John B. Alexander, born in 1937, enlisted in the U.S. Army as a private in 1956 and rose through the ranks as a mustang to retire as a colonel of infantry in 1988 after 32 years of service that included Special Forces command in Vietnam and Thailand.
In his 2011 book UFOs: Myths, Conspiracies, and Realities he described forming an interagency UFO study group while on active duty and conducting searches that located no classified crash retrieval or reverse-engineering programs.
- Retired U.S. Army Colonel, 1988; last active-duty post Director, Advanced System Concepts Office, Army Laboratory Command.
- Created interagency Advanced Theoretical Physics group in the 1980s with participants holding Top Secret clearances.
- Post-retirement program manager at Los Alamos National Laboratory developing non-lethal defense concepts.
- Author of UFOs: Myths, Conspiracies, and Realities (2011) detailing absence of evidence for crash retrieval programs.
- Lives in Las Vegas, Nevada; continues research and writing on UAP and related phenomena.
- United StatesBorn 1937
- U.S. ArmyColonel, retired 1988; 32 years service
- U.S. Army Special ForcesCommander, A-teams, 1966–1969
- Los Alamos National LaboratoryProgram manager, non-lethal weapons
- Army Laboratory CommandDirector, Advanced System Concepts Office, 1985–1988
- National Institute for Discovery ScienceSkinwalker Ranch investigator
Background
John B. Alexander was born in New York in 1937. He enlisted in the U.S. Army as a private in 1956. He advanced through the enlisted ranks to sergeant first class before attending Officer Candidate School, where he graduated as honor graduate. While serving he earned a B.G.S. in sociology from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in 1971, an M.A. in education from Pepperdine University in 1975, and a Ph.D. in education from Walden University in 1980.
His early career included infantry assignments and selection for Special Forces. From 1966 to 1969 he commanded Army Special Forces A-teams in Thailand and Vietnam. Later stateside roles encompassed personnel and human resources management at Fort McPherson, Georgia, from 1977 to 1979.
In 1980 Alexander was assigned to the Department of the Army Inspector General’s office in Washington. From 1982 to 1983 he served as Chief of Human Technology at Army Intelligence Command in Arlington, Virginia. Subsequent positions included technology integration management at Army Materiel Command in Alexandria, Virginia, from 1983 to 1985.
His final active-duty assignment ran from 1985 to 1988 as Director of the Advanced System Concepts Office at the U.S. Army Laboratory Command in Adelphi, Maryland. He retired as a colonel in 1988. Immediately afterward he joined Los Alamos National Laboratory, where he advanced non-lethal weapons concepts and briefed senior officials including White House and National Security Council staff.
While on active duty in the 1980s Alexander organized an interagency group to examine UFO reports. Participants from the Army, Navy, Air Force, CIA, NSA, DIA and aerospace industry all held Top Secret clearances. The group reviewed cases and pursued access through classified channels but located no documents, no special access programs and no physical evidence of recovered craft or reverse-engineering efforts.
Alexander published these findings in the 2011 book UFOs: Myths, Conspiracies, and Realities. He stated that no government office appeared responsible for the topic and that repeated inquiries at senior levels yielded no confirmation of crash retrieval programs. He has reiterated the same conclusion in subsequent interviews and podcasts.
After Los Alamos he served as a senior fellow at a Department of Defense university and consulted for the National Intelligence Council, CIA, U.S. Special Operations Command and Army Science Board. He has traveled extensively, including shamanic studies and research at Skinwalker Ranch with the National Institute for Discovery Science.
Alexander has authored additional books on future war, non-lethal weapons and consciousness topics. He remains active in research on UAP, near-death studies and paranormal phenomena from his home in Las Vegas.
Where They Are Now
As of October 2025 Alexander continues to reside in Las Vegas, Nevada, with his wife Victoria. He remains active as an author and researcher, with his most recent book Reality Denied released in recent years and ongoing public appearances and interviews on UAP and related subjects.
He maintains a personal website and participates in conferences and media discussions on military applications of anomalous phenomena and government transparency regarding UAP.
Last updated 25 October 2026