# US government UAP disclosures > Since 2021 the US government has published annual counts of military UAP reports, a historical review, case resolutions and, from May 2026, tranches of… Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government Publisher: Mysteries Department Licence: CC BY 4.0 (credit Mysteries Department and link the page) Updated: 2026-10-27T17:48:28+00:00 --- **MYS** 0CXDNAEY0K9D·Mystery · event # US government UAP disclosures **0** [Follow][Ask a question](https://mysteriesdept.com/questions/key-questions?mystery=uap-us-government) US government UAP disclosures ![The Pentagon , looking northeast with the Potomac River and Washington Monument in the distance.](https://mysteriesdept.com/media/folio/uap-us-government-lead) "DoD photo by Master Sgt. Ken Hammond, U.S. Air Force." · Public domain Office All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), established 20 July 2022⁠[[12]] Caseload 1,870 reports held as of 30 May 2025; 319 new in FY2025, 370 resolved⁠[[2]] Historical review Volume 1 (March 2024): no verifiable evidence of extraterrestrial technology or a hidden programme⁠[[3]] Testimony Grusch, 26 July 2023: told of a 'multi-decade UAP crash retrieval and reverse engineering program'⁠[[5]] Records law FY2024 NDAA ss. 1841-1843: a UAP Records Collection at the National Archives⁠[[15]] 2026 PURSUE releases from 8 May 2026; seven tranches by 23 October 2026⁠[[19]] Status Partly explained Questions 0 of 4 answered People [**David Grusch** Former NGA officer and UAP Task Force member; whistleblower](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/people/FIG0CXDNBE61KNT/david-grusch)[**Sean Kirkpatrick** First director of AARO, 2022 to December 2023](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/people/FIG0CXDNC5M7W75/sean-kirkpatrick)[**David Fravor** Retired Navy commander; 2004 Nimitz witness](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/people/FIG0CXDNBP01A9W/david-fravor)[**Luis Elizondo** Former Defense Department official; November 2024 witness](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/people/FIG0CXDNCN82VCP/luis-elizondo)[**Donald Trump** President; ordered the 2026 release](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/people/FIG0CXDND4W5S2E/donald-trump) All 9 people › [**Jon Kosloski** Director of AARO from August 2024](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/people/FIG0CXDNCDE5TC1/jon-kosloski)[**Ryan Graves** Former Navy pilot; Americans for Safe Aerospace](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/people/FIG0CXDNBXT3PJ0/ryan-graves)[**Anna Paulina Luna** Chair, House Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/people/FIG0CXDNCX21NNZ/anna-paulina-luna)[**Pete Hegseth** Secretary of War](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/people/FIG0CXDNDCP256J/pete-hegseth) Catalog key**MYS** 0CXDNAEY0K9D This entry is about documents and testimony, not sightings. Its question is narrow: what has the US government actually said, under its own name or under oath, about unidentified anomalous phenomena, and what does that record establish. The record has four layers. First, the statistical reports: a preliminary assessment in June 2021 and annual reports for 2022 to 2025, each counting military and aviation reports and saying how many were resolved⁠[[1]]⁠[[2]]. Second, the investigative products of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office: a historical review of government involvement since 1945 and a small number of published case resolutions⁠[[3]]⁠[[4]]. Third, congressional testimony: hearings in July 2023, November 2024 and September 2025 at which former officials and witnesses made claims the official reports do not support⁠[[5]]⁠[[6]]⁠[[7]]. Fourth, from 2026, a presidential release programme, PURSUE, that has so far published seven tranches of historical files which the Pentagon itself describes as unresolved cases on which it cannot make a definitive determination⁠[[8]]⁠[[9]]. Read together, the documents are consistent. The services receive hundreds of reports a year; most that can be resolved are balloons, birds, drones, satellites or aircraft; a large residue cannot be resolved for lack of data; a few are referred for further analysis; and no case has been resolved as anything beyond current technology⁠[[2]]⁠[[10]]. The testimony is also consistent with itself, and asserts the opposite: that a retrieval and reverse-engineering programme exists outside congressional oversight⁠[[5]]. The gap between the two has not been closed by any document published to October 2026. Of the 4 questions on this site, 0 are answered. The most likely answer to “Does the US government hold recovered non-human craft or materials, as witnesses have testified?”, not yet confirmed: witnesses encountered real but ordinary compartmented programmes (foreign-technology exploitation, US test…. ### Key questionsset by the editors [**Does the US government hold recovered non-human craft or materials, as witnesses have testified?** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/questions/QST0CXDNKG005SN/does-the-us-government-hold-recovered-non-human-craft-or)Most likely: witnesses encountered real but ordinary compartmented programmes (foreign-technology exploitation, US test… [**What are the unresolved cases in the annual reports?** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/questions/QST0CXDNKQT04P9/what-are-the-unresolved-cases-in-the-annual-reports)Most likely: the residue is ordinary objects that cannot be resolved because the reports lack the data to identify them [**What do the 2026 PURSUE releases add to the record?** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/questions/QST0CXDNKZM4X6T/what-do-the-2026-pursue-releases-add-to-the-record)Most likely: the tranches are historical and unresolved case files already known in substance, with no new evidence of… [All 4 questions ](https://mysteriesdept.com/questions/key-questions?mystery=uap-us-government) ## What happened The modern record begins with the New York Times articles of December 2017, which revealed the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program and published three Navy videos⁠[[11]]. Congress responded in 2020 by requiring an unclassified report. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence delivered it on 25 June 2021: 144 reports from government sources between November 2004 and March 2021, 80 with multiple sensors, one explained (a deflating balloon), 18 showing apparently unusual flight characteristics that "could be the result of sensor errors, spoofing, or observer misperception", and five candidate categories: airborne clutter, natural atmospheric phenomena, US developmental programmes, foreign systems, and other⁠[[1]]. ![A frame of The three Navy infrared videos (FLIR1, GIMBAL, GOFAST)](https://mysteriesdept.com/files/v/5180627c0f725fcc23c5ff88988ac9668dfdaa5f638f798861fd9b58d68d70ea/poster)1:16 [![The three Navy infrared videos (FLIR1, GIMBAL, GOFAST) at 0:05](https://mysteriesdept.com/media/folio/uap-us-government-a-navy-videos-c2-s1)**0:05** ][![The three Navy infrared videos (FLIR1, GIMBAL, GOFAST) at 0:05](https://mysteriesdept.com/media/folio/uap-us-government-a-navy-videos-c2)**0:05** ][![The three Navy infrared videos (FLIR1, GIMBAL, GOFAST) at 0:20](https://mysteriesdept.com/media/folio/uap-us-government-a-navy-videos-c2-s2)**0:20** ][![The three Navy infrared videos (FLIR1, GIMBAL, GOFAST) at 0:40](https://mysteriesdept.com/media/folio/uap-us-government-a-navy-videos-c2-s3)**0:40** ] The three Navy infrared videos (FLIR1, GIMBAL, GOFAST)U.S. Navy (F/A-18F ATFLIR pod), 2017. Public domain[Artifact ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/artifacts/ART0CXDNX8G7MBF/the-three-navy-infrared-videos-flir1-gimbal-gofast) The FY2022 National Defense Authorization Act created a permanent office, and AARO was formed on 20 July 2022 under Sean Kirkpatrick⁠[[12]]. Its annual reports followed. The report of January 2023 counted 510 reports to 30 August 2022, 366 of them new, and left 171 uncharacterised⁠[[12]]. The FY2023 report of October 2023 added 291 reports and put the total above 800⁠[[13]]. The FY2024 report of 14 November 2024 added 757, brought the total above 1,600, and left more than 900 in an "active archive" for lack of data; Jon Kosloski, director from August 2024, said the office was focusing on "the truly anomalous where we don't understand the activity"⁠[[10]]. The FY2025 report, delivered in July 2026 months after its statutory deadline, counted 319 new reports and 370 resolutions in the year to 30 May 2025, moved 191 cases to the archive, sent nine for further analysis, and stated that AARO held 1,870 reports; it also described one maritime case, Navy assets off Virginia reporting about 100 airborne objects and two likely uncrewed surface vessels, as still under investigation⁠[[2]]⁠[[14]]. Congress legislated again in December 2023. The Schumer-Rounds UAP Disclosure Act, which would have created a presidential review board and given the government eminent domain over "recovered technologies of unknown origin and biological evidence of non-human intelligence" held by private parties, was cut back in conference. What became law, sections 1841 to 1843 of the FY2024 NDAA signed on 22 December 2023, requires a UAP Records Collection at the National Archives, a review of agency records by October 2024, and release unless an agency certifies a grave threat, with postponed records reviewable but not required to be disclosed until 25 years after creation⁠[[15]]. The FY2026 NDAA, conferenced in December 2025, adds briefings on NORAD and Northern Command UAP intercepts since 2004 and an accounting of UAP classification guides⁠[[16]]. In 2026 the executive moved. On 19 February President Trump posted that he would direct the Secretary of War and other agencies to "begin the process of identifying and releasing Government files related to alien and extraterrestrial life"⁠[[17]]. The Department of War launched the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters on 1 May and published its first tranche on 8 May, with releases roughly every few weeks since: 22 May, 12 June, 10 July, 7 August, 18 September and 23 October⁠[[8]]⁠[[18]]⁠[[19]]. On 31 July ODNI told intelligence agencies to appoint PURSUE representatives within 30 days and to tell their workforces that non-disclosure agreements no longer bar reporting UAP information to AARO or PURSUE⁠[[18]]. On 14 September the Department issued a waiver of civil and administrative enforcement of NDAs and special-access agreements for disclosures to PURSUE representatives, while stating that this declassifies nothing and authorises no public disclosure⁠[[20]]⁠[[21]]. The House task force on declassification, meanwhile, wrote to the Secretary of War on 1 April 2026 for video files that whistleblowers say AARO holds, and called AARO's responses to its questions "less than adequate"⁠[[22]]. **Map of the region** [Open the full map](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/map) [+][−] 1 **The Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia** Building Within 100 m 2 **United States Capitol, Washington, D.C.