The White House declined to comment on the sightings of the mysterious flying objects, saying only that the forthcoming government report on the matter had not yet been completed.
The Washington Post reported on Friday that the report found no evidence of extraterrestrial activity, but could not provide a definitive explanation for what the US government calls “unidentified aerial phenomena” (UAP).
The New York Times also wrote that the US intelligence services found no evidence that these UAPs, which have been observed by Navy pilots in recent years, are alien spacecraft. However, the phenomena remain unexplained.
Most of the events recorded over the past two decades were not caused by the US military or any other advanced US government technology, according to the report. The NYT cites senior government officials who were briefed on the report, which will be submitted to Congress this month.
Many of the more than 120 sightings surveyed by a Pentagon special unit were recorded by the US Navy and some involved foreign troops. U.S. intelligence officials say experimental technology from a rival force could explain at least some of these aerial phenomena.
An unnamed official told the newspaper that some US intelligence and military officials were concerned that China or Russia might be experimenting with ultrasonic technology.
An ungraded version of the petition, which is expected to be submitted to Congress by June 25, will not include many other conclusions, the newspaper added.
The Pentagon last year released videos taken by Navy pilots depicting “encounters” in flight with unknown flying objects. One of these videos dates from November 2004 and the other two from January 2015. Congress then instructed the government to inform the public about the activities of this special unit of the Pentagon that studies these phenomena (UAPTF – Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force).
The report concludes with certainty that most of these 120 incidents are not related to technologies tested by the US military, writes the NYT. But that's the only definitive finding, and according to CNN, the document does not rule out the possibility that they are alien aircraft.
Some officials who spoke to the NYT admit that the fact that part of the report will remain secret (as a military secret) will fuel speculation about US government alien information and “cover-up” theories.
The UAPTF was set up after a series of sightings of unknown flying objects that appeared to move with such speed and flexibility that it simply defied the limits of hitherto known technology and the laws of physics. A Pentagon staffer who assisted in compiling the report told Reuters that the incident was a matter of concern to pilots and national security. Responding to questions from Reuters in an email, he said: “We are not discussing the details of the UAP comments in public.”
The term “flying objects of unknown identity” (ATIA – UFO in English), which has been associated for years with the idea of alien aircraft, has been replaced, since 2017, by UAP. Then, for the first time, the Pentagon, in an article in the NYT, admitted that it had recorded meetings with UAP from its warships and aircraft, turning 180 degrees from its previous policy of decades to treat the issue as taboo.
