Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb said a newly formed federal advisory panel on unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAPs, will focus on gathering better data and helping the U.S. government determine whether unexplained objects are linked to foreign adversaries or represent something more unusual.

The UAP Science Advisory Council, established as part of President Donald Trump's push for greater transparency on UFO-related records, is expected to advise the administration, the Pentagon, intelligence agencies and other federal entities as they review unexplained aerial sightings and related data.

Loeb, who is leading the council, discussed the effort during an appearance on Newsmax's "Wake Up America" on Wednesday.

"The government wants to cooperate [with UFO researchers] and I'm here to serve President Trump and the administration in figuring out these unusual objects, anomalous objects that the Pentagon and the intelligence agencies have difficulties explaining."

The Trump administration recently established a UAP Governance Board and a related scientific advisory effort to support the president’s directive on UAP transparency and coordinate the review and declassification of information across government agencies.

Loeb was selected to lead the science advisory council, which will work with unclassified information and provide recommendations on future research and data collection.

He argued on Wednesday that government monitoring systems have historically led to major scientific discoveries and suggested a similar approach could help explain some UAP reports.

"The U.S. government is responsible for some previous discoveries of the cosmos," he said, citing the discovery of gamma-ray bursts and the detection of interstellar meteors through military monitoring systems.

"Let's hope that perhaps they have some record of objects that may have been manufactured by technological civilizations other than ours," Loeb said. "And what we are here for is to help the government figure out if that's the case."

At the same time, Loeb stressed that national security concerns remain a primary motivation for the effort.

"Because if it's not the case, if these are human made, then they might be produced by adversarial nations," he said. "And we have to help, as citizens of the United States, help the Pentagon figure them out so that there will not be holes in the defense of strategic assets."

Asked about the administration's push to release more UFO-related information amid decades of public speculation and conspiracy theories, Loeb said investigators should remain focused on evidence.

"My point is we should keep our eyes on the orbs, not on the audience," he said. "It's not about what is being said in social media. There are lots of crackpots and a lot of people with conspiracy theories. That's completely irrelevant when we see objects that the Pentagon is unable to identify."

Loeb called for improved surveillance systems and scientific research rather than continued debate over incomplete historical reports.

"We should now build better sensors to protect the United States," he said.

When asked whether he would publicly disclose evidence of extraterrestrial life if it were found, Loeb answered unequivocally.

"Definitely," he said. "Steven Spielberg asked me a decade ago to tell him if I find anything, because he realizes that his imagination is not as good as reality. And so I will definitely keep you in mind as well."

Loeb added that because the council will analyze only unclassified information, its findings can be discussed openly.

"As of now, the council that I'm leading will analyze unclassified data, so we can definitely discuss it with the public in a transparent way," he said.

GET TODAY NEWSMAX+:

NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America with more than 30 million people watching!

Reuters Institute reports NEWSMAX is one of the top news brands in the U.S.

You need to watch NEWSMAX today.

Get it with great shows from Rob Schmitt, Greta Van Susteren, Greg Kelly, Carl Higbie, Rob Finnerty – and many more!

Find the NEWSMAX channel on your cable system – Go Here Now

BEST OFFER:

Sign up for NEWSMAX+ and get NEWSMAX, our streaming channel NEWSMAX2 and our military channel World at War.

Find hundreds of shows, movies and specials.

Even get Jon Voight's special series and President Trump's comedy programs and much more!

Watch NEWSMAX+ on your smartphone or home TV app.

Watch NEWSMAX anytime, anywhere!

Start your FREE trial now: NewsmaxPlus.com