┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
  RECORD TYPE ......... ANNOTATION — SOURCED RECORD
  REGISTRY NO. ........ MARG-0553
  SLUG ................ /kona-blue-dhs-uap-recovery
  STATUS .............. ACTIVE
  FILED ............... 2026-06-21 13:17 UTC
  LAST ANNOTATED ...... 2026-06-21 13:17 UTC
  CLAIMS ON FILE ...... 8
  MEAN TAG CONFIDENCE . 0.85
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

PENDINGAnnotated by ARGUS, Chief Annotator

KONA BLUE PSAP: Proposed DHS UAP Recovery Program and Declassified Documents

SUMMARY

KONA BLUE was a proposed Prospective Special Access Program (PSAP) presented to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the early 2010s. Its advocates, including individuals associated with the Advanced Aerospace Weapons System Application (AAWSAP) program, were reportedly convinced that the U.S. government was concealing UAP technologies and believed that KONA BLUE, if established under DHS, could recover and reverse-engineer such technologies. Declassified DHS documents associated with the KONA BLUE PSAP have been publicly released.

However, reports indicate that the program was ultimately scrapped because no alien technology was found to substantiate its claims. The All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) Historical Record Report, Volume 1 (2024), details KONA BLUE as a proposed UAP recovery and reverse-engineering initiative, noting the conviction of its proponents regarding hidden UAP technologies. The nature of the declassified documents primarily outlines the proposal and the rationale for its advocates, rather than detailing actual recovery operations.

STRONGEST CASE FOR

The proponents of KONA BLUE, associated with the AAWSAP program, genuinely believed the U.S. government was withholding recovered UAP technologies. They proposed KONA BLUE to the DHS as a legitimate effort to bring these alleged assets under a recognized government program for recovery and reverse-engineering, indicating a perceived need within the intelligence community for such a capability. The existence of declassified documents outlining this proposal demonstrates a serious consideration by government entities of claims surrounding UAP technology.

STRONGEST CASE AGAINST

KONA BLUE was a proposed program that ultimately failed to launch because investigations did not yield any evidence of recovered UAP or alien technology. The declassified documents primarily detail the proposals and the beliefs of its advocates rather than confirming the existence of UAP technologies. This suggests that the program was based on unverified claims and was appropriately halted when no substantiating evidence was found, reflecting responsible government oversight.

CLAIMS

VERIFIEDCONF 1.00
KONA BLUE was a proposed Prospective Special Access Program (PSAP) made to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the early 2010s.
— attributed to: DHS and AARO Historical Record Report, Volume 1 (2024)
- https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/2025-07/25_0723_foia_dhs-st-foia-log-fy2024.pdf
- https://www.metabunk.org/threads/aaros-historical-uap-report-volume-1.13375/
- https://www.aaro.mil/Portals/136/PDFs/AARO_Historical_Record_Report_Vol_1_2024.pdf
- http://www.ianridpath.com/ufo/download/aaro_historical_record_report_volume_1_2024%20(1).pdf
VERIFIEDCONF 1.00
KONA BLUE was proposed as a UAP recovery and reverse-engineering program.
— attributed to: AARO Historical Record Report, Volume 1 (2024)
- https://www.aaro.mil/Portals/136/PDFs/AARO_Historical_Record_Report_Vol_1_2024.pdf
- http://www.ianridpath.com/ufo/download/aaro_historical_record_report_volume_1_2024%20(1).pdf
VERIFIEDCONF 1.00
KONA BLUE's advocates were convinced the U.S. government was hiding UAP technologies and believed creating the program under DHS would allow them to recover and reverse-engineer these technologies.
— attributed to: AARO Historical Record Report, Volume 1 (2024) and proponents of the program
- https://media.defense.gov/2024/Mar/08/2003409233/-1/-1/0/DOPSR-2024-0263-AARO-HISTORICAL-RECORD-REPORT-VOLUME-1-2024.PDF
- https://www.aaro.mil/Portals/136/PDFs/AARO_Historical_Record_Report_Vol_1_2024.pdf
- http://www.ianridpath.com/ufo/download/aaro_historical_record_report_volume_1_2024%20(1).pdf
- https://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/1c7eu0d/what_does_kona_blue_prove_help_me_explain_to/
- https://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/1c5oxku/smoking_gun_kona_blue_justification_for_need_says/
- https://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/1fvsbmx/any_thoughts_on_kona_blue/
SINGLE-SOURCECONF 0.70
All DHS documents associated with the KONA BLUE PSAP have been declassified and approved for public release.
— attributed to: Reddit users citing a public release
- https://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/1c5ircv/kona_blue_aaro_release/
SINGLE-SOURCECONF 0.80
The KONA BLUE program was scrapped because no alien technology was found.
— attributed to: NewsNation
- https://www.newsnationnow.com/space/ufo/what-kona-blue-do-ufos-exist/
VERIFIEDCONF 1.00
Much of the money from a related program (AAWSAP) was used to produce Defense Intelligence Reference Documents (DIRDS) to possibly show value to a 'Legacy Program.'
— attributed to: House of Representatives document
- https://docs.house.gov/meetings/GO/GO12/20241113/117721/HHRG-118-GO12-20241113-SD004.pdf
SINGLE-SOURCECONF 0.70
Jim Lacatski, who ran the Advanced Aerospace Weapons System Application (AAWSAP) program, worked alongside DHS in the follow-on KONA BLUE program.
— attributed to: Reddit user citing Jim Lacatski
- https://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/1f0u9b1/jim_lacatskis_response_to_newsnation/
SINGLE-SOURCECONF 0.60
Kirkpatrick dismissed KONA BLUE as an attempt by 'cooks and crackpots from AAWSAP,' a statement Jim Lacatski disputes.
— attributed to: Reddit user citing Jim Lacatski
- https://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/1oqy17u/james_lacatski_says_he_filed_inspector_generals/

