THE PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT ON UNIDENTIFIED AERIAL PHENOMENA: OUR STATEMENT

THE OFFICE OF the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), through their Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force (UAPTF) and the ODNI National Intelligence Manager for Aviation, prepared a report for the Congressional Intelligence & Armed Services Committees (CI&ASC). Input was sought from seventeen separate US agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigations, National Security Agency, US Air Force, US Navy, US Army, Federal Aviation Administration and the ODNI/National Counterintelligence & Security Center.

144 cases originated from US Government sources, of which 80 involved data obtained from multiple sensors. Most of the reports obtained by the UAPTF involved interruption of planned military training or other activity. The report concedes that the sensors that picked up UAP activity were not designed specifically to do so. However, the sensitivity of these sensors, plus the number that are regularly deployed, are recognised as an asset in future UAP data collection, determining whether these objects demonstrate “breakthrough aerospace capabilities”.

The UAPTF report attempted to breakdown the 144 cases into five broad categories, four of which covered balloons, birds, airborne debris, weather phenomenon, secret US tech and foreign adversaries devices. The fifth is categorised as “Other”. These include those cases where limited data provide prevents analysis, but also where advances in scientific procedures would be required to better understand what was involved.

The US Navy formally instituted a standard reporting mechanism for UAP in March 2019. Whilst the USAF appears to have been a late participant in UAP data collection, it began a pilot programme in November 2020 concentrating on “likely areas” where UAP could be encountered and recorded, although a widespread system does not appear to have been implemented as yet.

The UAPTF indicates that it requires additional funding to implement the recommendations laid out in this report. It intends to focus additional analysis on those cases where UAP demonstrated unusual flight characteristics. According to the report, UAPTF’s long term goal is to widen the scope of its work. It is looking to introduce more personnel from a wider cross section of governmental analysts and specialists. Data analytics, Artificial Intelligence and machine learning algorithms will also be employed, gathering data points on known phenomena such as weather balloons and wildlife, so these can be tested against those cases currently lodged in the UAPTF database and used in future incidents.

The full report can be downloaded on our USEFUL LINKS page.

ALTERNATIVE AVAILABLE QUOTES

ON June 25th, the Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon Task Force submitted a historic report to the United States Congress. It detailed their investigations of 144 UAP reports made by first-hand military aviators, with 80 involving multiple sensors, between 2004 and 2021. After rigorous analysis, many of these serious incursions into restricted airspace remain unresolved. The UAP Task Force report has illuminated a growing and serious issue - that the US does not have control of its own skies. The UK Government's silence on this important and alarming situation is both puzzling and worrying. It is time to open up a dialogue with the public, as people are increasingly demanding answers. - Dan Zetterstrom, UAPMedia UK

The U.S. Government has recognised that the characteristics displayed by Unidentified Aerial Phenomena require an enhancement of data collection assets in order to understand and identify any potential threat to their national sovereignty. The UAPTF are recommending funding be made available for training and technological advancement so that when U.S. military personnel encounter UAP, they are sufficiently trained in to order provide high-quality and consistent data for scientific and strategic analysis. We hope that with the release of this report from the United States ODNI, the higher ranks of the UK Armed Forces will be inclined to provide a similar evaluation to HM Government. - Dave Partridge, UAP Media UK