Pentagon officials told the US Congress on Tuesday that they are confident the military has identified potential aerial objects and unknown phenomena, noting a rise in alerts since 2004 to 400.
For the first time in more than half a century, Congress held a hearing to discuss UAPs, with Ronald Moultrie, Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security, and Scott Bray, deputy director of US Naval Intelligence, testifying.
During the session before a House Intelligence subcommittee, several lawmakers emphasized that the goal of the hearing was to remove the stigma and encourage military personnel to report encounters to their superiors when they occur.
Democrat André Carson, chair of the subcommittee representing Indiana, recalled that more than fifty years ago the government ended the Blue Book project, which analyzed 12,618 UFO reports detected by the Air Force between 1952 and 1969.
In the following years, lawmakers learned that the Department of Defense quietly started a similar effort to monitor what is now called unidentified weather phenomena, and last year Congress established the rules for this initiative.
An office for analyzing UAPs
Moultrie announced that in fiscal 2022, the Pentagon created an office to oversee the gathering, processing, and analysis of any encounters with UAPs or related phenomena, which are not always tangible objects.
Scott Bray, deputy director of Naval Intelligence, cited an official report released nearly a year ago describing detections between 2004 and 2021. A total of 144 identified weather events were noted, and the count rose to 400 with additional observations.
Those presenting the information at the Pentagon used UAP videos to illustrate their points while also highlighting the ongoing effort to understand these sightings. JIM LO SCALZO
The rise in reported incidents is linked to more vigilant reporting by personnel, the reduction of stigma, broader use of drones in US airspace, and improved sensors and radar systems that can recognize unusual activity.
After completing their analysis, the Naval Intelligence deputy director suggested that UAPs likely fall into several categories, including radar interference, natural weather events, government or industry development programs, or other advanced systems.
He added that there is always a possibility of encounters that leave room for surprises and potential scientific discoveries. Despite preliminary assessments, the total of 400 alerts remains conservative because some reports are based on human references, while others are supported by objective measurement tools like sensors and radars.
18 UFOs with no visible means of propulsion
Democratic Representative Adam Schiff found the June report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence particularly compelling. It documented 18 unidentified weather phenomena that appear to involve sophisticated technology and propulsion-less flight.
Schiff asked Bray whether the United States knows of any foreign power capable of producing objects that fly without discernible propulsion. Bray responded that no such capability is known to the United States at this time.
Bray noted that some events remain unexplained, drawing attention to encounters that deserve closer scrutiny. Across the hearings, videos of UAPs were shown, though many explanations are straightforward.
A reflective triangle on a coastline that might be a drone
Bray described one clip recorded off the US coast showing a reflective triangle visible with night-vision equipment. The team assessed it as potentially a drone cause the shape reflected so clearly under such lenses.
Another lawmaker, Republican Eric Crawford, asked Defense officials to provide a concrete example of an object with an origin beyond natural phenomena that cannot be attributed to human activity.
Bray referred to footage from 2004 on a Navy fighter jet aboard the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz: the data exists, and it remains unresolved.