UFO report letdown: Pentagon study finds no alien links, sightings largely misidentified

A long-awaited Pentagon report submitted to the US Congress on Friday has shed light on the surge in UFO sightings during the 1960s, attributing it to tests of advanced American spy planes and space technology.

The report, mandated by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023, revealed that there was "no evidence" of the US government interacting with extraterrestrial beings. While acknowledging that most sightings of "unidentified anomalous phenomena" (UAP) were likely ordinary objects, officials cautioned that the report might not dispel long-held public beliefs about alien visitors.

Titled the "All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office's Historical Record (AARO) Report," the initial volume reviewed the United States government's record on UAP sightings since 1945. In compiling the report, AARO scrutinized classified and unclassified archives, conducted numerous interviews, and collaborated with officials responsible for overseeing controlled and special access programs.

"AARO will publish a second volume that will provide analysis of information acquired by AARO after Nov. 1, 2023, including information received via interviews with current and former U.S. government personnel who contacted AARO via the secure reporting mechanism on AARO's website," the Pentagon stated.

The US government emphasized that analyzing and understanding the historical record on UAP is an ongoing collaborative effort involving various departments and agencies. "To date, AARO has found no verifiable evidence for claims that the U.S. government and private companies have access to or have been reverse-engineering extraterrestrial technology. Moreover, AARO has found no evidence that any U.S. government investigation, academic-sponsored research, or official review panel has confirmed that any sighting of a UAP represented extraterrestrial technology," the US Defense Department said.

The report further stated, "All investigative efforts, at all levels of classification, concluded that most sightings were ordinary objects and phenomena and the result of misidentification. AARO assesses that all of the named and described alleged hidden UAP reverse-engineering programs provided by interviewees either do not exist; are misidentified authentic national security programs that are not related to extraterrestrial technology exploitation; or resolve to a disestablished program."

While the report may not put an end to the long-standing fascination with the possibility of extraterrestrial life, it sheds light on the potential explanations for the surge in UFO sightings during a pivotal period in the development of advanced military and space technology.