Within Tom De Longe
How De Longe Built a Credible UFO Network
Tom DeLonge used fame, private contacts and media reach to connect former officials, witnesses and journalists around UAP claims.
On this page
- From celebrity enthusiast to organised advocate
- Recruiting former defence and intelligence officials
- Why access mattered more than personal expertise
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Introduction
Tom DeLonge became influential in the modern UFO debate not because he produced decisive scientific evidence, but because he used his celebrity status to connect people who rarely appeared together in public: former intelligence officers, defence officials, aerospace specialists, investigative journalists and a large popular audience. His role was primarily that of a network builder. Rather than presenting himself as an expert on classified programmes, he acted as a recruiter, organiser and media entrepreneur who gave experienced insiders a platform with unusually broad public reach.
This approach proved significant because it changed how unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) entered mainstream discussion. By combining entertainment, personal relationships and institutional credibility, DeLonge helped create a communications network that made military witnesses and former officials more visible while framing UAP primarily as an aviation safety and national security issue rather than simply a question of extraterrestrial life. That influence came through access and coordination rather than through original scientific discoveries.
From celebrity enthusiast to organised advocate
For many years DeLonge was publicly known as a musician with a strong personal interest in UFOs. During the mid-2010s, however, his involvement shifted from interviews and speculation towards deliberate relationship-building inside government, defence and aerospace circles.
The leaked John Podesta emails provided an unusual glimpse into this transition. They showed DeLonge actively seeking introductions to respected journalists and discussing plans to present his UFO project through major publications rather than fringe media. In one email he described building a project supported by influential advisers while asking for help securing coverage from outlets such as The New York Times or The Wall Street Journal. The correspondence demonstrates that DeLonge viewed credibility as something built through carefully chosen institutional relationships rather than celebrity publicity alone.[WikiLeaks]wikileaks.orgWikiLeaks - The Podesta EmailsFebruary 16, 2016…
His Sekret Machines publishing project reflected the same philosophy. Fiction, non-fiction, documentaries and music were designed to work together, attracting a mainstream audience while introducing claims and discussions that former officials might otherwise have struggled to communicate through conventional government channels.
Instead of separating entertainment from advocacy, DeLonge deliberately combined them. Popular culture became a mechanism for audience-building, while government contacts supplied the appearance of institutional seriousness.
Recruiting former defence and intelligence officials
The decisive step came with the launch of To The Stars Academy (TTSA) in 2017. Rather than presenting a conventional UFO organisation led by enthusiasts, DeLonge assembled an advisory group whose biographies carried significant weight in defence and intelligence communities.
Among the most prominent recruits were:
- Christopher Mellon, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intelligence.
- Luis Elizondo, who publicly identified himself as having worked on the Pentagon’s Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP).
- Jim Semivan, a retired senior CIA operations officer.
- Dr Harold Puthoff, a physicist with decades of government-funded research experience.
- Steve Justice, formerly Director of Advanced Systems at Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works.
Individually, these figures already possessed professional reputations. Collectively, they transformed TTSA from a celebrity project into a network that journalists and policymakers considered worth examining, even while remaining sceptical of some of its broader claims.[wikipedia.org]WikipediaTo The Stars IncTo The Stars Inc
Importantly, DeLonge did not recruit people simply to endorse his views. Each participant brought different forms of credibility:
- intelligence experience;
- defence policy knowledge;
- aerospace engineering expertise;
- military programme familiarity;
- existing contacts inside government.
This diversity allowed TTSA to present itself as more than a fan organisation centred on one famous musician.
Why media access mattered more than technical expertise
DeLonge’s comparative advantage was neither engineering nor intelligence analysis. His contribution lay in opening doors.
Celebrity provided several practical benefits that many former officials lacked:
Public visibility. As the founder of Blink-182, DeLonge already had millions of followers and extensive media recognition. News organisations that might ignore another private UFO organisation were willing to interview him.
Entertainment infrastructure. DeLonge understood book publishing, television production, music promotion and audience development. Those skills allowed TTSA to package complicated claims into formats accessible to mainstream audiences.
Fundraising. TTSA used a Regulation A public share offering to raise capital from supporters, explicitly presenting itself as a company spanning entertainment, science and aerospace. While its filings acknowledged substantial financial risks and speculative ambitions, the structure gave the organisation resources beyond those available to many volunteer advocacy groups.[Wikipedia]WikipediaTo The Stars IncTo The Stars Inc
Cross-community networking. Perhaps most importantly, DeLonge could introduce retired officials to journalists, producers, publishers and entertainment executives who were outside traditional government circles.
This bridging function became the central mechanism through which the network operated.
Creating a bridge between insiders and journalists
One of the network’s most important achievements was connecting former officials with respected reporters who could present their information to a broad audience.
The most visible example came in December 2017, when The New York Times published its landmark report revealing the existence of AATIP alongside military UAP videos. TTSA personnel, particularly Christopher Mellon and Luis Elizondo, played important roles in bringing those videos into public discussion, while DeLonge’s organisation provided an organisational home that linked the participants together.[Wikipedia]WikipediaDisclosure movementDisclosure movement
This illustrates an important feature of DeLonge’s network. Rather than acting as the principal investigator or whistleblower himself, he functioned as a coordinator whose organisation connected:
- former government personnel;
- investigative journalists;
- documentary producers;
- publishers;
- a large public audience already interested in his work.
The resulting communication chain proved far more influential than DeLonge speaking alone about his personal beliefs.
