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he went all the way to the top, filing a written report and providing a series of drawings for the Belgian Defense Minister. As far as he's concerned, Colonel Amond was able to eliminate all possible explanations for the object, and states that it was some kind of "unknown aerial vehicle." As for his reflection on this event two decades later, he wrote in an e-mail: "Today there is not yet any explanation! That is a pity because I want to know before dying. Give me a correct explanation of my sighting; that is all that I can ask." He speaks for thousands of others who never thought about UFOs before having the unasked-for experience of seeing one. For many, the effect of that lasts a lifetime. In order to fully grasp the significance of the evidence to be presented by General De Brouwer, we must recognize the special circumstances of this extraordinary series of events. Most UFO cases are 404 oe 14. a asa not "waves," and don't offer up nearly as much data as this one did. Usually they involve a one-time incident, and naturally these are harder both to document and to investigate. The many hundreds of vivid and consistent case reports collected over time in Belgium accumulated and investigated by a group of scientists working with the Air Force—created opportunities for radar detection and other technical applications that benefit from advanced preparation. The large number of sightings increased the likelihood of obtaining valid photos and video footage. The military had adequate time to assess and test a range of options for what the objects might be, which could be either verified or eliminated based on official inquiries, such as whether any helicopters were airborne at a particular time. momo 44 e eo. co ea Hn 4 The Officials could prepare for future visits of the UFOs by training radar specialists to handle these exceptional targets and readying Air Force jets to launch at a moment's notice. As events unfolded over months and mae 4 1 1 1 14 years in Belgium, all mundane, conventional explanations were ruled out. It became very clear what the objects were not, but there was still no clarity about what they were. Eventually, the only possible option left, no matter how remote, was that the objects were F-117A stealth fighters or other secret American military aircraft, sent out on some kind of experimental, clandestine exercise. General De Brouwer thought it extremely unlikely that secret aircraft would be sent to fly repeatedly over Belgium without any official notification, in violation of air rules, since no U.S. Air Force overflight requests had been received. He was also aware that the technological abilities the objects displayed were beyond the capacity even of the abilities the objects displayed were beyond the capacity even of experimental aircraft—which, the general points out, remains the case today. Nonetheless, he made inquiries to the U.S. Embassy in Brussels, and to other NATO partners through informal contacts with their attaches. The answer was exactly what he expected. And the results of his inquiry are spelled out in a U.S. government document, classified at the the of were even