Declassified UFO memo reveals hundreds more reports in 2022

The office of the United States Department of National Intelligence on Thursday declassified an eleven-page version of its 2022 Annual Report on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, colloquially known as unidentified flying objects, or UFOs.

UAPs have experienced a resurgence as a matter of public interest in recent years, and Congress has held inquiries into determining what exactly people frequently claim to see zipping through sovereign US airspace. And while ODNI made no mention of the mysterious anomalies being piloted by extraterrestrials, it nonetheless conceded that "some of these uncharacterized UAP appear to have demonstrated unusual flight characteristics or performance capabilities, and require further analysis."

The agency's latest assessment revealed that more than four-hundred sightings were added in 2022 to its already extensive collection of eyewitness testimonies, a majority of which were from American military personnel. ODNI stated that a reduction in the "stigma" surrounding the topic has resulted in greater numbers of observers coming forward.

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"UAP events continue to occur in restricted or sensitive airspace, highlighting possible concerns for safety of flight or adversary collection activity. We continue to assess that this may result from a collection bias due to the number of active aircraft and sensors, combined with focused attention and guidance to report anomalies. AARO, in conjunction with NIM-Aviation and the IC, will continue to investigate any evidence of possible foreign government involvement in UAP events," ODNI wrote.

"Multiple factors affect the observation or detection of UAP, such as weather, illumination, atmospheric effects, or the accurate interpretation of sensor data," ODNI continued. "Regarding review or analysis of UAP events, ODNI and AARO operate under the assumption that UAP reports are derived from the observer’s accurate recollection of the event and/or sensors that generally operate correctly and capture enough real data to allow initial assessments. However, ODNI and AARO acknowledge that a select number of UAP incidents may be attributable to sensor irregularities or variances, such as operator or equipment error."

ONDI further explained that regardless of what they are, "UAP pose a safety of flight and collision hazard to air assets, potentially requiring aircraft operators to adjust flight patterns in response to their unauthorized presence in the airspace, operating outside of air traffic control standards and instruction. To date, there have been no reported collisions between U.S. aircraft and UAP. Regarding health concerns, there have also been no encounters with UAP confirmed to contribute directly to adverse health-related effects to the observer(s). Acknowledging that health-related effects may appear at any time after an event occurs, AARO will track any reported health implications related to UAP should they emerge."

ODNI emphasized that "initial characterization does not mean positively resolved or unidentified. This initial characterization better enables AARO and ODNI to efficiently and effectively leverage resources against the remaining 171 uncharacterized and unattributed UAP reports."

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