** Building Within 100 m 3 **Atlantic waters off Virginia** Sea area A region MappedA regionNatural Earth ### Timeline **Timeline** Squeezed where little happened. Each mark is a published claim, by how it stands:AcceptedMost likelyStill possibleDisputedRuled out ## The accounts Three hearings carry the testimony. On 26 July 2023 the House Oversight subcommittee heard Ryan Graves, David Fravor and David Grusch⁠[[23]]. Grusch, a former National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency officer and UAP Task Force member, testified that he had been told of "a multi-decade UAP crash retrieval and reverse engineering program to which I was denied access", that his information came from people with long service records who provided "photography, official documentation, and classified oral testimony", that he had spent about four years trying to corroborate it, and that he had filed an urgent-concern complaint with the Intelligence Community Inspector General and suffered retaliation⁠[[5]]. He gave no documents in open session and said he was "testifying to the facts as I have been told them"⁠[[5]]. Fravor testified that his 2004 encounter was never investigated⁠[[24]]. On 13 November 2024 the same committee heard Luis Elizondo, Tim Gallaudet, Michael Gold and Michael Shellenberger⁠[[6]]. Elizondo, a former Defense Department official, asserted that the government holds non-human craft; Shellenberger described a programme he was told is called "Immaculate Constellation"; Gold, a member of NASA's independent study team, spoke to the need for better data⁠[[6]]. Six days later AARO's director presented the office's case resolutions to a Senate subcommittee and said the office was analysing several cases it did not understand⁠[[4]]⁠[[10]]. On 9 September 2025 the House Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets heard Jeffrey Nuccetelli, Alexandro Wiggins, George Knapp and Dylan Borland, with Joe Spielberger of the Project On Government Oversight as the minority witness⁠[[7]]. [![First page of AARO case-resolution slides presented to the Senate (GOFAST, Puerto Rico, Mount Etna), November 2024](https://mysteriesdept.com/files/v/e18c3e6bd8ba94e96e0bb77160134ff01d3978f595d3b425ecb4ebd8523cc834/p1)26 pages](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/artifacts/ART0CXDNYQC5XGE/aaro-case-resolution-slides-presented-to-the-senate-gofast) AARO case-resolution slides presented to the Senate (GOFAST, Puerto Rico, Mount Etna), November 2024The Black Vault (mirror), 2024. Public domain[Artifact ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/artifacts/ART0CXDNYQC5XGE/aaro-case-resolution-slides-presented-to-the-senate-gofast) The official side has its own accounts. Kirkpatrick, after leaving AARO, wrote that the office had found the claims of a hidden programme to be a small circle of people repeating each other's stories, none of which survived investigation⁠[[25]]. The Historical Record Report's authors say some of those who linked real programmes to UAP "had incomplete or unauthorized access to these programs"⁠[[3]]. ## What was recorded The Historical Record Report, Volume 1, cleared on 6 March 2024 and released on 8 March, reviewed classified and unclassified government investigations from 1945 to October 2023 and interviewed about 30 people. Its stated finding is that "AARO has found no verifiable evidence" that the government or private companies have reverse-engineered extraterrestrial technology, that most sightings were misidentifications, that one witness's alien craft was an F-117, and that a proposal to the Department of Homeland Security called Kona Blue, to search for off-world technology, was never approved⁠[[3]]⁠[[12]]. A second volume covering later interviews was promised; as of February 2026 it had not been published, and AARO was described by former officials as having "gone quiet"⁠[[17]]. [![First page of Report on the Historical Record of U.S. Government Involvement with Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena, Volume 1](https://mysteriesdept.com/files/v/4b3a95e73ea13a52dba12a900621ee89b51b10a7beb6fb0b32d0037cf090b0b8/p1)64 pages](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/artifacts/ART0CXDNX8G6Z0F/report-on-the-historical-record-of-u-s-government) Report on the Historical Record of U.S. Government Involvement with Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena, Volume 1U.S. Department of Defense, 2024. Public domain[Artifact ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/artifacts/ART0CXDNX8G6Z0F/report-on-the-historical-record-of-u-s-government) AARO has published a handful of case resolutions. GOFAST (2015 or 2016) was resolved in November 2024 and February 2025 as a slow object made to appear fast by parallax⁠[[4]]⁠[[26]]. The Puerto Rico (Aguadilla, 2013) object was resolved as two objects drifting at wind speed, and the Mount Etna (2018) object as a probable balloon⁠[[4]]. In the FY2025 report, satellite flaring accounted for a large share of aviation reports⁠[[2]]. No published resolution covers FLIR1, GIMBAL or the 2004 Nimitz encounter. The PURSUE files are historical records: FBI case files from 1947 to 1968, a Sandia Base dossier of 1948 to 1950, CIA and FBI reports, Apollo-era NASA imagery with "areas of interest" marked and a disclaimer that these are not analytical conclusions, and recent military imagery and incident reports, with some technical data absent⁠[[8]]⁠[[19]]. The Pentagon describes them as unresolved cases on which the government "is unable to make a definitive determination", and both it and the President said the files do not confirm extraterrestrial life⁠[[9]]. Kirkpatrick said there was nothing unexpected in the first release⁠[[9]]. ## The explanations Three readings of this record are current. The first is that the documents are accurate: the government's UAP problem is a data problem, most reports have ordinary causes, the unresolved residue is unresolved for lack of sensors rather