What Pentagon’s report tell us about UFOs | Are aliens real?
A UFO spotted by a U.S. Navy jet. (Image credit: DOD/U.S. Navy)
Aliens, Extraterrestrial Life and UFOs always fascinated us and have been a buzz since 1980s for humans. Recently it came in news again a few months back when former US Prez Donald Trump said to the US Intelligence Agency and Pentagon to release a report on 'What they know about the UFOs so far?'. This was the first time when the US admitted the possibility of the existence of something suspicious in the sky and announced an official scrutiny for the same. And it is not without any reason, US Air Force aviators, between 2004 to 2021, reported 144 sightings of UFOs, what they officially call Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon (UAP), above restricted areas. When the order to release the report was announced, US Agencies had a few days less than 6 months for that and now finally it has been released and now it in the Public domain.
Area 51 has long held a fascination for extra-terrestrial enthusiasts
As mentioned above the team investigated 144 events and out of those 144 reporting of UFO sightings, the task force could find the explanation for just one (a deflated balloon) and the rest 143 are still unexplained and the culprit is lack of data they called.
In a total of 18 events, witnesses “reported unusual UAP movement patterns or flight characteristics” — potentially demonstrating advanced, as-of-yet unknown technological capabilities. According to the report, unusually behaving UFOs, which appeared to remain stationary in winds aloft, move against the wind, maneuver abruptly, or move at considerable speed, without discernible means of propulsion, according to the report. The report also states that in a small number of cases, military aircraft systems processed radio-frequency (RF) energy associated with UAP sightings.” In 11 instances, U.S. pilots reported dangerous “near misses” with UAP.
The Pentagon building is seen in Arlington, Virginia, U.S. October 9, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo
What was the conclusion of the report?
The report doesn't have any strong judgement on any of the events as they said there was a lack of proper reporting and the absence of proper data that hampered the team's ability to reach any concrete conclusion. But the report suggested some of the possible explanations of the events and drew a few vague but noticeable conclusions :
There is currently no evidence that any of the objects were related to a secret U.S. weapons program or were developed by foreign US adversaries.
The sightings near U.S. military bases may just be the result of several kinds of "collection bias" .
Most of the UAP probably were physical objects, since most were detected in multiple ways.
Objects exhibiting unusual flight characteristics could also “be the result of sensor errors, spoofing, or observer misperception” and “require additional rigorous analysis.”
Regarding whether or not these objects represent a threat, the report says that UAP “clearly pose” a risk to flight safety in the increasingly crowded skies, and may pose a challenge to national security, particularly if the UAP were developed by foreign adversaries and indicate “a potential adversary has developed either a breakthrough or disruptive technology.”
The U.S. needs to collect and analyze more information, consolidate reporting, develop a more efficient way of screening and processing the reports.
Radio telescopes like the Allen Telescope Array seen here scan the sky looking for signs of intelligent life in the universe. Brewbooks/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA
What does this report about aliens?
Well the report didn't mention anything about aliens and never even implies that any of the reported UAP could be of extraterrestrial origin. This doesn't mean that the team ruled out the possibility of any connection of these objects with extraterrestrial life.
What according to the report possibly those objects spotted could be?
While the report doesn't offer much but the task force suggested a few possible explanations for the UAPs in the report
Airborne clutter, including birds, balloons, drones, or airborne debris.
Natural atmospheric phenomena, including “ice crystals, moisture, and thermal fluctuations that may register on some infrared and radar systems.”
U.S. developed technology, i.e., classified technology developed by the U.S. or its industry partners.
Technology developed by foreign adversaries like Russia, China, or other government or non-government entities.
What's next after the report?
The report also dictates that another report will be delivered by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Department of Defense within 90 days, informing Congress on how best to update data collection on UFOs. The officials said they would provide lawmakers with periodical updates beyond that.
