CBO Releases Cost Estimate for Secure UAP Information Systems and the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023

On November 22, 2022, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released their cost estimate for S. 4503, Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023, along with establishing, “a secure system to collect information about unidentified aerospace-undersea phenomena (UAP).”

According to the CBO:

The bill would
• Authorize the appropriation of $650 million for fiscal year 2023 for the Intelligence Community Management Account (ICMA)
• Establish an Office of Global Competition Analysis to analyze technology and innovation sectors critical to national security
• Establish a secure system to collect information about unidentified aerospace-undersea phenomena (UAP)
• Enhance whistleblower protections
• Allow people to sue the United States government for compensatory and punitive damages
• Void some provisions of nondisclosure agreements that would prevent reports from being filed with the Unidentified Aerospace-Undersea Phenomena Joint Program Office and prohibit private-sector entities from seeking damages in federal court from individuals who file reports

Continue scrolling for more...

Estimated budgetary effects would mainly stem from
• Authorizing appropriations for the ICMA
• Establishing an Office of Global Competition Analysis
• Establishing a secure system to collect information on UAP
• Enhancing whistleblower protections
• Allowing people to sue the United States government for compensatory and punitive damages

Areas of significant uncertainty include
• Predicting the number of people who would obtain monetary awards through the judicial system and the amounts of such awards

Below, you can find the report released by the CBO.

Note: One of the first to report on this story was space journalist Leonard David.