Headline Roundup • April 19th, 2023
Senate Armed Services Subcommittee Holds Hearing on UFO Reports
Summary from the AllSides News Team
The Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities held a hearing Wednesday addressing reports of unidentified flying objects (UFO), officially labeled unidentified aerial projectiles (UAP) by the Department of Defense.
Details: The hearing featured one witness, Sean Kirkpatrick, director of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), an office in the Department of Defense formed in 2022 to investigate UAP reports. Kirkpatrick told lawmakers that the office was investigating 650 reports, finding no evidence of extraterrestrial activity. During the hearing, Kirkpatrick shared two declassified videos of UAP sightings, one in the Middle East and one in South Asia.
Key Quotes: Kirkpatrick stated that “in our research, AARO has found no credible evidence thus far of extraterrestrial activity, off-world technology or objects that defy the known law of physics.” Kirkpatrick determined that “the majority of unidentified objects reported to AARO demonstrate mundane characteristics of balloons, unmanned aerial systems, clutter, natural phenomena, or other readily explainable sources.” Kirkpatrick discussed the possibility that certain unidentified aerial projectiles originate from foreign countries, potentially indicating technologies advanced beyond the Defense Department’s capabilities, stating, “I have indicators that some are related to foreign capabilities. We have to investigate that with our [intelligence community] partners.”
How The Media Covered It: Outlets across the spectrum covered the hearing mildly, often noting that the hearing is only the second one addressing UAPs in 50 years. Most coverage focused on Kirkpatrick’s statement relating to extraterrestrial life, but Fox News framed coverage around the statement about foreign countries.
Featured Coverage of this Story
U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services
The head of the Pentagon's office tasked with tracking UFOs told lawmakers of "emerging capabilities" and "advanced tech" from potential foreign adversaries — specifically Russia and China — that "are concerning."
But there's no definitive evidence of extraterrestrial technology or alien life, Sean Kirkpatrick, the director of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), said during Wednesday's Senate meeting of the Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities.
"Of the cases that are showing some sort of advanced technical signature … I am concerned about what that nexus is," Kirkpatrick...
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images, FILE
The head of the Pentagon office reviewing UFO incidents reported by military personnel told Congress Wednesday that his office is now reviewing 650 incidents, but that there is no evidence that any of them is of extraterrestrial origin.
Two new videos were released at the rare open congressional hearing on Unexplained Anomalous Phenomena, or UAPs as the Pentagon calls them, to highlight how the recently established All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) can explain some incidents but not others.
"I want to underscore today that only a very small percentage of...
FILE
A bipartisan group of lawmakers continued their push Wednesday to solve concerns surrounding the decades-old UFO mystery.
The Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities held the second hearing on the phenomenon in more than 50 years.
Dr. Sean M. Kirkpatrick, director of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), was the sole witness for the hearing. Lawmakers asked about administrative matters, including ensuring that AARO has the necessary funding to execute its scientific mission.
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