WASHINGTON — The truth is out there. Or is it?
More than 20 reports of unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) — “UFOs,” in layman’s terms — made over the past year have stumped the Defense Department and “merit further analysis,” according to the UAP program’s annual report released Thursday.
Between May 1, 2023, and June 1, the Pentagon’s “all-domain anomaly resolution office” (AARO) received 757 reports of sightings — 485 of which referenced new sightings over that period while the remainder occurred between 2021 and 2022.
Among those are 21 reports that AARO director Jon Kosloski said warrant additional investigation — and some which he described as “true anomalies.”
While most of the sightings happened in the air, 49 were alleged to have occurred in space. No other sightings were reported underwater or in other environments.
“AARO notes that none of the space domain reports originated from space-based sensors or assets; rather, all of these reports originated from military or commercial pilots or ground observers who reported UAP located at altitudes estimated at 100 kilometers [about 62 miles] or higher, consistent with U.S. [sic] Space Command’s astrographic area of responsibility,” the report said.
In a blow to those hopeful that we are not alone in the universe, the report confirms, as Kosloski told reporters Thursday, that “AARO has discovered no verifiable evidence of extraterrestrial beings, activity, or technology.”
Almost as notably, the reports analyzed so far have not “substantiated advanced foreign adversarial capabilities or breakthrough aerospace technologies,” as some in the defense sector have suspected.
Reports of UFO sightings significantly outpaced the relatively new DoD office’s ability to clear the cases. Of the 757 reported over the past year, according to the report, AARO “resolved” — or determined the cause — of just 118, finding the objects to be “various types of balloons, birds” and drones.
Another 174 cases pending closure following a final review are suspected to be related to the mundane.
However, “[m]any other cases remain unresolved and AARO continues collection and analysis on that body of cases,” according to the report.
Specifically, AARO has 444 reports to comb through — as well as further investigation into the the mysterious 21 — with more bound to pour in.
“AARO’s ability to resolve cases remains constrained by a lack of timely and actionable sensor data,” the report said. “AARO continues to address this challenge by working with military and technical
partners to optimize sensor requirements, information-sharing processes, and the content of UAP
reporting.”
To help get to the bottom of some of the cases, AARO is turning to US allies, “expanding engagement with foreign partners to share information and collaborate on best practices for resolving UAP cases,” the report said.
“AARO is working closely with its [intelligence community] and [science and technology] partners to understand and attribute the 21 cases received this reporting period that merit further analysis based on reported anomalous characteristics and/or behaviors.”
“AARO will provide immediate notification to Congress should AARO identify that any cases indicate or involve a breakthrough foreign adversarial aerospace capability.”