The UFO Report: Summing Up the 9 Biggest Takeaways

On June 30, 2021, Josh Gates will host UFOs Declassified: LIVE to discuss the much-anticipated release of the UFO report. It will be a three-hour multi-platform event broadcast on Discovery, Science Channel, and Travel Channel. He’ll talk with a variety of experts and get their thoughts and interpretation of the report.

The report titled “Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena” was put together by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) in response to a provision in Senate Report 116-233. Here’s the provision about assessing UFO threats —or as they’re now called, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP).

Advanced Aerial Threats

The Committee supports the efforts of the Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon Task Force at the Office of Naval Intelligence to standardize collection and reporting on unidentified aerial phenomenon, any links they have to adversarial foreign governments, and the threat they pose to U.S. military assets and installations. However, the Committee remains concerned that there is no unified, comprehensive process within the Federal Government for collecting and analyzing intelligence on unidentified aerial phenomena, despite the potential threat. The Committee understands that the relevant intelligence may be sensitive; nevertheless, the Committee finds that the information sharing and coordination across the Intelligence Community has been inconsistent, and this issue has lacked attention from senior leaders.

Therefore, the Committee directs the DNI, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense and the heads of such other agencies as the Director and Secretary jointly consider relevant, to submit a report within 180 days of the date of enactment of the Act, to the congressional intelligence and armed services committees on unidentified aerial phenomena (also known as “anomalous aerial vehicles”), including observed airborne objects that have not been identified.

The report’s purpose was to provide “an overview for policymakers of the challenges associated with characterizing the potential threat posed by UAP while also providing a means to develop relevant processes, policies, technologies, and training for the U.S. military and other U.S. Government (USG) personnel if and when they encounter UAP, so as to enhance the Intelligence Community’s (IC) ability to understand the threat.”

An Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force (UAPTF) was assembled to evaluate “a range of information on UAP described in U.S. military and IC reporting.” It concentrated on occurrences that took place between 2004 and 2021.

So what happened? What did the task force discover? What were their recommendations? Are aliens amongst us? Is the government finally admitting it?

Let’s take a look at the nine biggest takeaways from the UFO report.

1. The UFO Report Investigated 144 Cases 

There actually could’ve been even more sightings by military personnel, but there’s also a good possibility they were never reported for various reasons. Not so much as part of a coverup, but because of challenges in reporting such instances, which brings us to the second point.

2. Better High-Quality Reporting Needed

Due to the “limited amount of high-quality reporting on unidentified aerial phenomena,” the investigators were “hampered” in their ability to “draw firm conclusions about the nature or intent of UAP.”

The task force heard from several people about various sightings, but because they were never “captured in formal or informal reporting” by the observers, they were nothing more than anecdotes. Researchers stuck to analyzing firsthand accounts from military aviators who collected data using systems they considered reliable.

They outlined challenges that come from acquiring this data, including:

1. Observers being reluctant to come forward because they don’t want to be ridiculed or stigmatized
2. The challenges of sensors. They often are calibrated for specific tasks and “are not generally suited to identifying UAP.”

80 of the 144 cases they investigated contained sensor data.

3. Only 1 UAP Explained

Of the 144 reports they researched, they were only able to identify one wth “high confidence” as being a “large, deflating balloon.”

4. Patterns

They did notice patterns in the “shape, size, and, particularly, propulsion” of the UAPs they analyzed. They also noted sightings tended to “cluster around U.S. training and testing grounds.”

Then again, they also noted this could be a result of confirmation bias due to “focused attention, greater numbers of latest-generation sensors operating in those areas, unit expectations, and guidance to report anomalies.”

5. Advanced Technology

Whatever the UAPs are, they do exhibit the implementation of advanced technology. The report cited the way UAPs handle the wind, maneuver, their speed, and especially their propulsion (“without discernable means”) as evidence.

6. No One Explanation

They felt there could be “multiple types of UAP requiring different explanations.” Causes cited included:

• Airborne Clutter
• Natural Atmospheric Phenomena (ie. ice crystals, thermal fluctuations, etc)
• USG or Industry Developmental Programs (classified programs conducted by U.S. entities)
• Foreign Adversary Systems
• Other (pending “additional scientific knowledge” and “scientific advances” to properly understand them)

The Other category is the one UFO believers and the media is getting most excited by because it does leave the door open for the possibility of extraterrestrial life. But that also presents challenges.

7. Flight Safety and National Security Concerns

Are the UAPs equipped with weaponry? Are they performing reconnaissance? Do they have equipment onboard to alert them when they’re getting too close to another aircraft?

No one knows if they’re operated by another country or another planet, or what their capabilities are, but safety on multiple levels is a concern. For the country overall, but also for pilots sharing the friendly skies. The UFO report noted 11 cases where pilots reported near misses.

8. Inconclusive: More Resources Needed

Basically, the task force felt that in order to explain UAP, it would require further “analytic, collection and resource investment” consisting of:

• Standardized reporting, consolidated data, and more in-depth analysis
• Expanded collection of the number of cases to examine (this includes forming a baseline of standard UAP activity to “mitigate collection bias in the dataset.”)
• Increased investment in research and development.

9. UAPs are Real —But the U is the Key

Basically, something really is in our skies. It could be some advanced technology another country has marvelously kept under wraps, or it could be life from another planet coming to check out ours.

The truth is still out there. The real question now is whether this UFO report will advance the search for answers in a new meaningful and useful way.

For More Info

You can read the entire “Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena” report here: https://www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/assessments/Prelimary-Assessment-UAP-20210625.pdf.

Check-In

Do you this UFO report signals that we’re on the verge of learning about extraterrestrial life?