First Lieutenant, United States Air Force
Robert Salas served as a Minuteman I Launch Control Officer with the United States Air Force at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana. He is best known for his testimony regarding the March 1967 missile shutdown incidents, during which multiple Minuteman nuclear missiles reportedly became inoperable shortly after security personnel reported observing an unidentified glowing object near a missile launch facility.
According to Salas, he was serving underground in the Oscar Flight Launch Control Center when a security guard reported a glowing red-orange object hovering outside the facility. Minutes later, several missiles reportedly entered a 'No-Go' condition. Salas has maintained this account consistently for decades and has become one of the most widely recognized military witnesses associated with unidentified aerial phenomena.
Although surviving official documentation primarily confirms the Echo Flight missile shutdown rather than Oscar Flight, Salas has stated that both incidents occurred within days of one another. His testimony has been supported in part by statements from other retired missile personnel, while some former officers have disputed portions of his recollection.
Following his Air Force career, Salas became an author and lecturer focusing on military encounters involving unidentified aerial phenomena and nuclear weapons. He has testified publicly, participated in documentaries, and spoken at conferences examining the relationship between UAP and strategic nuclear facilities.