The Pentagon’s latest report on UFOs has revealed hundreds of new reports of unidentified and unexplained aerial phenomena but no indications suggesting an extraterrestrial origin.
The review includes hundreds of cases of misidentified balloons, birds and satellites as well as some that defy easy explanation, such as a near-miss between a commercial airliner and a mysterious object off the coast of New York.
While it isn’t likely to settle any debates over the existence of alien life, the report reflects heightened public interest in the topic and the government’s efforts to provide some answers. Its publication comes a day after House lawmakers called for greater government transparency during a hearing on unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAPs – the government’s term for UFOs.
Federal efforts to study and identify UAPs have focused on potential threats to national security or air safety and not their science fiction aspects. Officials at the Pentagon office created in 2022 to track UAPs, known as the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office, or AARO, have said there’s no indication any of the cases they looked into have unearthly origins.
“It is important to underscore that, to date, AARO has discovered no evidence of extraterrestrial beings, activity, or technology,” the authors of the report wrote.
The Pentagon’s review covered 757 cases from around the world that were reported to U.S. authorities from May 1, 2023, to June 1, 2024. The total includes 272 incidents that occurred before that time period but had not been previously reported.
The great majority of the reported incidents occurred in airspace, but 49 occurred at altitudes estimated to be at least 100 kilometres, which is considered space. None occurred underwater. Reporting witnesses included commercial and military pilots as well as ground-based observers.
Investigators found explanations for nearly 300 of the incidents. In many cases, the unknown objects were found to be balloons, birds, aircraft, drones or satellites. According to the report, Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite system is one increasingly common source as people mistake chains of satellites for UFOs.
Hundreds of other cases remain unexplained, though the report’s authors stressed that is often because there isn’t enough information to draw firm conclusions.
No injuries or crashes were reported in any of the incidents, though a commercial flight crew reported one near miss with a “cylindrical object” while flying over the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of New York. That incident remains under investigation.
In three other cases, military air crews reported being followed or shadowed by unidentified aircraft, though investigators could find no evidence to link the activity to a foreign power.
For witnesses who provided visual descriptions, unidentified lights or round, spherical or orb-shaped objects were commonly reported. Other reports included a witness who reported a jellyfish with flashing lights.
During Wednesday’s hearing on UAPs, lawmakers heard testimony from several expert witnesses who have studied the phenomena, including two former military officers. The discussion included fanciful questions about alien intelligence and military research using alien technology as well as concerns that foreign powers may be using secret aircraft to spy on U.S. military installations.
Lawmakers said the many questions about UAPs show the need for the government to closely study the issue – and share those findings with Americans.
“There is something out there,” said Republican Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee. “The question is: Is it ours, is it someone else’s, or is it otherworldly?”