The Pentagon has reported an uptick in the number of UFO sightings being tracked but has yet to discover any evidence of extraterrestrial activity.
This is according to testimony provided by Sean Kirkpatrick, Director of the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office, at a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Kirkpatrick revealed that his office is currently tracking some 650 instances of UFO sightings. However, he noted that the majority of these cases demonstrate mundane characteristics of balloons, clutter, natural phenomena, or other readily explainable sources.
Kirkpatrick also clarified that his office is not actively looking for evidence of alien activity. "I should also state clearly for the record that in our research, AARO has found no credible evidence thus far of extraterrestrial activity, off-world technology, or objects that defy the known laws of physics," he stated. "Only a very small percentage of [unidentified aerial phenomena] reports display signatures that could reasonably be described as anomalous."
Instead, Kirkpatrick is more concerned with determining whether these unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) could belong to adversarial nations like Russia or China. "Of the cases that are showing some sort of advanced technical signatureI am concerned about what that nexus is," he said. "I have indicators that some are related to foreign capabilities. We have to investigate that with our [intelligence community] partners."
Kirkpatrick also highlighted the challenges in closing cases without verifiable information, noting that only a "handful" of cases have been formally closed. "I will not close a case that I cannot defend the conclusions of," he asserted.
The Pentagon's focus on UAPs and their potential foreign origins reflects a shift in the government's approach to the phenomenon. In June 2021, the Pentagon released a long-awaited report acknowledging the existence of UAPs and their potential national security implications. The report called for a more unified and systematic approach to tracking and analyzing UAPs.
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