Investigation Methodology

“For me, you know, I was an accident investigator. So, the biggest thing that you learn, and I think that witnesses need to do is, one, do not try and make the fish bigger than it was. Stick to the facts. Write it down and do not speculate what you think it is because it will sway your decision. Just write the facts down. We can get all the facts together and we can start to investigate and get a real honest story instead of it was this big.”

“So there is, when I say unexplained, I mean everything from too little data to we simply -- the data that we have doesn't point us towards an explanation, but we will go wherever the data takes us. Again, we make no assumptions about what this is or isn't. We are committed to understanding these, and so we will go wherever that data takes us.”

“As of May 31, 2024, AARO has an additional 174 cases queued for closure, pending a final review and Director's approval. As of the publishing date of this report, all 174 cases have been finalized as resolved to prosaic objects including balloons, birds, UAS, satellites, and aircraft.”

“AARO has begun collections using a prototype sensor system, GREMLIN, for detecting, tracking, and characterizing UAP. GREMLIN demonstrated functionality and successfully collected data during a test event in March of 2024.”

“The remaining 444 cases lacked sufficient data to facilitate analysis and were placed in the Active Archive where they will be held for pattern of life and trend analysis or reexamined if additional data becomes available.”

“U.S. military assets operating over the East Asian Seas provided 100 reports, and AARO resolved 40 of these cases as balloons or UAS.”

“AARO determined 21 cases merit further analysis by its IC and science and technology (S&T) partners.”

“U.S. military assets deployed to the Middle East provided 57 reports, and AARO resolved 13 of these cases as balloons, UAS, or satellites.”

“AARO resolved 118 cases during the reporting period, all of which resolved to prosaic objects such as various types of balloons, birds, and unmanned aerial systems (UAS).”

“No data or material of any kind was ever transferred to or collected by DHS under the auspices of KONA BLUE”

“the UAPTF concentrated its review on reports that occurred between 2004 and 2021, the majority of which are a result of this new tailored process to better capture UAP events through formalized reporting”

“We were able to identify one reported UAP with high confidence. In that case, we identified the object as a large, deflating balloon. The others remain unexplained.”

“AARO Possesses No Data to Indicate the Capture or Exploitation of UAP”

“AARO found no evidence that any USG investigation, academic-sponsored research, or official review panel has confirmed that any sighting of a UAP represented extraterrestrial technology.”

“Our analysis of the data supports the construct that if and when individual UAP incidents are resolved they will fall into one of five potential explanatory categories: airborne clutter, natural atmospheric phenomena, USG or U.S. industry developmental programs, foreign adversary systems, and a catchall "other" bin.”

“This preliminary report is provided... in response to the provision in Senate Report 116-233”

“Consistent consolidation of reports from across the federal government, standardized reporting, increased collection and analysis, and a streamlined process for screening all such reports against a broad range of relevant USG data will allow for a more sophisticated analysis of UAP that is likely to deepen our understanding.”

“AARO, in conjunction with NIM-Aviation and the IC, will continue to investigate any evidence of possible foreign government involvement in UAP events.”

“While limited data on UAP continues to be a challenge, the establishment of AARO—with its broad scope of authorities and responsibilities, and its replacement of the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force (UAPTF)—will allow for increased coordination of efforts against the UAP problem set.”

“Various forms of sensors that register UAP generally operate correctly and capture enough real data to allow initial assessments, but some UAP may be attributable to sensor anomalies”

“The establishment of the Department of Defense (DoD) All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) should facilitate more coordinated UAP efforts, resulting in greater attribution of UAP.”

“There are probably multiple types of UAP requiring different explanations based on the range of appearances and behaviors described in the available reporting.”

“These observations could be the result of sensor errors, spoofing, or observer misperception and require additional rigorous analysis.”

“Establishment of the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO)”

“Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena”

“Unidentified Aerial Phenomena study”

“UAP reports are derived from the observer's accurate recollection of the event and/or sensors that generally operate correctly”

“We continue to assess that this may result from a collection bias due to the number of active aircraft and sensors, combined with focused attention and guidance to report anomalies.”

“The limited amount of high-quality reporting on unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) hampers our ability to draw firm conclusions about the nature or intent of UAP.”

“CONTINUED REPORTING AND ROBUST ANALYSIS ARE PROVIDING BETTER FIDELITY ON UAP EVENTS, BUT MANY CASES REMAIN”