Slow Walkers
Slow Walkers is a military designation used alongside Fast Walkers to describe objects detected by space-based sensors entering or leaving Earth's atmosphere at lower velocities than Fast Walkers, but still moving in ways inconsistent with atmospheric phenomena or known spacecraft. The term serves the same classificatory and FOIA evasion purposes as Fast Walkers, allowing military organizations to categorize and withhold space-based UFO detection data under terminology distinct from "UFO" or "UAP."
Terminology and Classification
The Walker callsign family (Fast Walkers and Slow Walkers) describes objects entering or leaving Earth's atmosphere at variable speeds:
- Slow Walker: Low velocity objects
- Fast Walker: High velocity objects (the primary focus of detection efforts)
Both designations are used by NORAD, US Northern Command, and US Space Force to classify objects detected by Defense Support Program (DSP) satellites and other space-based sensor systems.
Detection and Tracking
Like Fast Walkers, Slow Walkers are detected by infrared sensors on DSP satellites operating in geosynchronous orbit. The key distinction from atmospheric UAPs is that both Fast and Slow Walkers are objects transiting into or out of Earth's atmosphere — they cross the boundary between space and atmosphere, rather than operating solely within the atmosphere.
Ground-based sensors typically cannot track Slow Walkers, just as they cannot track Fast Walkers. Only space-based detection systems have the capability to monitor these objects as they enter or depart Earth's atmospheric boundary.
FOIA Denials
All FOIA requests for Slow Walker data have been denied alongside Fast Walker requests. John Greenewald's requests specifically sought information on both designations, and received blanket denials citing Executive Order 13526 and national security concerns.
The terminological distinction between "UFO/UAP" (atmospheric) and "Fast/Slow Walker" (space-transiting) allows agencies to maintain classification even as some atmospheric UAP information has been disclosed under pressure.
Significance
The existence of both Fast and Slow Walker designations indicates the military tracks a spectrum of anomalous objects moving between space and Earth's atmosphere at varying speeds. This suggests the phenomenon encompasses objects with diverse flight characteristics and performance envelopes, not just ultra-high-velocity targets.
The fact that both designations remain equally classified suggests all space-transiting unidentified objects — regardless of speed — are treated as highly sensitive by US military space commands.