The strengths and limitations of celebrity networking
DeLonge’s strategy offered clear advantages but also created persistent credibility challenges.
Supporters argue that few non-government figures could have assembled such a diverse collection of former officials. His celebrity reduced reputational risk for insiders who wanted to discuss UAP publicly while giving reporters identifiable sources with substantial professional backgrounds.
Critics, however, point out that celebrity does not validate extraordinary claims. TTSA combined carefully documented military material with more speculative discussions about advanced technology, consciousness and non-human intelligence. This mixture sometimes made it difficult for observers to distinguish between evidence supported by official documentation and ideas that remained largely conjectural. Financial questions surrounding TTSA’s business model also attracted scrutiny alongside its advocacy work.[Wikipedia]WikipediaTo The Stars IncTo The Stars Inc
As a result, DeLonge’s influence has generally been assessed less in terms of proving UFO claims than in reshaping who could publicly discuss them.
How the network changed the conversation
The lasting significance of DeLonge’s celebrity network lies in its organisational mechanism rather than any single disclosure.
He demonstrated that influence could be created by connecting people who already possessed different forms of authority:
- retired intelligence officials with insider knowledge;
- defence policymakers familiar with military reporting;
- aerospace engineers;
- investigative journalists;
- entertainment professionals capable of reaching mass audiences.
This combination shifted discussion of UAP away from exclusively fringe communities and into mainstream journalism, congressional interest and official government review. Whether individual claims ultimately prove correct or not, DeLonge’s principal achievement was showing how celebrity access could be converted into a durable advocacy network that amplified institutional voices far more effectively than celebrity alone ever could.
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Endnotes
1.
Source: wikileaks.org
Link:https://wikileaks.org/podesta-emails/emailid/14683
Source snippet
WikiLeaks - The Podesta EmailsFebruary 16, 2016...
Published: February 16, 2016
2.
Source: wikileaks.org
Link:https://wikileaks.org/podesta-emails/emailid/38052
Source snippet
Sorry. When you mentioned being turned...
3.
Source: Wikipedia
Title: To The Stars Inc
Link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_The_Stars_Inc
4.
Source: decur.org
Title: To The Stars Academy
Link:https://decur.org/programs/ttsa
Source snippet
TO THE STARS ACADEMY Defunct Organization 2017-2021 [Button: Overview][Button: Timeline][Button: Connections][Button: Sources] Type...
5.
Source: Wikipedia
Title: Disclosure movement
Link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disclosure_movement
6.
Source: youtube.com
Title: Tom Delonge: Skinwalkers & CIA Spooks | With Jim Semivan
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBSdg3nwxoo
Source snippet
Tom DeLonge - To The Stars (Meta Documentary - 2019)...
7.
Source: youtube.com
Title: [Tom De Longe]({{ ‘tom-de-longe/’ | relative_url }})
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o39YkW-WmdM
Source snippet
Navy Confirms UFO Videos Posted by Tom DeLonge Are Real | NBC Chicago...
Additional References
8.
Source: twz.com
Link:https://www.twz.com/28377/tom-delonges-origin-story-for-to-the-stars-academy-describes-a-government-info-operation
Source snippet
Tom DeLonge’s Origin Story For To The Stars Academy Describes A Government UFO Info OperationDecember 1, 2019 — TOM DELONGE’S ORIGIN STOR...
Published: December 1, 2019
9.
Source: youtube.com
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6WfEwwNP4o
Source snippet
Tom DeLonge To The Stars Academy Joe Rogan UFO Blink-182 fans praise Tom DeLonge for being ‘right about aliens’ all along: ‘Everyone go a...
10.
Source: washingtonpost.com
Title: Head of Pentagon’s secret ‘UFO’ office sought to make evidence public
Link:https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/head-of-pentagons-secret-ufo-office-sought-to-make-evidence-public/2017/12/16/90bcb7cc-e2b2-11e7-8679-a9728984779c_story.html
Source snippet
The Washington PostDecember 16, 2017 — As part of his decision to leave the Pentagon, he not only sought the release of videos but also p...
Published: December 16, 2017
11.
Source: vice.com
Title: Tom [De Longe]({{ ‘de-longe/’ | relative_url }})’s UFO Research Project Seems Increasingly Legit
Link:https://www.vice.com/en/article/tom-delonges-ufo-research-project-seems-increasingly-legit/
Source snippet
Tom DeLonge's UFO Research Project Seems Increasingly LegitDecember 17, 2017 — TOM DELONGE’S UFO RESEARCH PROJECT SEEMS INCREASINGLY LEGI...
Published: December 17, 2017
12.
Source: ufotransparency.com
Title: To The Stars Academy Launch · UFO Transparency
Link:https://ufotransparency.com/lore/encounters/adj-ttsa-founding-2017
Source snippet
October 11, 2017 — US Disclosure-Adjacent 2017-10-11 private entity announcement TO THE STARS ACADEMY LAUNCH To The Stars Academy (TTSA)...
Published: October 11, 2017
13.
Source: youtube.com
Title: What Happened To Tom Delonge & To The Stars Academy?
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLGRZLjFjSE
Source snippet
Blink-182 fans praise Tom DeLonge for being ‘right about aliens’ all along: ‘Everyone go apologize’...
14.
Source: youtube.com
Title: Navy Confirms UFO Videos Posted by Tom De Longe Are Real | NBC Chicago
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4WBZrlxLfs
Source snippet
What Happened To Tom Delonge & To The Stars Academy?...