than because of anything exotic, and the testimony about hidden programmes rests on hearsay that investigation did not confirm⁠[[3]]⁠[[25]]. Its predictions are that the PURSUE tranches will continue to contain nothing beyond what the annual reports describe, and that the FY2026 intercept briefings will show ordinary objects. The second is that the documents are accurate as far as they go but AARO was never given access to the programmes in question, so its negative finding is a statement about its access rather than about the world⁠[[5]]. Its predictions are that the NDA waivers and PURSUE channel of 2026 will produce disclosures AARO could not, and that the Inspector General's handling of Grusch's complaint will eventually be made public. The third is that the record is incomplete in the ordinary way of national security records: classified programmes, including foreign-collection and US test programmes, account for some reports and cannot be discussed, which explains both the unresolved residue and the insiders' confusion⁠[[1]]⁠[[3]]. Its prediction is that the records postponed under the 25-year rule, when released, will name programmes rather than craft. [![First page of Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (ODNI, 25 June 2021)](https://mysteriesdept.com/files/v/3b699a825c53aab7816b50ffe0c45d4f424ca43da5eaa421736e529f2ac00ac9/p1)9 pages](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/artifacts/ART0CXDNY7R4T15/preliminary-assessment-unidentified-aerial-phenomena-odni-25) Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (ODNI, 25 June 2021)Office of the Director of National Intelligence, 2021. Public domain[Artifact ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/artifacts/ART0CXDNY7R4T15/preliminary-assessment-unidentified-aerial-phenomena-odni-25) What the record does not contain is any document, from any agency, that describes recovered non-human material or a reverse-engineering programme. The claims exist only in testimony about what witnesses were told⁠[[5]]. Nor does the record contain any document that resolves the best-attested unexplained cases; the 2004 Nimitz event remains unresolved in the official record⁠[[24]]. ### Published claims **Published claims and their status** | Year | Who | Claimed | Status | Reason | |---|---|---|---|---| | 2021 | Office of the Director of National Intelligence⁠[1] | Of 144 reports from US forces since 2004, 18 showed unusual movement or flight characteristics that need further analysis to tell whether they reflect breakthrough technology. | Disputed | The cases AARO has since published in full all resolved to ordinary objects, and it reports no evidence of technology beyond known capabilities⁠[4]⁠[2]. | | 2023 | David Grusch⁠[5] | The US government runs a multi-decade programme that has recovered and reverse-engineered craft of non-human origin, hidden from Congress. | Disputed | His evidence is what others told him, and AARO's review of the records and interviews found nothing verifiable⁠[3]⁠[2]; supporters say AARO lacked access to the programmes⁠[22]. | | 2023 | David Fravor⁠[24] | The object he and his crews met off California in 2004 behaved unlike any aircraft they knew, and the encounter was never investigated: no one questioned the crews and no tapes were taken. | Still possible | No official resolution of the Nimitz encounter or the FLIR1 video has been published⁠[24]⁠[2]. | | 2024 | Sean Kirkpatrick⁠[25] | The hidden-programme story is circular reporting by a small, connected group, and its specific allegations trace to real US programmes that were misread or to unsupported beliefs. | Most likely | AARO's historical review reached the same finding⁠[3], though witnesses and the House task force question whether AARO saw everything⁠[22]. | | 2024 | All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office⁠[27] | No US government investigation since 1945 has confirmed that any UAP sighting was extraterrestrial technology, and claims of hidden programmes trace to misidentified real ones. | Most likely | Repeated in the FY2025 report⁠[2]; its reach depends on AARO's access, which the House task force disputes⁠[22]. | | 2024 | Luis Elizondo⁠[28] | The US government has secret programmes that recover and study UAP technology, kept from Congress. | Disputed | Like Grusch's, the claim is not backed by documents in the public record, and AARO found no evidence of it⁠[3]⁠[2]. | | 2024 | Michael Shellenberger⁠[29] | An unacknowledged programme called Immaculate Constellation collects UAP imagery and data and hides it from Congress. | Disputed | It rests on an anonymous document filed with the committee, and nothing in the public record confirms the programme⁠[29]. | | 2024 | Jon Kosloski (AARO)⁠[10] | A small number of cases show what AARO's analysts call truly anomalous behaviour that they cannot yet explain. | Still possible | Those cases have not been published, and every case AARO has resolved so far had an ordinary cause⁠[2]. | | 2024 | All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office⁠[4] | The GOFAST video shows a slow object made to look fast by parallax, the 2013 Puerto Rico object was two objects drifting with the wind, and the 2018 Mount Etna object was probably a balloon. | Accepted | The GOFAST resolution was published with its method⁠[26], and no rival analysis has overturned the three. | | 2026 | House Oversight task force (Anna Paulina Luna)⁠[22] | AARO's responses to Congress have been less than adequate, and agencies have not met their UAP disclosure duties. | Accepted | The FY2025 annual report came months late and the second volume of the historical report was still unpublished in 2026⁠[14]⁠[17]. | | 2026 | All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office⁠[2] | Every case resolved in fiscal 2025 had an ordinary cause, and there is no evidence that the government or any private body has captured or exploited UAP-derived material. | Accepted | Consistent with every published resolution since 2024⁠[4]⁠[26]; the unresolved cases lack the data to identify them. | | 2026 | US Department of War⁠[9] | The PURSUE files are unresolved cases on which the government cannot make a definitive determination, and they do not confirm extraterrestrial life. | Accepted | The tranches so far hold historical files and known incidents, some newly public, with no new evidence of non-human technology⁠[8]⁠[19]. | ## What would settle it For the statistical picture, nothing needs settling; the reports are what they are, and the FY2025 report's nine referred cases and the Virginia maritime case are the ones to watch⁠[[2]]. For the testimony, the test is documentary: a declassified Inspector General finding on Grusch's complaint, a PURSUE disclosure that names a programme, or a records-collection release at the National Archives of the programme files the witnesses describe. Historical Record Report Volume 2, if published, would show whether the later interviews changed AARO's conclusion. Congress's own instruments, the FY2026 intercept briefings and the task force's request for AARO's videos, are the nearest-term tests⁠[[16]]⁠[[22]]. Absence of a document is not proof of absence, but after ODNI's 2026 guidance removed the non-disclosure barrier, the continued absence of one would become harder to explain⁠[[18]]. ## Questions 0 of 4 questions are answered. **Key questions** [All 4](https://mysteriesdept.com/questions/key-questions?mystery=uap-us-government) **0** [Does the US government hold recovered non-human craft or materials, as witnesses have testified?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/questions/QST0CXDNKG005SN/does-the-us-government-hold-recovered-non-human-craft-or) 0 of 1 sub-questions answered·0 Most likely: witnesses encountered real but ordinary compartmented programmes (foreign-technology exploitation, US test… **0** [What are the unresolved cases in the annual reports?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/questions/QST0CXDNKQT04P9/what-are-the-unresolved-cases-in-the-annual-reports) 0 of 0 sub-questions answered·0 Most likely: the residue is ordinary objects that cannot be resolved because the reports lack the data to identify them **0** [What do the 2026 PURSUE releases add to the record?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/questions/QST0CXDNKZM4X6T/what-do-the-2026-pursue-releases-add-to-the-record) 0 of 0 sub-questions answered·0 Most likely: the tranches are historical and unresolved case files already known in substance, with no new evidence of… ## Evidence 20 findings [Does the US government hold recovered non-human craft or materials, as witnesses have testified?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/questions/QST0CXDNKG005SN/does-the-us-government-hold-recovered-non-human-craft-or)7 findings [A compartmented programme holds recovered craft or materials of non-human origin and has operated outside…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/answers/ANS0CXDNMF83MJJ/a-compartmented-programme-holds-recovered-craft-or-materials)Disputed +[Grusch testified that multiple serving officials told him of the programme and that some provided documents and photographs.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/evidence/EVD0CXDNMQ24F08/grusch-testified-that-multiple-serving-officials-told-him-of)Suggestive +[Elizondo testified in November 2024 to the same effect.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/evidence/EVD0CXDNMYW52K7/elizondo-testified-in-november-2024-to-the-same-effect)Suggestive −[AARO's review of records from 1945 and about 30 interviews found no verifiable evidence, and traced several claims to misidentified real programmes.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/evidence/EVD0CXDNN6P5D1J/aaros-review-of-records-from-1945-and-about-30-interviews)Supported −[Kirkpatrick says the claims came from a small group repeating one another.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/evidence/EVD0CXDNNEG2871/kirkpatrick-says-the-claims-came-from-a-small-group)Suggestive −[The FY2025 report states there is no evidence the government or a private entity has captured or exploited UAP-derived materials.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/evidence/EVD0CXDNNPA5YDZ/the-fy2025-report-states-there-is-no-evidence-the-government)Supported [Witnesses encountered real but ordinary compartmented programmes (foreign-technology exploitation, US test…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/answers/ANS0CXDNNY47PFG/witnesses-encountered-real-but-ordinary-compartmented)Most likely +[The historical report says some who linked programmes to UAP had incomplete or unauthorised access to them, and gives the F-117 example.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/evidence/EVD0CXDNP5Y1Q6S/the-historical-report-says-some-who-linked-programmes-to-uap)Supported −[AARO's access to all relevant programmes has itself been questioned by witnesses and by the House task force.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/evidence/EVD0CXDNPDR1R3Z/aaros-access-to-all-relevant-programmes-has-itself-been)Suggestive [What are the unresolved cases in the annual reports?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/questions/QST0CXDNKQT04P9/what-are-the-unresolved-cases-in-the-annual-reports)6 findings [The residue is ordinary objects that cannot be resolved because the reports lack the data to identify them.