The 2017 reference is interesting—nothing happened “up there” in 2017 (that we know of) but something did happen in journalism land:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/16/us/politics/pentagon-program-ufo-harry-reid.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/18/insider/secret-pentagon-ufo-program.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/16/us/politics/unidentified-flying-object-navy.html
I’ve never trusted Elizondo. My ‘internal compass’ senses something fishy there.
I certainly don’t trust Reid.
I think senators and congressmen took note when that article came out in 2017. And then there was another NY Times article on the same subject in 2019 by the same authors.(‘Wow, What Is That?’ Navy Pilots Report Unexplained Flying Objects).
I don't know if that's what he (Kennedy) meant, but, when I heard both dates, it lit a fire in my brain.
IIRC, these 2 articles were the impetus for the call for Pentagon transparency by the Intelligence Committees.
Oh, I think part of everyone’s little ol’ thinker is meandering in that direction.