Editing All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (section)

== Current AARO investigations ==
AARO has opened hundreds of investigations since its founding in 2022. Half of these have been resolved with mundane explanations, for instance, weather balloons. The other half remain unexplained, with insufficient data to reach any conclusion.<ref>{{cite web |title=2022 Annual Report on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena |url=https://www.dni.gov/index.php/newsroom/reports-publications/reports-publications-2023/item/2354-2022-annual-report-on-unidentified-aerial-phenomena |publisher=Office of the Director of National Intelligence|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230112173157/https://www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/assessments/Unclassified-2022-Annual-Report-UAP.pdf|archive-date=2023-01-12}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author1=Hannah Osborne |date=2023-03-22 |title=Alien mothership lurking in our solar system could be watching us with tiny probes, Pentagon official suggests |url=https://www.livescience.com/alien-mothership-lurking-in-our-solar-system-could-be-watching-us-with-tiny-probes-pentagon-official-suggests |access-date=2023-03-23 |website=livescience.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Brandon Specktor published |date=2023-01-13 |title=Pentagon is struggling to explain more than 170 fresh UFO reports, new document reveals |url=https://www.livescience.com/pentagon-ufo-report-unsolved-2022 |access-date=2023-03-23 |website=livescience.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Bergen |first=Peter |date=17 February 2023 |title=SPY BALLOONS AREN'T CHINA'S REAL THREAT |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette}}</ref>

The Office received a large number of reports since its founding,<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-12-19 |title=No evidence of alien life despite Pentagon receiving hundreds of new UFO reports |language=en-AU |work=ABC News |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-12-19/pentagon-ufo-tracking-office-receiving-hundreds-of-reports/101789660 |access-date=2023-03-23}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |agency=Associated Press |date=2022-12-16 |title='Several hundred' UFO reports received by Pentagon's new tracking office |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/16/several-hundred-ufo-reports-received-by-pentagon-new-tracking-office |access-date=2023-03-23 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> many of which were from military personnel.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Copp |first1=Tara |title=Pentagon has received 'several hundreds" of new UFO reports |url=https://apnews.com/article/politics-trending-news-7227512231fa206da624f813455c2f0b |website=AP News |publisher=The Associated Press |date=December 16, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Specktor |first=Brandon |date=February 2023 |title=THE US MILITARY REPORTS 'SEVERAL HUNDRED' UFO SIGHTINGS |journal=How It Works Magazine |volume=173 |pages=18 |via=Gale}}</ref>

The office and ODNI released an 11-page unclassified report on January 12, 2022, prompted by a law that says ODNI must submit a report to Congress yearly.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hundreds of new UFO-type sightings reported in 18 months, intel report says |url=https://www.stripes.com/theaters/us/2023-01-12/ufos-sightings-pentagon-8743761.html |access-date=2023-03-24 |website=Stars and Stripes |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Chappel |first=Bill |date=January 13, 2023 |title=The Pentagon got hundreds of new reports of UFOs in 2022, a government report says |url=https://www.npr.org/2023/01/13/1149019140/ufo-report |access-date=24 March 2023 |website=NPR.org (National Public Radio)}}</ref> The report covered 247 new UAP sightings going back to March 2021, as well as 119 events before that date that had not been previously examined.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ryan |first=Finnerty |date=15 February 2023 |title=US lawmakers describe unknown objects as nothing new after classified brief |journal=Flight International |via=Factiva}}</ref> The report indicated that there had been "510 UAP reports as of 30 August. 2022", which was an increase on the previous number of encounters referred to the office.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dunn |first=Thom |date=2023-01-17 |title=New official US government UFO report released, and sightings are way up |url=https://boingboing.net/2023/01/17/new-official-us-government-ufo-report-released-and-sightings-are-way-up.html |access-date=2023-03-24 |website=Boing Boing |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="cbsnews.com">{{Cite web |title=Hundreds more UFO sightings included in latest report |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hundreds-more-ufo-sightings-included-latest-report/ |access-date=2023-03-24 |website=www.cbsnews.com |language=en-US}}</ref> The report indicated there had been no evidence of aliens.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pentagon received hundreds of UFO reports in 2022 – DW – 12/17/2022 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/pentagon-received-hundreds-of-ufo-reports-in-2022/a-64130981 |access-date=2023-03-24 |website=dw.com |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Harris |first=Shane |date=January 12, 2023 |title=Most UFO reports 'unremarkable,' Pentagon says, but analysis goes on |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/01/12/ufo-sightings-pentagon-review/}}</ref><ref name="Stewart">{{Cite news |last1=Stewart |first1=Phil |last2=Ali |first2=Idrees |last3=Stewart |first3=Phil |last4=Ali |first4=Idrees |date=2023-02-13 |title=Ruling out aliens? Senior U.S. general says not ruling out anything yet |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/us/ruling-out-aliens-senior-us-general-says-not-ruling-out-anything-yet-2023-02-13/ |access-date=2023-03-26}}</ref>

