The United States government is receiving dozens of reports of unidentified flying objects, more commonly known as UFOs, every month, according to the director of the office created to investigate the occurrences. According to him, there are potentially “hundreds, if not thousands” of reports.
The office received approximately 800 reports of unidentified objects to investigate in April alone, Sean Kirkpatrick, who heads the Office of All-Domain Anomaly Resolution at the Pentagon, told CNN .
Most are benign objects such as balloons or drones, but some may be attempts by other countries trying to spy on the U.S., Kirkpatrick said.
“There are some concerning indicators that can be attributed to foreign activity, and we are looking into that a lot,” Kirkpatrick said, speaking exclusively to CNN before the release of the annual report on unidentified flying objects.
Some of the increase in reports comes from the Federal Aviation Administration, which monitors the airspace around U.S. airports and has begun providing information to the Pentagon.
About half of the reports contain enough data that they can be dismissed as “mundane things” like errant balloons or floating trash, Kirkpatrick said, but between 2% and 4% are truly anomalous and require further investigation.
Kirkpatrick’s office has transferred “many” cases to law enforcement for further investigation. Some sightings could potentially be objects of espionage by the United States’ foreign adversaries, such as the Chinese spy balloon shot down in South Carolina in February.
Asked about the possibility of the Pentagon definitively identifying an unidentified object as an attempted spy from another country, Kirkpatrick said his office is “looking at some very interesting indicators of things, and that’s all I can tell you.” But the office, which has more than 40 employees and hopes to grow, cannot yet say that with certainty.
“I’m concerned from a national security standpoint,” Kirkpatrick said, referring to the strange readings picked up by U.S. radars and other sensors.
However, he offered few details about why certain reports raised suspicions about foreign involvement. “It could just be a foreign entity. It could be a hobby. It could be anything. And these are the things we should look at.”
Public interest in UFOs
Since President Joe Biden’s administration created a formal office to investigate UFO reports, the issue has attracted enormous public attention, fueled by its link to UFO sightings.
A July U.S. Congressional hearing on the matter further heightened public interest: David Grusch, a former Air Force intelligence officer, alleged that the government covered up its investigation into the matter, a claim Kirkpatrick categorically denied.
But Grusch went further, even acknowledging that he had no “first-hand” knowledge and that he only knew what he was told, he claimed that the US government had in its possession unidentified alien objects and bodies of “non-human” pilots. .
Kirkpatrick dismissed the claims, saying he has “no evidence to suggest anything of an extraterrestrial nature.”
“If anyone thinks they know where these things are, they should come talk to us,” Kirkpatrick said. “That’s why we created this entire structure so that people can come in and talk to us safely.”
New reports from the public
The Pentagon is bracing for a flood of new reports as it prepares two new portals for public submissions: one for past sightings by current or former government officials and contractors and a second portal for public submissions of new reports .
The portal for historic sightings is expected to open next month, Kirkpatrick told CNN . Its purpose is to validate or refute previous reports of unidentified objects, comparing them with other reports and cataloging them for possible later analysis.
The opening of the public portal is still several months away, as Kirkpatrick says it could flood the system with “hundreds, if not thousands” of new reports to analyze.
Still, Kirkpatrick has a plan for his office, which involves a system that will automatically associate known objects with public reports, allowing the government to rule out sightings of previously identified bodies. Still, reports of unknown objects can be valuable, he says.
“If it’s a foreign adversary and I have 100,000 people with cell phones who can film them, well, now it’s very difficult for the foreign adversary to do anything,” Kirkpatrick says.
Asked whether the US government should have created an effort to deal with unidentified objects sooner, he said the new office came “probably at the right time and for the right reasons.” But, acknowledging the interest and mystery surrounding the issue, he added: “I think the government as a whole – which includes Congress – probably should have addressed some of this years ago in a more direct way.”
Remember: See images of UFO appearances in the USA
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
