The Pentagon recently received over 270 reports of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs) or UFOs in the last eight months.
On Tuesday, an unclassified document made public by the Department of Defense detailed that between August 31, 2022, and April 30, 2023, 274 fresh reports were submitted to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office. This office spearheads the government’s endeavors in recording and examining UFO/UAP incidents.
Many of these reports originate from military personnel and commercial pilots, as stated by the DOD. Additionally, the agency is probing into 17 events from 2019 to 2022 that were previously overlooked.
By the end of April, the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) had accumulated 801 UFO reports.
The Department emphasized that while UFOs/UAPs in the airspace could be potentially dangerous, none of these occurrences directly conflicted with civilian or military flights. The document also pointed out that there hasn’t been any verification of these UFOs being external threats, although the notion is under review.
This annual report from the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office is routinely presented to Congress.
This autumn, in alignment with Section 1673 of the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, AARO will introduce a secure online reporting feature. This will allow present and past U.S. government employees, service members, and contractors with firsthand knowledge of U.S. government operations to report directly to AARO.
The Department is in the final stages of ensuring this reporting tool adheres to several acts, including the Privacy Act of 1974, the Whistleblower Protections Enhancement Act of 2012, the No FEAR Act of 2002, and the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. Meanwhile, current U.S. service members, government staff, and civil aviators should use the existing reporting channels within their respective organizations. An avenue for the wider public to submit reports will be unveiled soon.
Highlighting the importance of safety, Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder affirmed in a statement that the well-being of service personnel is of utmost importance during these UFO inquiries.
“The well-being of our service members, the security of our facilities and operations, whether on land, in the air, at sea, or in space, is of utmost importance,” Ryder stated. “We regard every reported intrusion into our designated territories—whether by land, sea, air, or space—with gravity and meticulously investigate each case.”
