NIM-A's new logo

[Robert Webb]

Apparently the National Intelligence Manager for Aviation has a new logo, and it has a flying saucer in it! This is sending the UFO crowd into a frenzy.

https://www.airdomainintelligence.mil/

What do we think about this? Did someone do it as a joke and then no one noticed as it got approved? Or they did notice and thought it was a bit of harmless fun? Or of course, is it a secret announcement of things to come! (Answer: no). Or are they deliberately stoking the fires for some reason?

One thing I notice is that the UFO seems out of place. The other craft are all viewed top-down, and all with arrows behind them indicating their motion. The UFO is off to the side, viewed sideways, and apparently has no motion. It's as if it was added as an afterthought.

I also notice the UFO changes between logos on their homepage. Who has inconsistent logos? Also, none of the social media links on their home page work, and their About section only has three brief items about things from 2009, 2015 and 2016. It all gives the impression of a page that's not really being actively updated.

 

[Duke]

Military organizational patches/logos are sometimes created with tongue firmly in cheek, often done with an inside joke within the illustration.

I wonder if there is any significance as to where the UFO is located on the logo's background map, off the west coast of South America, maybe Columbia or Ecuador?

 

[jarlrmai]

Military organizational patches/logos are sometimes created with tongue firmly in cheek, often done with an inside joke within the illustration.

I wonder if there is any significance as to where the UFO is located on the logo's background map, off the west coast of South America, maybe Columbia or Ecuador?

Can we find any other examples of this?

 

[Easy Muffin]

Can we find any other examples of this?

There's a book titled I Could Tell You but Then You Would Have to Be Destroyed by Me: Emblems from the Pentagon’s Black World by Trevor Paglen in which there are many examples.

You don't know how many Freedom of Information Act requests we've filed in the hope of finding the Alien Technology Exploitation Division, the intrepid souls who'll soon announce a sources-sought contract to develop the Hyperspace Blaster. Alas, they don't exist. A former officer at Air Force Space Command tells Paglen that he and his friends had the patches made at their own expense after getting endlessly ribbed for working in a secure vault "where they kept the alien bodies." They wore them on their flight suits for months before a one-star general asked where he could get one of his own. Oh, and the barely-decipherable legend on the bottom? It's Klingon for "Don't Ask." Paglen got it in the mail from its creator after mentioning that he knew about its existence on the Colbert Report.
https://www.wired.com/2010/11/secret-insignias-from-the-black-ops-world/

Content from External Source

The Navy uses a system of Boeing-designed space satellites to keep mariners connected with each other and home base while they're out at sea. The system is known as the Ultra-High Frequency Follow-On program. If you squint enough, that kinda-sorta-maybe abbreviates to UFO. Naturally, some wise-cracking sailor -- Paglen doesn't specify whom -- had the idea to make this X-Files-inspired patch.
https://www.wired.com/2010/11/secret-insignias-from-the-black-ops-world/

Content from External Source

TENCAP is an acronym for Tactical Exploitation of National Capabilities, a collection of programs that involve developing tactical (battlefield) applications out of reconnaissance satellite capabilities (which are normally thought of as strategic).

“Special” almost invariably means “black” or highly classified. The phrase Oderint Dum Metuant is usually associated with Caligula, the first-century Roman emperor whose name became synonymous with depravity, madness, and tyranny. It translates as “Let them hate so long as they fear.”
https://www.cabinetmagazine.org/issues/24/paglen.php

Content from External Source

This was the original version of a patch commemorating a test flight of a B-2 “Spirit” stealth bomber. The sigma symbol on the test shape’s outline signifies invisibility. The number “509” refers to the 509th Bomb Wing, which operates the United States’ stealth bombers from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. The alien is probably a reference to the 509th’s lineage. In 1947, the 509th was based at Roswell, New Mexico, home of the infamous “Roswell incident,” which ensued after the 509th’s commander, Col. William Blanchard, issued a press release whose headline stated: “Roswell Army Airfield Captures Flying Saucer on Ranch in Roswell Region.” The dog-Latin phrase Gustatus Similis Pullus translates as “Tastes like chicken.” The shapes on either side of the alien head seem to signify a fork and knife, which would be consistent with the patch’s theme of eating.

This patch was eventually modified when Air Force officials insisted that the phrase “Classified Flight Test” could not appear on the design. In an updated version of this patch, that phrase has been replaced with the words “To Serve Man.”
https://www.cabinetmagazine.org/issues/24/paglen.php

Content from External Source

They can be quite on the nose with some of these - this spy sat mission patch for example caused a bit of a stir in the wake of Edward Snowden's surveillance disclosures. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA-247


The author of the book gives a little talk here.


I remember randomly happening upon it at one point and watching it. It was quite interesting in fact.

