US General Linked to UFO Secrets Vanishes in ‘National Security Crisis’

A retired U.S. Air Force general tied to some of the military’s most secretive research programs has vanished without a trace in New Mexico — and the mystery is raising serious national security questions.

Maj. Gen. William Neil McCasland, 68, disappeared after leaving his home in Albuquerque on foot in late February, according to local authorities. Investigators say he left behind one critical item: his cellphone.

That detail alone has alarmed officials.

The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office launched a missing persons investigation and issued a Silver Alert, noting that McCasland may be at risk due to medical concerns. The FBI has since joined the search, signaling the case may have broader implications.

“Any information about his whereabouts could be vital,” the sheriff’s office said in a public notice urging residents to come forward.

But the disappearance is attracting attention far beyond New Mexico.

Australian investigative journalist Ross Coulthart, known for reporting on classified UFO programs, is warning the situation could represent a “grave national security crisis” because of what McCasland knew during his decades-long military career.

“This is a man who had access to some of the most sensitive secrets in the United States,” Coulthart said during a recent episode of his podcast Reality Check. “When someone like that disappears without explanation, it raises very serious questions.”

McCasland served more than three decades in the Air Force and held senior leadership roles overseeing highly classified research programs. At one point he led research operations at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, a facility long rumored in UFO lore to house materials linked to the infamous 1947 Roswell incident.

Although the U.S. government has never confirmed those claims, Wright-Patterson has played a central role in military aerospace development for decades. The base has also been associated with advanced weapons research and experimental technologies.

Coulthart says McCasland was deeply involved in those programs.

“He oversaw research connected to cutting-edge space and defense technology,” the journalist said. “People in those roles often have knowledge that very few others possess.”

The timing of McCasland’s disappearance has also fueled speculation.

In recent weeks, President Donald Trump has again hinted that the federal government could reveal more information about unidentified aerial phenomena — often referred to as UFOs or UAPs — a subject that has increasingly moved from conspiracy theory to congressional hearings and Pentagon investigations.

Coulthart believes McCasland supported greater transparency on the issue.

“The timing here is extraordinary,” he said. “You have a former general who understood these programs, who believed the public deserved more information, and suddenly he vanishes.”

Authorities, however, are focusing on finding the missing general.

Investigators say McCasland was last seen leaving his Albuquerque residence on foot on Feb. 28. His family reported him missing soon after. Officials have not said whether foul play is suspected, but they acknowledge the circumstances are unusual.

The search continues across the Albuquerque area as law enforcement asks the public to remain alert.

Meanwhile, the disappearance of a man who once handled some of the nation’s most closely guarded military secrets is only deepening the mystery.

As Coulthart put it: “When someone with that level of knowledge disappears, you have to ask — what happened, and who would want him gone?”