The possibility is drawing renewed attention as lawmakers, former intelligence officials and military veterans warn that Washington could be falling behind its geopolitical rivals in the race to understand mysterious aerial phenomena [1].
The questions center on whether America's biggest adversaries are competing to unlock technology that could transform modern warfare, according to the New York Post [2].
Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO) has warned that America's failure to release promised UFO information could give China and Russia a major propaganda victory, allowing the rival powers to portray themselves as more transparent than Washington [3]. The New York Post reported that Burlison said the next U.S.-China-Russia showdown could be over which nation first discloses the truth about the phenomenon [4].
Lawmaker Cites Transparency Concerns
Burlison said in an interview with the New York Post that a refusal to release promised information would be a misstep because of what it would demonstrate to the American people. He added that the United States is supposed to be the most transparent country in the world to its citizenry and that another country being more transparent on the topic would be a blemish on the U.S. record on transparency [3].
The Missouri Republican's warning comes amid reports that the Trump administration has not yet followed through on promises of greater transparency about UFOs and potential evidence of extraterrestrial life [4]. If a rival nation with similar knowledge disclosed information first, the United States would hand its competitors a public relations advantage that could shape how the world views the openness of each system [5].
The concern reflects a broader shift in how governments approach the subject.
Former Official Alleges Adversaries Possess Craft
Former U.S. intelligence official David Grusch has claimed, without public evidence, that China and Russia possess crashed UFOs, suggesting that America's adversaries could be attempting to reverse-engineer technology of unknown origin [6].
His claims have prompted debate on national security and transparency, though newly released files have raised more questions than answers [7]. Claims of an extraterrestrial arms race involving reverse-engineering circulated again following public comments by Jordan Flowers, the executive director of a UAP research organization [8].
The hearing also featured testimony from other witnesses who presented material on UAP programs. During the proceeding, Luis Elizondo was joined by Michael Shellenberger, who presented a report on a UAP program, according to accounts of the session [9].
China Acknowledges Investigating Unexplained Aerial Sightings
The disclosure also highlighted a broader trend in which military and civilian authorities in multiple countries have accumulated reports that exceed the capacity of human analysts to review manually. China's public statements have not alleged that the phenomena originate from a foreign adversary, and no evidence has been presented that Beijing has recovered non-human technology.
Russia's Interest Dates to Soviet Era
Russia's interest in UFOs reportedly dates back to the Soviet era. Those documents point to the Soviets investigating thousands of reports of UFOs while officially denying their existence in public [10].
The newly released Soviet-era papers and witness interviews force a reckoning, that review stated [11].
The historical record joins a contested body of literature on the subject. For example, by December 1947, the American public was anxious to determine whether there could be a Soviet connection to the saucer mystery, and Oregon Congressman Harris Ellsworth stated that he had received information concerning the development of high-velocity missiles by Soviet scientists, according to an account by Michael D. Connors and Wendy A.
Pentagon Office Pushes Back, Citing No Verifiable Evidence
The competing accounts reflect a debate in which documentation is scarce and public claims are difficult to verify independently. Defense analysts noted separately that the broader competition extends beyond the UFO question.
The allegations about a UFO technology race remain unresolved. Each of the three governments has a different public posture.
References
- Secret UFO Arms Race? US, China And Russia Battle To Unlock Mysterious Technology. https://www.zerohedge.com/technology/secret-ufo-arms-race-us-china-and-russia-battle-unlock-mysterious-technology
- US, China, Russia Battle in Secret UFO Tech Arms Race. https://www.gulf-insider.com/secret-ufo-arms-race-us-china-and-russia/
- US, China and Russia could be in a new UFO arms race. https://nypost.com/2026/10/10/us-news/forget-nukes-us-china-and-russia-could-be-in-a-new-ufo-arms-race/
- Forget nukes: US, China and Russia could be in a new UFO arms race. https://article.wn.com/view-scrap/2026/10/11/Forget_nukes_US_China_and_Russia_could_be_in_a_new_UFO_arms_/
- US, China and Russia could be in a new UFO arms race as fears grow over .... https://insiderpaper.com/ufo-russia-us-china-alien/
- Secret UFO Arms Race? US, China And Russia Battle To .... https://www.zerohedge.com/technology/secret-ufo-arms-race-us-china-and-russia-battle-unlock-mysterious-technology
- Russia and China Racing to Clone Captured UFOs to Launch .... https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/russia-china-reverse-engineering-ufos-us-files-1803595
- 'Extraterrestrial Arms Race Underway': Russia and China Scramble to .... https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/extraterrestrial-arms-race-russia-china-1805660
- UFO tech is fueling ‘secretive arms race,’ accuses US whistleblower. https://interestingengineering.com/culture/ex-officials-allege-us-reverse-engineered-alien-tech-for-secretive-arms-race
- Forget nukes: US, China and Russia could be in a new UFO arms race - DNyuz. https://dnyuz.com/2026/10/10/forget-nukes-us-china-and-russia-could-be-in-a-new-ufo-arms-race/
- Russia vs. USA - The Race to Crack UAP/ UFO Technology. https://www.ufohub.org/articles/russia-vs-usa-the-race-to-crack-uap-ufo-technology
Explainer Infographic
Please contact us for more information.