The Ripple Effect

Trump's executive order to release UAP files has dominated headlines. But there's a question almost nobody is asking: what about the rest of the Five Eyes?

The Alliance Nobody Talks About

The Five Eyes intelligence alliance, the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, represents the most intimate intelligence-sharing arrangement in history. These five nations share signals intelligence, surveillance data, and classified assessments at the highest levels.

Including, it turns out, on UAPs.

In 2024, Melbourne-based researcher Grant Lavac obtained FOIA documents revealing a coordinated UAP collection and reporting program among Five Eyes partners. The classification level? TS//SI/TK, Top Secret, Special Intelligence, Talent Keyhole. That's as high as it gets.

This means that when the US releases its UAP files, it's not just releasing American data. It's potentially exposing intelligence that was shared by, and with, its closest allies.

Australia's Uncomfortable Position

Australia's relationship with UAP disclosure is, to put it diplomatically, complicated.

The official position: The Australian Department of Defence has not investigated UAPs since 1996. It has no recording or reporting protocols for defence personnel who encounter anomalous phenomena. It has "no plans" to replicate anything like America's AARO.

The reality: Australian defence personnel attended classified US UAP briefings, a fact the Department of Defence initially denied, then was forced to admit after Lavac's FOIA work and reporting by The Canberra Times.

Lavac obtained copies of briefing papers prepared for Defence officials attending Senate Estimates Committee hearings. The papers acknowledged US Congressional inquiry into UAPs while maintaining Australia's position of institutional disinterest.

The disconnect is striking. Australia is a partner in classified Five Eyes UAP intelligence sharing at the highest level, while simultaneously claiming it doesn't investigate the topic and has no interest in doing so.

The Grant Lavac Question

Grant Lavac has been the most persistent voice pushing for Australian transparency on UAPs. Through systematic use of Freedom of Information requests, parliamentary petitions, and media engagement, he has:

• Revealed Five Eyes UAP intelligence sharing at TS//SI/TK classification.
• Forced Defence to admit Australian attendance at US UAP briefings.
• Petitioned for "see something, say something" reporting mechanisms for ADF personnel.
• Documented the government's pattern of denial followed by reluctant admission.

Now, in the wake of Trump's executive order, Lavac is publicly calling on Australia's Defence Minister Richard Marles to respond. In a post on X tagging major Australian media outlets — Sunrise, Today Show, ABC News, SBS News, Sky News — he asked two direct questions: Will the Minister comment on the US commitment to releasing UAP files? And will the Australian Department of Defence commit to reviewing its current position on UAP?

The post quote-tweeted journalist Kristin Fisher's coverage of Pete Hegseth's first public remarks on UFOs/UAPs — delivered during a trip to Colorado — since Trump directed the file release.

It's a question the Australian government cannot easily dodge. If the US releases files that reference Australian-shared intelligence, Canberra will need a response. Silence won't be an option.

Pine Gap: The Elephant in the Outback

Any discussion of Australian UAP disclosure must reckon with Pine Gap.

The Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap, located near Alice Springs, is one of the most important intelligence installations outside the United States. Operated jointly by Australian and American personnel, it processes signals intelligence from satellites covering a third of the Earth's surface.

If UAPs are being detected by military and intelligence sensors, and multiple credible witnesses say they are, Pine Gap would be among the facilities most likely to have relevant data.

Pine Gap's joint nature means its data belongs to both nations. A US disclosure order that reaches Pine Gap-related intelligence would directly implicate Australia.

The Five Eyes Domino Effect

Australia isn't the only ally facing this question.

Canada and New Zealand have already confirmed their defence personnel attended US-led UAP forums. The UK has its own history of UAP investigation, including the declassified Condign Report.

If America releases files, the pressure on allies becomes immense:

1. Shared intelligence exposure: US files may reference allied contributions, forcing acknowledgment.
2. Public pressure: Citizens of allied nations will demand equivalent transparency.
3. Legislative precedent: The UAPDA model could inspire similar legislation elsewhere.
4. Scientific cooperation: International research programs will need coordinated data sharing.

The domino metaphor is apt. Once the first tile falls, the others can't stand indefinitely.

What Australia Should Do

This isn't about believing in aliens. It's about institutional transparency and the right of citizens to understand what their defence forces know.

Australia should:

1. Establish reporting protocols. It's absurd that ADF personnel have no mechanism to report anomalous encounters without career risk. Every modern military needs this.
2. Conduct a review. Twenty-eight years without any investigation is not a sign of thoroughness, it's a sign of institutional avoidance.
3. Engage with Five Eyes disclosure. If partner nations are releasing data, Australia should participate rather than being dragged along reluctantly.
4. Be honest about what we know. The pattern of deny-then-admit erodes public trust. Whatever Australia's involvement in UAP intelligence has been, transparency now is better than forced disclosure later.

Ross Coulthart: Australia's Disclosure Voice

It's worth noting that one of the world's most prominent UAP journalists is Australian.

Ross Coulthart, a veteran investigative reporter now with NewsNation, has been instrumental in bringing credible UAP reporting to mainstream audiences. His work, including interviews with whistleblowers and detailed investigation of alleged crash retrieval programs, has helped shift the conversation from tabloid fodder to serious journalism.

That Australia produced a leading disclosure journalist while its own government maintains studied ignorance is an irony not lost on the UAP research community.

The Clock Is Ticking

Trump's order has started a countdown. As files are identified, reviewed, and released, assuming genuine follow-through, Five Eyes partners will face increasing pressure to respond.

Australia can lead, follow, or be dragged. Given the calibre of Australian researchers like Lavac and journalists like Coulthart, the talent for leadership exists.

The question is whether Canberra has the will to match.

After Alien Disclosure, February 25, 2026

Sources: The Canberra Times, The Black Vault, DefenseScoop, Believe Podcast, Australian Department of Defence FOI releases, Senate Estimates briefing papers