Pentagon sets up new taskforce to investigate UFO sightings

The new taskforce will look at reports of Unexplained Aerial Phenomena (UAP) near US military facilities

The United States Department of Defense has announced that it is forming a new group to look into UFOs. It's after a report earlier this year found that there was a lack of sufficient data to determine the nature of mysterious flying objects over the last two decades. The taskforce, called the Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronization Group, will look at reports of Unexplained Aerial Phenomena (UAP) near US military facilities. UAP is the military term for a UFO. Leading the group will be the under secretary of defense for intelligence, the director of the joint staff and officials from the office of the director of national intelligence. According to the Pentagon, the taskforce will "synchronize efforts across the Department and the broader U.S. government to detect, identify and attribute objects of interests in Special Use Airspace (SUA), and to assess and mitigate any associated threats to safety of flight and national security.

"Incursions by any airborne object into our SUA pose safety of flight and operations security concerns, and may pose national security challenges," the Pentagon added.

Special Use Airspace refers to restricted military airspace, military operations areas, firing ranges and places restricted for national security and other uses.

In June this year, US intelligence forces released a report which found that there were 144 incidents of UAP that couldn't be explained between 2004 and 2021. Of these, 18 appeared to "demonstrate advanced technology." The report concluded there were still many instances of UAP that the government were unable to explain, posing a potential security risk. It did not rule out the possibility that some of these could be extraterrestrial but was sure not to explicitly mention this. The body which compiled the report - the Navy's UAP Task Force - will now join up with the newly-formed Pentagon taskforce. Related links:

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