 

[Ann K]

As far as I can see this story appears only on a site called "comic book.com". I think it's only a spoof.

 

[Landru]

As far as I can see this story appears only on a site called "comic book.com". I think it's only a spoof.

It's a .mil url in the OP.

 

[Duke]

As far as I can see this story appears only on a site called "comic book.com". I think it's only a spoof.

The program is real, and so is the USAF GO who runs it. Here is his official USAF bio.

https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Biographies/Display/Article/759255/daniel-l-simpson/

The website site cited above by the original poster is a .mil domain, and that site shows the little saucer on the organizational logo. Could someone have hacked into a real DoD site to either modify or replace a logo to show the saucer? Could someone create a spoof website and give it a .mil domain? If the answer to either of these questions is yes, seems to me that's quite a risk to take for a joke. I imagine hacking into or creating a spoof of an official USG/DoD site would carry quite a penalty if the perpetrator was caught and found guilty.

 

[JMartJr]

The website site cited above by the original poster is a .mil domain, and that site shows the little saucer on the organizational logo. Could someone have hacked into a real DoD site to either modify or replace a logo to show the saucer? Could someone create a spoof website and give it a .mil domain? If the answer to either of these questions is yes, seems to me that's quite a risk to take for a joke. I imagine hacking into or creating a spoof of an official USG/DoD site would carry quite a penalty if the perpetrator was caught and found guilty.

I'd tend to agree with all that -- the only thing that makes me wonder about authenticity is the two different versions of the saucer that appear on the page. (There are other differences between the two versions as well -- whether the continents are light or dark, how detailed the map outlines are, star detail on the border... I suppose there MIGHT be two versions for, say, web vs. printing or something, but it still seems odd. It seems odd whether it is authentic or faked/hacked. (Which maybe indicates it only SEEMS odd because I don't understand the reasons for it... )

I wonder if there is any significance as to where the UFO is located on the logo's background map, off the west coast of South America, maybe Columbia or Ecuador?

I would have thought they'd stick it off San Diego, if it is an in-joke.

Last minute thought occurs -- with the new emphasis on UAP following congressional hearings and all, maybe they added the saucer to "show willing," to indicate they are following Congress's interests and keeping track on UAP/UFOs? Or to fish for those sweet, sweet UFO funding collars?

 

[Ann K]

I'd tend to agree with all that -- the only thing that makes me wonder about authenticity is the two different versions of the saucer that appear on the page.

It's also in a completely different style and placement from the other symbols. Surely if it were seriously meant to be a logo, they'd have a graphics artist design it rather than sticking on a random symbol in an odd place, wouldn't they?

 

[Hevach]

They can be quite on the nose with some of these - this spy sat mission patch for example caused a bit of a stir in the wake of Edward Snowden's surveillance disclosures. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA-247

I was talking to somebody on another forum about NROL patches just the other day, they're a real trip. Wizards, flying pigs, kittens, anime girls, some really weird stuff in them.

This one launched just yesterday on the last Delta IV rocket out of Vandenberg:


Some of my personal favorites:
Kitten thinks he's a big cat: https://us.v-cdn.net/5018289/uploads/editor/mr/jmsycjch65vu.png
Bald eagle dressed in vintage airman gear: https://us.v-cdn.net/5018289/uploads/editor/q5/qpn7n4pzzon0.png
"The super man exists and he is American": https://us.v-cdn.net/5018289/uploads/editor/3f/bkjayfnec5ih.png
(A note on the above one: This one isn't a morale patch or unit in-joke like many of the others. This is the National Reconnaissance Operations Center, the operational arm of the National Reconnaissance Office and the main reporting body for space-based intelligence across the USIC and it's on the letter head of a lot of serious business documents).
Definitely not a Final Fantasy player character: https://us.v-cdn.net/5018289/uploads/editor/bc/frzsa9771ymq.png

The intelligence community appears to be full of nerds, to be honest.

 

[JMartJr]

Plane at "1" below is also getting some buzz. Is it a TR3B? Planet of the Apes homage? Or a secret spy plane -- if so, why put it on a logo? Are they "soft disclosing" something?

The weird bend at "2" not getting any buzz, but I wonder about it... why? It is weird, just visually. Do they have to dodge some part of Canada?

 

[Hevach]

My first thought was a stylized space plane, the black nose is typical of where the heat shield wraps around the leading edges. The bent arrow could be anything from the standard two-stage-to-orbit flight profile, the separate aerodynamic and orbital maneuvering systems, or the hypersonic S-turns that orbital space planes use to shed velocity before landing.

The design doesn't look much like the US military's current space plane, the X-37b (its wings are less sharpy delta shaped, and its twin tail extends well behind the trailing edge of the wings), but this is an intelligence organization and the X-37b is very likely a spy vehicle.

