UFO theorists believe alien life has already made contact with planet earth. (Photo: Flickr Media Commons/Davide.Santoni)

For anyone who believes in unidentified flying objects (UFOs) and alien-human contact, U.S. Army Chief of Staff General Mark Malley just opened a flying saucer-shaped pandora’s box with his speech to Norwich University students on the 100th anniversary of the ROTC program.

Though his speech was short, two little phrases was all it took for believers in government-alien conspiracies to spread the word, according to the Army Times.

The speech began normally enough, with the general discussing the complexities of our world, which have increased since WWI and WWII. 

“You’re going to be leading the soldiers and sailors and the airmen and the marines in that world,” said General Malley. “You’ll be dealing with terrorists, you’ll be dealing with hybrid armies, with little green men, you’re going to be dealing with tribes… you’re going to be dealing with it all, and you’re going to be dealing with it simultaneously.”

Alien enthusiasts latched on to “hybrid armies”, which supposedly refers to human-alien hybrids, among other theories. “Little green men,” they argued, of course meant life from outer space.  

Articles and YouTube videos began flooding conspiracy circles; an article at Ground Zero Media combines apocalyptic possibilities and that the hybrid army could have to do with human-tech hybrids and super soldiers, among other hidden possibilities in the General’s “amazing announcement”. A video by UFO theorist username twophaseofmoon provides some commentary for the speech. One host points out that while General Malley speaks, “…nobody’s laughing here. Nobody’s laughing at the statement. Is this disclosure, at hand, right now?” and asks, “Why is an army chief of staff saying something like this?”

His co-host couldn’t wait to make his own statement, adding that ”Mark Malley—he’s coming up, he’s not afraid. I think he knows something that everybody else doesn’t want to tell us,” and added “He’s not hiding nothing here. He left it all on the table.” 

But not everyone thinks he left it all on the table for the alien enthusiasts among us. Army officials assured the public that this supposed proof of alien contact with planet earth was not what General Malley was saying. Army Times reports that “little green men” is actually another term used by Russian and Ukrainian reported to described soldiers who wear unmarked green uniforms, and mentions of a “hybrid threat” has been used to describe the complex threats that include enemy hackers and terrorist groups. As if that would stop the alien inclined to stop theorizing.