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/answers/ANS0CXDNPXC79K9/the-residue-is-ordinary-objects-that-cannot-be-resolved)Most likely +[Every case resolved in FY2025 had an ordinary explanation, and satellite flaring alone accounted for a large block of pilot reports.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/evidence/EVD0CXDNQ56407T/every-case-resolved-in-fy2025-had-an-ordinary-explanation)Supported −[AARO's director said in 2024 the office was analysing several cases its analysts did not understand.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/evidence/EVD0CXDNQD063FY/aaros-director-said-in-2024-the-office-was-analysing-several)Suggestive [Part of the residue is foreign surveillance systems operating near US forces.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/answers/ANS0CXDNQMT1ANB/part-of-the-residue-is-foreign-surveillance-systems)Still possible +[ODNI lists foreign adversary systems among the five candidate categories.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/evidence/EVD0CXDNQWM0GV4/odni-lists-foreign-adversary-systems-among-the-five)Suggestive −[The FY2025 report says none of the resolved cases indicates advanced foreign capability.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/evidence/EVD0CXDNR4E56NC/the-fy2025-report-says-none-of-the-resolved-cases-indicates)Supported [A small number of cases involve objects with performance beyond current technology.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/answers/ANS0CXDNRC813J3/a-small-number-of-cases-involve-objects-with-performance)Disputed +[The 2021 assessment flagged 18 incidents with apparently unusual flight characteristics.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/evidence/EVD0CXDNRM24PD7/the-2021-assessment-flagged-18-incidents-with-apparently)Suggestive −[The three cases AARO has published in full (GOFAST, Puerto Rico, Mount Etna) all resolved to ordinary objects.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/evidence/EVD0CXDNRVW3TZ8/the-three-cases-aaro-has-published-in-full-gofast-puerto)Supported [What do the 2026 PURSUE releases add to the record?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/questions/QST0CXDNKZM4X6T/what-do-the-2026-pursue-releases-add-to-the-record)3 findings [The tranches are historical and unresolved case files already known in substance, with no new evidence of…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/answers/ANS0CXDNSBG4JNE/the-tranches-are-historical-and-unresolved-case-files)Most likely +[The Pentagon describes the files as unresolved cases on which it cannot make a definitive determination, and Kirkpatrick said nothing in the first release was unexpected.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/evidence/EVD0CXDNSKA7Y7B/the-pentagon-describes-the-files-as-unresolved-cases-on)Supported +[The first tranche's FBI file was a less-redacted version of a known file; NASA images carried a disclaimer that marked areas are not conclusions.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/evidence/EVD0CXDNSV41S70/the-first-tranches-fbi-file-was-a-less-redacted-version-of-a)Supported [The tranches contain new primary material that changes the evidential picture.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/answers/ANS0CXDNT2Y2DH8/the-tranches-contain-new-primary-material-that-changes-the)Disputed +[Later tranches include recent military incident reports and video (2021 Gulf of Oman, 2002 Bagram, 2023 "Western US Event") not previously public.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/evidence/EVD0CXDNTAR79C6/later-tranches-include-recent-military-incident-reports-and)Suggestive [What does the law now require, and has it been met?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/questions/QST0CXDNM7E0NFB/what-does-the-law-now-require-and-has-it-been-met)4 findings [Agencies have complied with the records review, the NARA collection and the annual reporting duties.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/answers/ANS0CXDNTTC64K6/agencies-have-complied-with-the-records-review-the-nara)Disputed −[The FY2025 annual report was delivered months after its statutory deadline.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/evidence/EVD0CXDNV267REA/the-fy2025-annual-report-was-delivered-months-after-its)Established −[Historical Record Report Volume 2 had not been published as of February 2026.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/evidence/EVD0CXDNVA02ZQB/historical-record-report-volume-2-had-not-been-published-as)Supported [Compliance is partial; the records collection exists but the review and reporting duties have slipped, and…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/answers/ANS0CXDNVHT1NN8/compliance-is-partial-the-records-collection-exists-but-the)Most likely +[ODNI's own guidance describes the NARA collection as separate from PURSUE.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/evidence/EVD0CXDNVSM74KY/odnis-own-guidance-describes-the-nara-collection-as-separate)Supported +[The House task force wrote in April 2026 that AARO's responses were less than adequate.