The report noted that out of the 366 new reports submitted, after initial analysis, about half were found to have common explanations, e.g., uncrewed aircraft, balloons, and clutter.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Chappell |first=Bill |date=January 13, 2023 |title=The Pentagon got hundreds of new reports of UFOs in 2022, a government report says |url=https://www.npr.org/2023/01/13/1149019140/ufo-report |access-date=March 26, 2023 |website=National Public Radio}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last1=Magazine |first1=Smithsonian |last2=Germain |first2=Jacquelyne |title=More Than 350 New UFO Sightings Added to U.S. Government Records |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/more-than-350-new-ufo-sightings-added-to-us-government-records-180981466/ |access-date=2023-03-26 |website=Smithsonian Magazine |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Trevithick |first=Joseph |date=2023-02-15 |title=Broken AARO? Pentagon UAP Office's Role Questioned Following Shootdowns |url=https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/broken-aaro-pentagon-uap-offices-role-questioned-following-shootdowns |access-date=2023-03-27 |website=The Drive |language=en}}</ref> The report indicated that there should be assumptions made about multiple factors that could affect observations of UAPs, including illumination, weather and the accuracy of the interpretation of sensor data, and that a select number of reports submitted may relate to irregularities of the operator or the equipment.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pentagon receives more than 350 new reports of UFO sightings |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/pentagon-receives-350-new-reports-ufo-sightings-rcna65631 |access-date=2023-03-26 |website=NBC News |language=en}}</ref>

Out of the 366 reports, 171 remained uncharacterized.<ref name="cbsnews.com"/><ref name="popsci.com">{{Cite web |date=2023-01-23 |title=Is the truth out there? Decoding the Pentagon's latest UFO report. |url=https://www.popsci.com/technology/unidentified-aerial-phenomena-report-2022/ |access-date=2023-03-24 |website=Popular Science |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hanks |first=Micah |date=2023-01-19 |title=The 2022 Annual Report on UAP: Four Significant Takeaways You Probably Missed |url=https://thedebrief.org/the-2022-annual-report-on-uap-four-significant-takeaways-you-probably-missed/ |access-date=2023-03-24 |website=The Debrief |language=en-US}}</ref>  The report noted that some of these uncharacterized UAPs appear to have demonstrated unusual flight characteristics or performance capabilities and that these reported incidents required further analysis.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-01-13 |title=UFO reports by US troops skyrocket to over 500 |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64252340 |access-date=2023-03-26}}</ref><ref name="Stewart"/>

Input for the report was sought or supplied from various bodies, including NASA, the [[Federal Aviation Administration]], the [[National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration]], and the [[Department of Energy]]. The report notes that most of the sightings were made to the office by U.S. Navy and [[U.S. Air Force]] personnel, reporting them through their official channels.<ref>{{Cite web |author1=Brett Tingley |date=2023-01-12 |title=Pentagon releases its long-awaited 2022 UFO report |url=https://www.space.com/pentagon-2022-ufo-uap-report |access-date=2023-03-24 |website=Space.com |language=en}}</ref><ref name="popsci.com"/> The report also noted that some of the cases could be as a result of sensors not working correctly.<ref name="popsci.com"/>