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The original was posted on /r/ufos by /u/quaalude_dispenser on 2024-11-14 20:33:47+00:00.
The other day, I came across this post by u/VolarRecords about China potentially reverse engineering UAPs:
Containing this image of a partial email or document of some sort allegedly leaked on 4chan and going around a discord server:
Now my intent isn’t to assert that this “leak” is real or fake but the acronym “Det 1 AFEREG” piqued my interest so I wanted to dig a bit further. In his post, u/VolarRecords linked to an old forum discussion from 2008 where people are discussing this unit/organization and the fact that it operates out of Groom Lake aka Area 51. I’ve done a bit of research on Area 51 over the years and according to most documentation the unit that operates it is called Det 3, AFTC or Detatchment 3 of the Air Force Test Center. What I found interesting is that this unit is well documented on the internet, even has a wikipedia page () whereas this other “Det 1, AFEREG” has little to nothing out there on what it is or what they do.
One of the few official records I could find mentioning them is this Lincoln County Nevada parcel ownership record confirming that they are the registered owner of land around Groom Lake and they have a mailing address in Mercury, NV.
The dreamlandresort forum post from 2008 speculated that the acronym AFEREG stands for Air Force Engineering Research and Evaluation group but I wanted to find out for sure and after looking around on that site, I turned up another post from 2010 where a user managed to figure out that it actually stands for Air Force Element Research and Evaluation Group.
Here is the text from this post (
Det 1 AFEREG in Mercury, NV is Detachment 1 of the: ** Air Force Element Research Evaluation Group ** The proof of this is found at the following Web site, where Douglas Lautner, the Assistant Chief of the Fire Department attached to AFEREG, spells out the acronym in a paper he published (scroll down until you get to call number 28645):
We know this is AFEREG because Mr. Lautner identifies himself as the Assistant Chief of Det 1 AFEREG in Mercury, NV in the actual paper itself (read the title page): www.usfa.fema.gov/pdf/efop/efo28645.pdf It's not clear what "element research" refers to, but since others found via Google to be associated with AFEREG are employed as "flight test engineers" and such (such as Stephen A. Cramm, a civilian USAF employee, ), my guess is that "element" refers to physical materials and components used in the manufacture of experimental top secret aircraft. In other words, at Groom Lake (the real location of the AFEREG, not the Mercury mail drop) is Detachment 1 of an Air Force organization who research and evaluate various materials and components for potential use in military plane construction.
Sounds like a unit that could be involved in research / exploitation of exotic materials for use in aircraft, maybe even from recovered UAPs? The fact that this allegedly leaked email implicates this obscure unit with Zodiac is interesting to say the least.
As I continued googling I stumbled on yet another supposed leak containing this name in this Reddit post from earlier in 2023 posted by a now deleted user containing this document. It doesn't seem to have garnered much attention at the time and should obviously be taken with as big of a grain of salt as the other post, but it is worth a read IMO. It talks about this Air Force Unit experimenting with some sort of hazardous chemical found at a crash site. Again, big grain of salt, but quite an allegation.
The next thing I looked into was the phone number at the bottom of the email, (702) 382-9051, supposedly belonging to "Zodiac Exotic Technology Evaluation Group". The extension is censored but the number itself is a legit phone number linked to a number of agencies and private contractors that operate at the Nevada Test Site. I found different extensions leading to the USAF, DOE, and the company JT4 just to name a few. The most interesting page that turned up in my search was this guys Linkedin profile here:
It's weird how much information is on this guy's public-faciing Linkedin. It seems he works/has worked as a program security officer for Air Force SAPs and you'll notice this same phone number appears in his references with an extension. Worth further investigation IMO.
STEPHEN DIDOMENICO, 702-382-9051 X 53500, FULL-TIME, 40+ HRS. /WK Serve as Special Access Program Security Lead, supervising 9 military and contractor security managers covering 9 different offices. Provide security oversight for more than 20 resident and non-resident special access programs (SAP). Ensure programs are conducted in accordance with the National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual, NISPOM Supplement and Overprint to the NISPOM, Joint Air Force Army Navy Manual 6/0, 6/3, 6/4, 6/9 and applicable SAP security classifications guides at all assigned organization locations. Serve as security advisor to the Technical Director with responsibility for security expertise in Acquisitions and Intelligence SAPs. Liaise between the Test and Evaluation Directorate, component services, major commands, and the United States intelligence community. Apply a wide-range of SAP security knowledge to analyze difficult and complex issues having immediate impact on mission completion. Ensure 100% accuracy when performing adjudication reviews to determine access "eligibility" for customer and locally assigned personnel. Responsible for Classification and Implementation Guide Preparation. Prepare security classification guides along with plans and implementation guidance for all current and proposed programs under the directorate purview. Ensure local SAPs meet all applicable requirements of the National Industrial Security Program. Utilize the Air Force Access Database System (AFADS) on a daily basis to update the program accesses on briefed personnel. Process foreign travel request on program-briefed personnel to allow the Program Security Officer with approval authority the ability to authorize travel prior to member’s departure. Responsible for conducting annual Security Education and Awareness Training for all government and contractor employees, which also includes modifications to individual eQIP questionnaires as needed.
Also Notice this section:
Program Security Manager STEPHEN CRAMM, 314-452-3741, FULL-TIME, 40+ HRS. /WK Supervised administrative support for 80-person flight-test organization, executing Secretary of Defense directed test programs. Performed a broad-range of security manager/executive administration support; involving direct oversight for all SAPs controlled by the Technical Director, Chief of Safety, and their staffs. Annually managed classified information for an organization that performed 900-plus hours of Department of Defense and national agency flight-testing. Oversaw a four million dollar annual operations/procurement budget for military and contractor special projects. Ensured the protection and accountability of classified information associated with these 50-plus SAP accesses. Reviewed solicitations and contract documents to ensure they included the appropriate security clauses and required language, including DD Forms 254 for technical accuracy and sufficient classification guidance prior to any contract approval. Implemented DoD, USAF, and Secretary of the Air Force (for Acquisition) policies as directed. Ensured local procedures were utilized for the delegation of the classification and declassification authority as related to developing security guides, document marking, personnel-access controls, need-to-know determinations, physical storage and control, transmitting, reproducing, downgrading and destroying classified information. Performed staff assistance visits on subordinate facilities, and verified the security clearances of 2,300 personnel. Planned and conducted security manager meetings with local and non-local organizations to ensure all current security policies were consistent across the board. Investigated all security incidents and made recommendations on the appropriate level of corrective actions. Semi-annually reviewed past security infractions and /violations to culminate the data into a trend analysis for use in future security awareness training.
Stephen Cramm is the same name mentioned in that 2010 forum post as having worked for this AFEREG unit. Weird coincidence.
Anyways, sorry if this comes acros...
Content cut off. Read original on https://old.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/1greii0/an_air_force_unit_possibly_connected_to_zodiac/