US government publishes annual unclassified report on unidentified aerial phenomena

Editor’s take: A key takeaway occurs on page three. In a footnote, it is mentioned that the definition of UAP has been expanded to include air, sea and transmedium objects. In a later index of key terms, transmedium objects or devices are those observed to transition between space and the atmosphere, or between the atmosphere and bodies of water, and are not immediately identifiable.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) has published its 2022 annual report on unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), the government’s new phrase for UFOs. In addition to the 144 UAP reports covered in the ODNI’s preliminary assessment from June 2021, there have been an additional 247 new reports and another 119 that were either since discovered or reported outside the preliminary collection period.
As of August 30, 2022, a total of 510 UAP reports have been cataloged and even more information is supplied in the classified version of this report, the agency said.
According to an initial analysis, 26 reports where characterized as unmanned aircraft system (UAS) or UAS-like entities, 163 were characterized as balloon or balloon-like entities and six were attributed to clutter (birds, weather events, or airborne debris like plastic bags). Notably, initial characterization does not mean positively resolved or unidentified.
The ODNI and the newly established All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), which will serve as the DoD’s focal point for UAP, will use the initial characterization to efficiently and effectively leverage resources against the remaining 171 uncharacterized and unattributed UAP reports, some of which appear to have demonstrated unusual flight characteristics or performance capabilities that require further analysis.
The ODNI and AARO acknowledge that a select number of UAP incidents may be attributable to sensor irregularities or variances, such as operator or equipment error.
The report further notes that the majority of new UAP reports originate from US Navy and US Air Force aviators and operators, and that UAP pose a safety of flight and collision hazard due to their unauthorized presence in restricted airspace. To date, however, there have been no reported collisions between US aircraft and UAP.
What’s more, no encounters with UAP have been confirmed to contribute directly to adverse health-related effects to the observer(s) but AARO will continue to track any reported health issues related to incidents should they occur at a later date.
Related reading: NASA is assembling an independent team to study unidentified aerial phenomena
The 12-page unclassified report was due out no later than October 31, 2022, and annually thereafter until October 31, 2026, as per a requirement established in Section 1683 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022.
It’s worth reiterating that this public release is the unclassified version of the report. Per Appendix A, the report is to include a detailed breakdown of each reported event although none of that is present here and has presumably been saved for the classified version for authorized eyes only.
Image credit: Stefan Stefancik