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/evidence/EVD0CXDNW1E49SF/the-house-task-force-wrote-in-april-2026-that-aaros)Supported ## Artifacts The films, photos, papers and objects this mystery rests on, each with its own key and its distance from the original. **Artifacts** [See all 31](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/artifacts) Document1 step from object [Report on the Historical Record of U.S. Government Involvement with Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena, Volume 1](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/artifacts/ART0CXDNX8G6Z0F/report-on-the-historical-record-of-u-s-government) U.S. Department of Defense · Public domain (US government work) Video1 step from object [The three Navy infrared videos (FLIR1, GIMBAL, GOFAST)](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/artifacts/ART0CXDNX8G7MBF/the-three-navy-infrared-videos-flir1-gimbal-gofast) U.S. Navy (F/A-18F ATFLIR pod) · Public domain (US government work) Document1 step from object [Grusch opening statement, 26 July 2023](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/artifacts/ART0CXDNXR44DVD/grusch-opening-statement-26-july-2023) U.S. House Committee on Oversight · published by the committee; a private witness's statement, so not copied Document1 step from object [Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (ODNI, 25 June 2021)](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/artifacts/ART0CXDNY7R4T15/preliminary-assessment-unidentified-aerial-phenomena-odni-25) Office of the Director of National Intelligence · Public domain (US government work) Document1 step from object [AARO case-resolution slides presented to the Senate (GOFAST, Puerto Rico, Mount Etna), November 2024](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/artifacts/ART0CXDNYQC5XGE/aaro-case-resolution-slides-presented-to-the-senate-gofast) The Black Vault (mirror) · Public domain (US government work) Document1 step from object [AARO's consolidated annual reports on UAP, fiscal 2023 to 2025](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/artifacts/ART0CXDP61R6XK2/aaros-consolidated-annual-reports-on-uap-fiscal-2023-to-2025) ODNI and U.S. Department of Defense · Public domain (US government work) [See all 31 artifacts](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/uap-us-government/artifacts) ## See also [ **2004 Nimitz encounter and the Navy videos** A 2004 report by US Navy aircrew of a white, wingless object off Baja California. ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/nimitz-encounter) [ **America's missing scientists, 2021–2026** Deaths and disappearances among US aerospace, nuclear and fringe-physics workers, 2021–2026, and whether any are connected. ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/missing-scientists) [ **Skinwalker Ranch** A ranch in Utah's Uintah Basin where owners reported lights and dead cattle in 1996. ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/skinwalker-ranch) [ **Roswell, 1947** Debris found near Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947 and announced as a flying disc. ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/roswell) ## References 1. 1.[Office of the Director of National Intelligence 2021. Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena. ODNI.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D1SBDXJ43ZW/preliminary-assessment-unidentified-aerial-phenomena)cited 18 times here**SRC** 0D1SBDXJ43ZW 1. 2.[All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office 2026. Fiscal Year 2025 Consolidated Annual Report on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena. U.S. Department of War.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CXDN4V83WQM/fiscal-year-2025-consolidated-annual-report-on-unidentified)cited 9 times here**SRC** 0CXDN4V83WQM 1. 3.[Dress, B. 2024. Pentagon report throws cold water on UFOs, alien visits. The Hill.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D1SBHAY3VK6/pentagon-report-throws-cold-water-on-ufos-alien-visits)cited 8 times here**SRC** 0D1SBHAY3VK6 1. 4.[All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office 2024. AARO case slides, Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities, November 2024. U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D1SBE5C6WEJ/aaro-case-slides-senate-armed-services-subcommittee-on)cited 14 times here**SRC** 0D1SBE5C6WEJ 1. 5.[Grusch, D. 2023. Opening statement to the House Oversight Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs. U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Accountability.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CXDN62A7S39/opening-statement-to-the-house-oversight-subcommittee-on)cited 10 times here**SRC** 0CXDN62A7S39 1. 6.[U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Accountability 2024. Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Exposing the Truth. oversight.house.gov.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CXDN6SR2EYP/unidentified-anomalous-phenomena-exposing-the-truth)cited 4 times here**SRC** 0CXDN6SR2EYP 1. 7.[U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform 2025. Restoring Public Trust Through UAP Transparency and Whistleblower Protection. oversight.house.gov.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CXDN71J2Y24/restoring-public-trust-through-uap-transparency-and)cited 2 times here**SRC** 0CXDN71J2Y24 1. 8.[The Debrief 2026. Pentagon Releases First Batch of UAP Documents Under New PURSUE Program. The Debrief.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D1SBGKG57GJ/pentagon-releases-first-batch-of-uap-documents-under-new)cited 8 times here**SRC** 0D1SBGKG57GJ 1. 9.[Wikipedia contributors 2026. United States UFO files. Wikipedia.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CXDN5TG3XFN/united-states-ufo-files)cited 4 times here**SRC** 0CXDN5TG3XFN 1. 10.[Harper, J. 2024. 'The truly anomalous': New AARO chief unveils Pentagon's annual UAP caseload analysis, new efforts. DefenseScoop.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CXDN4KE6SRA/the-truly-anomalous-new-aaro-chief-unveils-pentagons-annual)cited 5 times here**SRC** 0CXDN4KE6SRA 1. 11.[Cooper, H., Blumenthal, R., Kean, L. 2017. Glowing Auras and 'Black Money': The Pentagon's Mysterious U.F.O. Program. The New York Times.