 

[deirdre]

Last minute thought occurs -- with the new emphasis on UAP following congressional hearings and all, maybe they added the saucer to "show willing," to indicate they are following Congress's interests and keeping track on UAP/UFOs?

or to mock them.

 

[Max Phalange]

My first thought was a stylized space plane, the black nose is typical of where the heat shield wraps around the leading edges.

I think it's just a janky illustration and they missed that. The arrowheads aren't symmetrical and the breaks in the arrows around the planes' wings are wonky. Also the grey plane's fuselage is skewed sideways. I don't think anything can be read into flaws like these.

 

[Rory]

The "NIM-Aviation" text is wonky also - doesn't follow the circle - and one of the stars is higher than the other.

Fiverr job?

 

[flarkey]

Plane at "1" below is also getting some buzz. Is it a TR3B? Planet of the Apes homage? Or a secret spy plane -- if so, why put it on a logo? Are they "soft disclosing" something?

The weird bend at "2" not getting any buzz, but I wonder about it... why? It is weird, just visually. Do they have to dodge some part of Canada?

I think they're trying to show how the Office can support their own aircraft to manoeuvre around enemy threats, as well as detecting the enemy drones, next gen fighters, civilian hijackings and UFOs.

 

[RTM]

It’s the only flying saucer that witbe disclosed.

 

[Rory]

Some of those .mil sites are a bit ropey looking. Are they kind of second level official or something, given to the employees to post things on themselves?

They almost seem to full on .gov websites as blog posts are to actual articles - or maybe a level or two down from that.

 

[Landru]

Some of those .mil sites are a bit ropey looking. Are they kind of second level official or something, given to the employees to post things on themselves?

They almost seem to full on .gov websites as blog posts are to actual articles - or maybe a level or two down from that.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.mil?wprov=sfla1

The domain name mil is the sponsored top-level domain (sTLD) in the Domain Name System of the Internet for the United States Department of Defense and its subsidiary or affiliated organizations. The name is derived from military. It was one of the first top-level domains, created in January 1985.

 

[NorCal Dave]

https://www.airdomainintelligence.mil/

I'm not that bright, but when I click on the link I get this home page with three "seals" that could be patches I guess:



Then at the bottom of the page, and the other pages for the NIM-A, is this "seal":



So, clearly, I'm not finding the UFO patch in question. I'm also seeing that the posted seal/patch seems to say "Office of Director of National..." something, as nobody has a full view of the it. I'm not seeing that on the NAM-A website, so far.

 

[Duke]

I'm not that bright, but when I click on the link I get this home page with three "seals" that could be patches I guess:



Then at the bottom of the page, and the other pages for the NIM-A, is this "seal":



So, clearly, I'm not finding the UFO patch in question. I'm also seeing that the posted seal/patch seems to say "Office of Director of National..." something, as nobody has a full view of the it. I'm not seeing that on the NAM-A website, so far.

It appears to have been removed.

 

[LilWabbit]

It appears to have been removed.

Yup!

Maybe they realized that this humoristic little detail in the previous emblem generated too much unnecessary discussion and speculation. In other words, was taken far too seriously. Unfortunately the removal of the 'UFO' emblem is going to generate even more conspiratorial speculation amongst the believers.

 

[LilWabbit]

More on DoD seals and emblems. Basically if the words "Department of" are used in any portion of the graphic, it's called a "seal". Otherwise it's an emblem, crest, symbol or logo as described in the below:

 

[deirdre]

I'm not seeing that on the NAM-A website, so far.

https://web.archive.org/web/20220925020530/https://www.airdomainintelligence.mil/

 

[Duke]

Yup!

Maybe they realized that this humoristic little detail in the previous emblem generated too much unnecessary discussion and speculation. In other words, was taken far too seriously. Unfortunately the removal of the 'UFO' emblem is going to generate even more conspiratorial speculation amongst the believers.

Assuming the site wasn't hacked or spoofed, I'd speculate one of two scenarios occurred. Either it was 1) put up without approval of the boss (MG Simpson) by his some member of his of staff; or, 2) was put up with approval of Simpson, who then got a call from someone up his command chain with guidance from above on the matter.

I consider the latter to be more likely, difficult for me to believe any competent staff officer with career ambitions would run with something like that (either as a joke or in all seriousness) without concurrence of/direction from the boss or his deputy.

