques Vallee, this book is mandatory reading for anyone hungry for sensible, evidence-based answers to what is known to date about UFOs and their link to high strangeness.
2 reviews
October 19, 2021
Exhilarating

This book represents sheds a profound light on the phenomena and the state of “what we know.” Required reading for those who are truly familiar with the history and development of the study of the phenomena since Blue Book.
2 reviews
October 20, 2021
Outstanding Read…

The best view into the original Bigello study at skinwalker ranch. Huge amount of tangible data regarding UAPs and high strangeness.
1 review
October 15, 2021
Riveting!

Extremely interesting book about the history and current state of the UAP phenomena. It was hard to put down in fact!
Profile Image for Richard Tubb.
Author 5 books29 followers
June 18, 2022
Reading this book totally blew my mind, and gave me pause for thought.

The author, James Lacatski, is a US Government Defense Intelligence Agency program manager and this book is written in conjunction with George Knapp (an investigative journalist) and Colm Kelleher (a biochemist with a fifteen-year research career in cell and molecular biology).

The book shares details of the US Government funded two-year research program into the Unidentified Flying Object or UFO (now more often referred Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon or UAP) phenomenon.

Kelleher and Lacatski are both program insiders and so share as much information as their non-disclosure and secrecy agreements will permit.

The details in this book are laid out based on reports from the program, and the book has a foreward from Senator Harry Reid, who has been a huge champion of shining a light on this oft-maligned subject.

In short, the US government (and other national governments) have dismissed and ridiculed the UFO subject for fifty years, yet they are finally acknowledging that *something* is going on that is outside of their control and knowledge.

What I found most interesting about this book is that it focuses not on conjecture, but on research / evidence gathered by highly skilled and respected individuals in a number of Scientific and Military fields. While the contents of this book may come across as Science Fiction, they are based on genuine findings.

To call these findings "high strangeness" would be understating them. In fact, the sections on the so-called "hitchhikers" (paranormal phenomenon that has followed some researchers home to disturb them and their families) are like something out of a horror film -- except, of course, these are real people reporting them.

It's clear from this book and the wave of mainstream media that we're seeing around this phenomenon that the days of ridiculing this topic are now coming to an end, and we're on the cusp of some very serious re-evaluations of what human consciousness and the nature of reality around us is.

Highly recommended (if at times, disturbing) reading.
101 reviews4 followers
February 26, 2024
I’m not really sure what the point of this book is. I’ve read a lot of books on high strangeness, UFOs, ultraterrestrials, ETs, the whole subject area. For some reason this one in particular comes across as a complete mockery of what has become a serious and important subject in the face of David Grusch’s testimony.

My issue with this book is mostly that it just claims a lot of weird incidents without any objective evidence and makes no realistic attempts to explain any of it. I find most of the testimony completely unreliable. This whole collective of people had a massive financial incentive to lie about what they encountered at Skinwalker ranch, mostly because they were receiving ongoing government funding in the range of tens of millions of dollars to conduct these investigations. One would think that if something real was happening, for that kind of money, all of these supposed experts with intel and high science backgrounds could have carried around a few cameras and sensors to evidence what they were encountering. I mean a dinosaur beaver? Really? Shadow people and attacking orbs floating around, whacking people? All these claims of injuries but no pictures of the people injured? This reads like a bunch of lies from crazy people.

The fact that no attempts are made to explain what is going on with this crazy stuff that is claimed to have been seen is the biggest tell this is nonsense. If these people really saw this stuff, they’d want to explain it. They’d be desperately trying to. You’re being stalked by werewolves and you and your family just stay at your house, you don’t get security to keep everyone safe after mythical beings beat up your teenage son in his bed? I think the people associated with this were con artists.
Profile Image for Ericka Clou.
2,833 reviews218 followers
January 25, 2026
Oh boy, where to begin? Do not trust The History Channel, history.com, or any media citing The History Channel. The History Channel faces widespread criticism from historians and scientists for promoting pseudoscience and pseudohistory as fact. Shows are frequently debunked for unsubstantiated claims. Like Fox News, it is an entertainment channel not a source of accurate or expert information. (See Dominion Voting Systems v. Fox News Network.) We all need to brush up on the fundamentals of research, citation, and scientific proof if we hope to accomplish good rather than unintentional evil in this world.

Second, this book begins with... and I can't believe I am writing this about a book claiming to be nonfiction in any kind of serious manner... werewolves. Subsequent stories in this book describe events resembling paranormal activity usually reserved for poltergeists and ghosts rather than aliens.

Additional evidence is given of people with cancer and/or radiation poisoning which does not require any supernatural or alien activity.

Tic tac, which has no relation in style or substance to the paranormal activity described, or the radiation events claimed, has been discredited by actual scientists and aviation experts.

As if this weren't more than enough to dispose of this book, the owners of Skinwalker Ranch somehow won the government contract to study Skinwalker Ranch. This is both deeply unscientific (bias and lack of expertise) and gives the residents more than ample motivation to make up stories about what they witness there. I can only hope they face a huge lawsuit to retrieve the taxpayer money they are likely stealing.

The publishers should issue a public apology for this book.
Profile Image for Gabe Hawkins.
121 reviews
October 26, 2023
UAP and co-occurring phenomenon when reported by qualified observers and corroborated by additional witnesses and sensor data is fascinating and worth researching. I don't know what the source of these occurrences are. I have an open mind and will continue to follow this as long as there are questions to be asked. This book and its follow-up, which I also recently read, are really interesting reads. If I assume it's all truthful, accurately reported, and without exaggeration or misinformation, inadvertent or otherwise, then there's something here that's really cool. The more academic focused follow up felt more substantive, but this was a cool read too.

That being said, Kelleher et. al. are really trying my patience. Reports like these are valid and worthwhile, the previously mentioned assumptions notwithstanding, but more reports, verified information, videos, testimony, etc. is needed to lend credence to reports like this. Otherwise, it feels like some folks with just enough inside knowledge to sell some books and keep interested folks hanging. These two books represent all the authors can say at this point, as they are quick to point out in interviews. So if they can suddenly say more without good reasons, then it's safe to take everything with a mountain of salt. You should be taking it with a grain at this point.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 143 reviews