Nearly 250 service members reported seeing UFOs since the spring of 2021 and many of those incidents remain unexplained, according to a joint report released by the Pentagon and intelligence community on Thursday.
The figures are part of the latest update mandated by Congress after interest in UFOs — now called unidentified aerial phenomena, or UAP — surged to its highest point since the 1960s following military videos captured by Navy personnel leaked in 2017 showing unknown objects.
But for anyone looking for extraterrestrials, or even Chinese spying, the 12-page unclassified report will likely be a letdown. Of the 195 cases the Pentagon has solved, the vast majority turned out to be balloons — 163 in all — along with a couple of dozen or so drones and some sky garbage, often referred to as airborne clutter.
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Of the 171 cases that remained unexplained, “some of these uncharacterized UAP appear to have demonstrated unusual flight characteristics or performance capabilities, and require further analysis,” the report said.
More detailed classified assessments of the cases are being provided to Congress.
“Today's report reflects a step forward in understanding and addressing risks to aviators,” Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., the chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee who sponsored the reporting legislation, said in a released statement….