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D1SBBZ258E4/glowing-auras-and-black-money-the-pentagons-mysterious-u-f-o)cited 4 times here**SRC** 0D1SBBZ258E4 1. 12.[Wikipedia contributors 2026. All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office. Wikipedia.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CXDN5JP24TF/all-domain-anomaly-resolution-office)cited 6 times here**SRC** 0CXDN5JP24TF 1. 13.[Greenewald, J. 2023. DoD's AARO Office Releases October 2023 UAP / UFO Report. The Black Vault.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CXDN4BM0DF6/dods-aaro-office-releases-october-2023-uap-ufo-report)cited 2 times here**SRC** 0CXDN4BM0DF6 1. 14.[Greenewald, J. 2026. AARO Releases FY2025 UAP Report Months After Statutory Deadline, Citing 319 New Cases and Expanded Satellite Analysis. The Black Vault.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CXDN532296T/aaro-releases-fy2025-uap-report-months-after-statutory)cited 3 times here**SRC** 0CXDN532296T 1. 15.[Barna, S. 2024. Implications of the Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) Amendment in the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Inside Government Contracts (Covington & Burling).](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CXDN7S045PC/implications-of-the-unidentified-anomalous-phenomena-uap)cited 3 times here**SRC** 0CXDN7S045PC 1. 16.[DefenseScoop 2025. Congress wants to know more about the military's UAP intercepts around North America. DefenseScoop.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CXDN80T54CZ/congress-wants-to-know-more-about-the-militarys-uap)cited 2 times here**SRC** 0CXDN80T54CZ 1. 17.[DefenseScoop 2026. Transparency proponents meet Trump's UAP disclosure tease with hope and caution. DefenseScoop.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CXDN88M1P1W/transparency-proponents-meet-trumps-uap-disclosure-tease)cited 4 times here**SRC** 0CXDN88M1P1W 1. 18.[DLA Piper 2026. Office of the Director of National Intelligence issues preliminary guidance on disclosure of unidentified anomalous phenomena. DLA Piper Insights.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CXDN9020ZH3/office-of-the-director-of-national-intelligence-issues)cited 4 times here**SRC** 0CXDN9020ZH3 1. 19.[uap.global 2026. 2026 U.S. UAP File Releases Timeline. uap.global.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CXDN8R856Q0/2026-u-s-uap-file-releases-timeline)cited 3 times here**SRC** 0CXDN8R856Q0 1. 20.[DefenseScoop 2026. Pentagon offers legal relief to UAP whistleblowers under Trump project. DefenseScoop.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CXDN97W0AY3/pentagon-offers-legal-relief-to-uap-whistleblowers-under)cited 2 times here**SRC** 0CXDN97W0AY3 1. 21.[The Debrief 2026. Pentagon Opens New Pathway for Government Insiders to Disclose UAP Information. The Debrief.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CXDN9FP2CYA/pentagon-opens-new-pathway-for-government-insiders-to)cited 1 time here**SRC** 0CXDN9FP2CYA 1. 22.[U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform 2026. Luna Continues Transparency Investigation into UAPs. oversight.house.gov.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D1SBGBP6S1F/luna-continues-transparency-investigation-into-uaps)cited 5 times here**SRC** 0D1SBGBP6S1F 1. 23.[U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Accountability 2023. Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Implications on National Security, Public Safety, and Government Transparency (hearing page). oversight.house.gov.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D1SBBFE2JSV/unidentified-anomalous-phenomena-implications-on-national)cited 5 times here**SRC** 0D1SBBFE2JSV 1. 24.[Fravor, D. 2023. Statement for the House Oversight Committee, Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs. U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Accountability.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D1SBB7M7JW2/statement-for-the-house-oversight-committee-subcommittee-on)cited 21 times here**SRC** 0D1SBB7M7JW2 1. 25.[Kirkpatrick, S. 2024. Here's What I Learned as the U.S. Government's UFO Hunter. Scientific American.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CXDN9ZA60GP/heres-what-i-learned-as-the-u-s-governments-ufo-hunter)cited 2 times here**SRC** 0CXDN9ZA60GP 1. 26.[All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office 2025. AARO Case Resolution: GOFAST, Methodology. U.S. Department of Defense.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D1SBED66P6A/aaro-case-resolution-gofast-methodology)cited 11 times here**SRC** 0D1SBED66P6A 1. 27.[All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, U. 2024. Report on the Historical Record of U.S. Government Involvement with Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP), Volume I. U.S. Department of Defense.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D0140M03414/report-on-the-historical-record-of-u-s-government)cited 22 times here**SRC** 0D0140M03414 1. 28.[Elizondo, L. 2024. Written testimony of Luis Elizondo. U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, joint subcommittee hearing of 13 November 2024.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CXDNAPR7M9H/written-testimony-of-luis-elizondo)cited 1 time here**SRC** 0CXDNAPR7M9H 1. 29.[Shellenberger, M. 2024. The United States Department of Defense and the Intelligence Community Are Withholding Information About Anomalous Phenomena From Congress. U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, joint subcommittee hearing of 13 November 2024.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CXDNAYJ53P6/the-united-states-department-of-defense-and-the-intelligence)cited 1 time here**SRC** 0CXDNAYJ53P6 Last edited 27 Oct 2026