Ross Coulthart claims UFOs are being attracted and intercepted at White Sands
Journalist Ross Coulthart says his sources describe an active program around White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico that attempts to attract, track and sometimes bring down UAP for recovery. He says the activity received authorization at a high level connected to the president's intelligence circle. No official confirmation or open sensor data establishes the claim.
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The central allegation
Coulthart says people with access told him that U.S. elements are not limited to passive detection. In his account, they attempt to encourage appearances, observe the response and conduct recovery when possible. He connects the work to White Sands and says authorization came from a high level around the president. This is journalism based on confidential sources, not a government announcement.
Why White Sands fits
White Sands is a New Mexico range used to test missiles, sensors and military systems. Coulthart places the activity described by his sources there but gives no test dates or records to compare with the claim.
What attracting a UAP could mean
Coulthart describes attempts to encourage appearances but supplies no operational protocol. The signals or actions used, conditions and measured results were not published, preventing assessment of the method or a repeatable response.
Authorization is not public confirmation
Coulthart says the activity was authorized at a senior level connected with the president's intelligence circle. The document and signatory are not presented. The publication includes no public White House confirmation of the activity or the targets' identity.
What strengthens and weakens the report
The allegation is usefully specific about location, activity and a claimed approval level, allowing concrete questions. Its weakness is that every decisive link remains hidden. The audience must rely on Coulthart's judgment and sources it cannot examine. Protecting a source is legitimate journalism, especially in national security, but it does not provide independent verification for the reader.
What the sources witnessed themselves
It is unknown whether the sources describe one experiment or an ongoing program, or whether they witnessed it themselves. Those details are missing from the report's source chain.
What Coulthart attributes to his sources
The linked Reality Check episode distinguishes details Coulthart attributes to sources from his added interpretation. No record of an attraction or interception attempt was published alongside his words.
Sources and context
Coulthart presented the account on NewsNation's Reality Check and in public segments focused on White Sands. The range is a genuine and extensive military test site, but its stated mission does not include the UAP program he described.
The sources, authorization document, program name, dates, attraction protocol, interception footage and custody records have not been released. It is unclear whether the sources describe a single operation, an intelligence assessment or a continuing program.