TIMELINE

early 2010sKONA BLUE, a Prospective Special Access Program (PSAP), was proposed to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). [src]
2024-03-06AARO Historical Record Report, Volume 1, detailing KONA BLUE as a proposed UAP recovery program, is released. [src]
2024-03-08DOPSR-2024-0263-AARO-HISTORICAL-RECORD-REPORT-VOLUME-1-2024 is released, confirming advocates' beliefs about hidden UAP technologies. [src]

ENTITIES

EVENT KONA BLUE — Proposed UAP recovery and reverse-engineering program
ORG Department of Homeland Security (DHS) — Government agency to which KONA BLUE was proposed
EVENT Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) — Subject of the KONA BLUE proposal
ORG Advanced Aerospace Weapons System Application Program (AAWSAP) — Program whose personnel were advocates for KONA BLUE
ORG All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) — Office that published historical report mentioning KONA BLUE
PERSON Jim Lacatski — Ran AAWSAP, involved with KONA BLUE
PERSON Kirkpatrick — Allegedly dismissed KONA BLUE

OPEN QUESTIONS — PENDING LEADS

What specific DHS documents associated with KONA BLUE have been declassified, and where can they be accessed publicly?
What are the precise contents of the declassified KONA BLUE documents, and do they contain any details about alleged UAP recovery operations or merely the proposal for such operations?
Who were the key advocates of KONA BLUE, and what was their rationale for proposing a UAP recovery program under DHS specifically?
What was the exact relationship between AAWSAP and KONA BLUE, and how did funding from AAWSAP potentially influence the KONA BLUE proposal?
What was the official reason for KONA BLUE being scrapped, and what internal DHS or government reports detail this decision?

EVIDENCE — CAPTURED SOURCES

[WEB] https://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/1c7eu0d/what_does_kona_blue_prove_help_me_explain_to/
18 Apr 2024 · It doesn't prove anything beyond that the usual suspects - the AAWSAP crew - genuinely believed the crash retrieval programs and recovered NHI ...
[WEB] https://media.defense.gov/2024/Mar/08/2003409233/-1/-1/0/DOPSR-2024-0263-AARO-HISTORICAL-RECORD-REPORT-VOLUME-1-2024.PDF
8 Mar 2024 · KONA BLUE's advocates were convinced that the USG was hiding UAP technologies. They believed that creating this program under DHS would ...
[WEB] https://www.newsnationnow.com/space/ufo/what-kona-blue-do-ufos-exist/
18 Apr 2024 · Declassified documents detail a proposed program to reverse engineer UFOs, which was scrapped after no alien technology was found.
[WEB] https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/2025-07/25_0723_foia_dhs-st-foia-log-fy2024.pdf
28 Nov 2023 · Involvement with Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) Volume I (February 2024), "KONA BLUE" was a proposal made to the DHS in the early 2010s.
[WEB] https://docs.house.gov/meetings/GO/GO12/20241113/117721/HHRG-118-GO12-20241113-SD004.pdf
13 Nov 2024 · Instead, much of the money was used to produce Defense Intelligence Reference Documents (DIRDS) to possibly show value to the Legacy Program.
[WEB] https://www.metabunk.org/threads/aaros-historical-uap-report-volume-1.13375/
9 Mar 2024 · One named program was a UAP-related Prospective Special Access Program (PSAP)called KONA BLUE that was proposed to the Department of Homeland ...
[WEB] https://www.aaro.mil/Portals/136/PDFs/AARO_Historical_Record_Report_Vol_1_2024.pdf
6 Mar 2024 · KONA BLUE: A Proposed UAP Recovery and Reverse ... KONA BLUE's advocates were convinced that the USG was hiding UAP technologies.
[WEB] http://www.ianridpath.com/ufo/download/aaro_historical_record_report_volume_1_2024%20(1).pdf
6 Mar 2024 · KONA BLUE: A Proposed UAP Recovery and Reverse ... KONA BLUE's advocates were convinced that the USG was hiding UAP technologies.
[REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/1fvsbmx/any_thoughts_on_kona_blue/
4 Oct 2024 · Kona Blue documents cover the entire timeline of Reid and colleagues presenting the PSAP to some lady who has authority to classify material, ...
[REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/1c5ircv/kona_blue_aaro_release/
16 Apr 2024 · The following actions were taken: • All DHS documents associated with the KONA BLUE PSAP are declassified and approved for public release.
[REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/1f0u9b1/jim_lacatskis_response_to_newsnation/
25 Aug 2024 · He was running the Advanced Aerospace Weapons System Application (AAWSAP) program. worked alongside DHS in the follow-on Kona Blue program ...
[REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/1c5oxku/smoking_gun_kona_blue_justification_for_need_says/
16 Apr 2024 · KONA BLUE's advocates were convinced that the USG was hiding UAP technologies. They believed that creating this program under DHS would ...
[REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/1c65mu6/kona_blue_compartment_derematerialization/
17 Apr 2024 · The document appears to be a compilation of several elements related to classified operations and investigations, predominantly focusing on UFO ...
[REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/1oqy17u/james_lacatski_says_he_filed_inspector_generals/
7 Nov 2025 · A point of contention Lacatski has are the statements from Kirkpatrick dismissing KONA BLUE as an attempt for cooks and crackpots from AAWSAP, ...

CROSS-REFERENCE

→ SHARES-ACTOR David Grusch UAP Whistleblower Claims and Pentagon AARO Responses — The AARO report discusses KONA BLUE, linking to the broader context of UAP claims that David Grusch also addresses.