Nearly 300 UAP Reports in Less Than a Year, DOD Tells Congress

Many of the unidentified anomalous phenomena incidents were near restricted military airspace.

Thursday, October 19, 2023 at 02:24 PM ET

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Image of a screen capture of a UAP observed during a flyby captured by a U.S. Navy pilot in the cockpit of a Navy fighter jet [Courtesy: U.S. Navy]

Key Takeaways:

The Defense Department's AARO received 291 UAP reports over an eight-month period, primarily occurring in restricted military airspace due to increased sensor presence and military reporting.
Most reported UAPs (79%) lacked lights and were often spherical or orb-shaped; the majority exhibited ordinary characteristics suggesting readily explainable sources, with only a small percentage showing unusual "interesting signatures."
None of the reported UAP incidents were found to pose a direct threat to flight safety or were attributed to foreign activities, though investigations are ongoing.

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There were 291 reports of unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) in an eight-month period, mostly in restricted military airspace, the Defense Department’s All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) told Congress.

The Fiscal 2023 annual report, submitted to Congress on Wednesday by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and Department of Defense, spans incidents reported from August 31, 2022, to April 30, 2023. In 2021, the Department of Defense (DOD) expanded efforts to detect and identify unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP)—the government’s term for UFOs—that could pose flight risks near military training ranges and installations.