The All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), a new Pentagon office set up to investigate UFO reports, reported several hundred unidentified flying objects (UFOs) in 2022. The office monitors flying objects reported by the various branches of the United States military.
A UFO, or unidentified anomalous phenomenon (UAP), as the government prefers, is “anything in space, the air, on land, in the sea, or under the sea that cannot be identified and may pose a threat to U.S. military installations or operations.”
The U.S. military has revealed that UFO reports are now flooding the facility, which was set up in July 2022. Sean Kirkpatrick, the AARO office director, noted that none of the reports, old or new, show any actual hint of alien activity.
Officials also stated that many UFO sightings are most likely the result of “relatively ordinary” surveillance drones from countries such as China and Russia. Others could simply be “airborne clutter,” such as weather balloons.
After more than a half-century wait, Congress held its first hearing on UFOs in May 2022. Members expressed concern that, whether the objects are alien or potentially new technology flown by China, Russia, or another potential adversary, the unknown creates a security risk for the United States.
Beyond unidentifiable objects, there’s a lot of new technology—such as future stealth bombers and stealth fighters, drones, and hypersonic missiles being fielded by both the U.S. and China—that could be mistaken for a UFO. Kirkpatrick said the new office has been coordinating with the Pentagon and the U.S. intelligence community to get the signatures of U.S. technology to rule out those aircraft or drones.
“We are setting up very clear mechanisms with our blue programs, both our DOD and IC programs, to de-conflict any observations that come in with blue activities and ensure that we weed those out and identify those fairly early on,” Kirkpatrick said, referring to the “blue” U.S. aircraft programs in operation by the Pentagon or intelligence agencies.