The US Department of Defence has launched a website with declassified information on UFO sightings.
The All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) manages this website, which is available for the public to access.
On the website, UFOs are officially referred to as unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs).
The website describes them as "sources of anomalous detection" in one of three domains: airborne, seaborne or spaceborne. UAPs are further detailed as "not yet attributable to known actors and those that demonstrate behaviours that are not readily understood by sensors or observers."
Pentagon press secretary and spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder described the site at a news conference as an information hub for resolved UAP cases. This site serves as a "one-stop shop" for all publicly available records about UAPs, including photos and videos once they have been declassified and approved for public release.
Reporting trends shared on the AARO site show the most commonly reported characteristics of UAPs as round, spotted at roughly 10,000 to 30,000 feet, 1-4 meters in size and either white, silver or translucent colours. A video on the site taken by a naval pilot in 2021 and declassified in 2022 shows an unusual spherical object that darts past the lens at an unbelievable speed. In April 2023, Sean Kirkpatrick, director of Pentagon’s AARO, said they were tracking more than 650 potential cases of UAPs.
The site will also add a tool in the coming months for members of the public to report UAP sightings.
According to a Pentagon press release, another tool is to be released in the fall. This tool would allow current and former US Government employees, service members and contractors to provide reports through a private and secure mechanism.
These measures come at a time of increased scrutiny against the American government on reports of UFO sightings.
In July, three military veterans testified before Congress in a hearing regarding UFOs. Their testimonies declared that the US government had been too secretive regarding knowledge they have about UFOs and that these sightings may prove to be a national security problem. Following this, a bipartisan US congressional measure urged more transparency around unidentified objects in space. In a press release by the US Department of Defence, they reaffirmed their commitment ‘to transparency with the American people on AARO’s work on UAPs’.
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