If the adding of the logo was staffed and approved by MG Simpson, almost certainly a Staff Summary Sheet (SSS) and supporting package was generated. (See example below.) Asking for a copy of any such signed off SSS should be at the top of the list of documents requested through FOIA for those researching this story.

https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc23357/m1/1/

 

[Rick Robson]

If the adding of the logo was staffed and approved by MG Simpson, almost certainly a Staff Summary Sheet (SSS) and supporting package was generated. (See example below.) Asking for a copy of any such signed off SSS should be at the top of the list of documents requested through FOIA for those researching this story.

https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc23357/m1/1/

Definitely, I guess FOIA nerds like Mr. John Greenewald Jr. already filed his request. But, with luck he'll have to wait at least a couple years for their response, alas.

 

[NorCal Dave]

For anyone else interested, here is what the full "logo" looked like. Thanks to @deirdre for the archive link above:



The "new" UFO logo was used alongside the other logo and seal.




But the logo currently used in the third position, as well as at the bottom of all pages for the NIM-A, uses a completely different name:



It's the "*NATIONAL AVIATION INTELLEGENCE INTIGRATION OFFICE * UNITED STATES OF AMERICA". (EDIT: this long name is reduced to NAI2O and it is below the NIM-A title at the top of the above page. I don't know how military website hierarchy works. Is the NIM-A a department within the NAI2O? Or is it the other way around, the NAI2O is part of the NIM-A?)

Does the NIM-A even have it's own logo? Seems like some kind of spoof that got out of hand. Maybe?

 

[LilWabbit]

For anyone else interested, here is what the full "logo" looked like. Thanks to @deirdre for the archive link above:



The "new" UFO logo was used alongside the other logo and seal.




But the logo currently used in the third position, as well as at the bottom of all pages for the NIM-A, uses a completely different name:



It's the "*NATIONAL AVIATION INTELLEGENCE INTIGRATION OFFICE * UNITED STATES OF AMERICA". (EDIT: this long name is reduced to NAI2O and it is below the NIM-A title at the top of the above page. I don't know how military website hierarchy works. Is the NIM-A a department within the NAI2O? Or is it the other way around, the NAI2O is part of the NIM-A?)

Does the NIM-A even have it's own logo? Seems like some kind of spoof that got out of hand. Maybe?

Seems like the outfit's official title is still very much in process and hence also its emblems. And they're amateurishly updating their website as things are only taking shape.

Not very military. But very Air Force.

P.S. I also wouldn't rule out a spoof by a believer hacker. But inside joke likelier due to powerful firewalls and such.

 

[Duke]

But inside joke likelier due to powerful firewalls and such.

I'll keep an eye on the field grade officer transfer list in "Air Force Times" to see if anyone from this office gets transferred to Thule.

 

[Duke]

https://www.cyberscoop.com/odni-ufo-new-seal-in-error/

Article:

When the U.S. intelligence community’s main aviation component updated its seal recently to include images of a flying saucer and what appears to be a Russian fighter jet many wondered if it was a joke.

Turns out it may have been, but the leadership of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence does not appear to be amused.

A spokesperson there told CyberScoop in an emailed statement that its National Intelligence Manager for the Air Domain, also known as NIM-Aviation, “erroneously posted an unofficial and incorrect logo.”

Source: https://www.cyberscoop.com/odni-ufo-new-seal-in-error/

More to come I'm sure.

 

[DavidB66]

I noticed a small news report on this story in today's online edition of the London Times (paywalled). I couldn't find it in the print edition, but this does tend to appear in updated versions through the night.

The online report says:

America’s spy chiefs appear to have been victims of a suspected insider prank after a new logo was published on an official government website highlighting flying saucers as one of the top aerial threats facing the United States.

The image of a flying saucer appeared over a map of North America on an intelligence logo that also included a Russian Su-57 fighter jet, a wedge-shaped hypersonic-style air vehicle and a drone similar to versions produced by China and Iran.

The Pentagon now has a new department which studies “unidentified aerial phenomena” , otherwise known as UFOs [sic]. The appearance of a flying saucer on the logo of the aviation section of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) was quickly noticed and it was taken down.

 

[Rick Robson]

P.S. I also wouldn't rule out a spoof by a believer hacker. But inside joke likelier due to powerful firewalls and such.

Sorry that I just can't help but wonder, but just out of curiosity, could it be that the perpetrator of that joke is a UFO enthusiast from the NIM-Aviation office?
As for that russian aircraft silhouette, the office may be undergoing some really troubling staff frictions and divisions?

 

[Hevach]

P.S. I also wouldn't rule out a spoof by a believer hacker. But inside joke likelier due to powerful firewalls and such

The government, even military, doesn't have a stellar track record with website security. There's nothing (or at least supposed to be nothing) sensitive on those servers, just public information, and it's not uncommon for them to just be made with WordPress or one of the various drop in web builders and they do get defaced often enough to be embarrassing.

To be clear, I don't think that happened here, but it has happened.