Unidentified Aerial Phenomena have transitioned from the periphery of public debate to the center stage of the international security and military agenda. Over the last several years, military sightings of UAP have accelerated at a faster rate, and governments around the world are reacting with record transparency and rapidity. Heavens above, North America hit the headlines in early 2023 when U.S. warplanes destroyed three unknown objects over Alaska, Canada, and Michigan in a series of swift engagements. Pentagon and intelligence officials stated that the sudden surge in reported objects was partly brought on by NORAD reconfiguring its radar systems to be more sensitive following outrage over the Chinese spy balloon. This added attention caused more items to be discovered, some of which would not have been reported otherwise.
President Joe Biden prioritized sovereignty and safety, stating, “If any object is found to be a threat to the safety and security of the American people, I will take it down.” We do not know yet what the purpose of the three objects shot down following the spy balloon was, but Biden again stated there was available intelligence that indicated they were likely harmless, possibly commercial or research in nature. But the government is reworking policy and regulations in response to observations and response to unmanned airborne vehicles with a bias toward safer skies for military and civilian use alike.
The United States is not the only one to fear. Canada, as a close ally of NORAD, has launched its formal investigation of UAPs, the Sky Canada Project. Japan, decades of suspicion in its wake, has finally turned a page on a change of heart following recent events, and defense officials are now looking into procedures to destroy unidentified objects menacing the air. China, meanwhile, has registered its own UAP sightings close to military bases and has hired artificial intelligence to analyze and identify sightings. Russia also began broader international investigations, namely after there were global drone attacks on strategic targets and past incidents that raised eyebrows.
One of the most terrifying incidents to come to public attention was when investigative reporter George Knapp revealed an incident in 1982 in Russia at a recent hearing before Congress. Knapp covered the story of UFOs flying over an ICBM base, performing phenomenal aerial maneuvers, and causing nuclear missile launch codes to deploy, bringing the world close to doomsday. The Russian officers have been said to go berserk as the missiles automatically loaded themselves, but the UFOs disappeared, and the systems were restarted. Staff recognized this as a warning from the unknown and not a power spike or technical malfunction, Knapp said. These types of encounters put into perspective the potential risk UAPs could pose to global stability and national security.
Transparency is a new thread in the UAP debate. The U.S. federal government has created the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) to research and report on UAPs, building upon the activity of earlier working groups such as the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force. Congressional hearings included testimony from the men and women in uniform who have experienced UAP encounters, including objects with propulsion systems unknown or unexplained, or executing maneuvers outside the technology in development.
Transparency demands have also precipitated demands for whistleblowers, including from former intelligence official David Grusch. The U.S. possesses “intact and partially intact” extraterrestrial craft, and information about the subject spacecraft is being withheld from Congress, says Grusch. Jonathan Grey, a current intelligence officer, has taken an oath on the existence of “exotic materials,” that “We are not alone.” These claims have raised demands for the U.S. to generate any evidence of non-human technology.
Traditional government studies of UFOs have generally concluded that most sightings were the result of natural or man-made phenomena. Blue Book, the Robertson Panel, and the Condon Report critically examined reports concluding that the majority of sightings could not be blamed on the extraterrestrial hypothesis but were in fact due to misidentification of airplanes, balloons, or atmospheric phenomena. But even the comparatively uncommon, totally inexplicable sightings continue to be subjects of speculation and scientific interest. The intimidation of reporting UAP sightings continues to be a hurdle, with some officials and pilots unwilling to “come forward” for fear of ruin to their careers.
With controversy unfolding, science, security, and public worry are intersecting in ways more than ever before. Governments are faced with the dilemma of reconciling caution with untested peril and the need for transparency and scientific sense. Explanation remains on the hunt, as new policy, questions, and international coalitions inform our reaction to the enigmas in our skies.