Michael Herrera

Michael Herrera is a former U.S. Marine corporal and alleged whistleblower in the UAP disclosure movement, best known for his account of the 2009 Sumatra UFO incident — an alleged encounter with a massive octagonal human-occupied craft and a clandestine black-program paramilitary force during a humanitarian aid mission in western Sumatra, Indonesia. Herrera testified to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) in April 2023 and has since spoken publicly across multiple venues advocating for UAP disclosure.

Background

Herrera served in the United States Marine Corps as an infantryman, assigned to 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, attached to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (31st MEU). The 31st MEU's primary expertise included humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations in the Pacific region. Herrera served as a squad automatic weapon (SAW) gunner, carrying an M-249 belt-fed machine gun, and later ran a private security firm after leaving active service.

Prior to the 2009 event, Herrera described himself as deeply skeptical of extraterrestrials and unidentified flying objects.

2009 Sumatra UFO incident

Main article:

2009 Sumatra UFO incident

On October 8, 2009, Herrera and a six-man Marine overwatch team deployed to provide security for humanitarian supply drops near Padang, Sumatra, following the 7.6-magnitude Sumatra earthquake. The team allegedly observed a silently hovering, approximately 300-foot octagonal craft being loaded with sealed containers by unidentified operators in unmarked black utilities, who then disarmed the Marines, photographed them, and threatened them into silence. Herrera later learned from insiders — including Jake Barber — that the containers held human subjects destined for psionic-interface experimentation. Weeks later in Okinawa, the Marines were each ordered to sign a non-disclosure agreement.

AARO testimony

In April 2023, Herrera testified to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), the Department of Defense office established under the National Defense Authorization Act to investigate UAP reports. He also briefed members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, the Congress, and the Pentagon, describing the 2009 encounter, the paramilitary operation, and the containers he later identified as containing human subjects. All five other members of his team had previously testified as well.

The path to testimony was facilitated by Dr. Steven Greer, whom Herrera had first approached at a Greer event in Boulder, Colorado in 2017, and with whom he reconnected after seeing Greer interviewed on The Shawn Ryan Show. Greer connected Herrera with congressional staff and coordinated his presentation at a Disclosure Project National Press Club event in Washington, D.C., where an unnamed attendee subsequently approached Herrera after his presentation to confirm the containers held people.

Greer has described Herrera as "a major whistleblower" whom he brought "to a number of meetings with the Senate Intelligence Committee and the Pentagon and the House Oversight Committee," and has stated that Herrera is also "actively involved in organizing and working with whistleblowers."

Following his AARO testimony, Herrera reportedly experienced sustained aerial harassment — military helicopters, including Black Hawks and a dual-rotor CH-47 Chinook — allegedly hovering over his home, his father's residence, and his place of business in the Denver, Colorado area. He documented these incidents and reported them to government contacts who he said had the ability to cross-reference FAA flight logs.

Public disclosure

Herrera made his first major public disclosure at the Disclosure Project National Press Club event organized by Steven Greer in Washington, D.C. He also appeared on the "Weaponized" podcast hosted by investigative journalists Jeremy Corbell and George Knapp, where he detailed the encounter and the aftermath. He subsequently appeared on the Shawn Ryan Show as part of a three-part "UFO Whistleblower Marathon" series featuring witnesses who had testified under oath to congressional committees — published on YouTube on July 17, 2023 and simultaneously on Spotify. He was also interviewed twice on the UAP Unidentified Alien Podcast hosted by Stephen Diener, with the second interview — originally aired in October 2023 — focused heavily on claimed access to black-site facilities and the P3 (Psionic Predisposition Potential) screening program allegedly used to identify and recruit human subjects for interfacing with non-human technology. In a special edition of the UAP Unidentified Alien Podcast recorded in October 2023, Herrera described meeting in person with a high-level insider — introduced through contacts including "Gary" — who provided him with a sidearm for the meeting and briefed him on the internal architecture of the clandestine organization he calls the "black team."

Herrera described the organization's structure as divided between a "blue team" (government-side programs) and the private "black team," which he says has operated outside congressional oversight since 1947. He also described a classified Psionic Predisposition Potential (P3) screening protocol used to identify and recruit psionic interface operators for recovered extraterrestrial technology. He also reported that the organization allegedly conducts approximately two to three ET craft shootdowns per year and is purportedly responsible for thirteen murders of high-profile individuals to suppress disclosure. In March 2025, he gave an extended interview to Jesse Michels on American Alchemy.

Herrera is part of a growing group of former military personnel advocating for increased transparency from the government on issues related to Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP). He supports calls for official investigations and public hearings to address and disclose information regarding UAP encounters involving military personnel, and he declined interview requests from CNN, MSNBC, and NewsNation, stating that he did not trust mainstream outlets to report the story accurately and that his objective was to influence government action rather than public opinion.

Disputes over the account

Herrera's claims have circulated within the ufological community alongside ongoing dispute. Supporters cite his military background; observers have noted the absence of independently disclosed physical evidence and official documentation, and the verification difficulty inherent to allegedly compartmentalized operations. His former team leader, identified only as "Nathan," publicly disputed Herrera's claims; Herrera responded via text messages to Stephen Diener that Nathan was the one lying, and stated he had provided the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence with the corroborating messages between himself and his fellow Marines.

See also

• 2009 Sumatra UFO incident
• David Grusch
• Jake Barber
• UAP disclosure movement
• Secret space program
• Unidentified Aerial Phenomena
• Ufology
• Military UFO sightings
• Disclosure (ufology)

References