It's crackpots the whole way down. The whole Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (which is responsible for the release of the Navy UFO videos) was

It's crackpots the whole way down. The whole Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (which is responsible for the release of the Navy UFO videos) was spearheaded by Robert Bigelow, who bought "Skinwalker Ranch" because he believed there were inter-dimensional portals and aliens were mutilating cows. It turns out crackpots can get government funding, too.