--- title: "Pentagon’s Ex-Alien Hunter Admits a Lot of UFO Sightings Are Secret Military Crafts" description: "He Admit It In a shockingly candid interview, the former head of the Pentagon's office tasked with investigating \"unidentified anomalous phenomena\" or UAPs has admitted that a lot of UFO sightings are likely of this Earth — and top secret. \"There [are] a lot of observations of real, advanced US programs,\" Sean Kirkpatrick, the now-former […]" date: "2024-01-23" modified: "2024-01-23" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/pentagon-alien-hunter-ufos-military" categories: - "Military" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "drones" - "spherical objects" - "the digest" - "ufos" --- # Pentagon’s Ex-Alien Hunter Admits a Lot of UFO Sightings Are Secret Military Crafts ![The former head of the Pentagon's UFO office has admitted that a lot of sightings are likely of this Earth — and top secret. ]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Friendly Skies In a strikingly candid interview, the former head of the Pentagon's office tasked with investigating "unidentified anomalous phenomena" or UAPs has admitted that a lot of UFO sightings are likely of this Earth — and top secret, to boot. "There \[are\] a lot of observations of real, advanced US programs," Sean Kirkpatrick, the now-former director of the Pentagon's All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), [told *CNN*'s Peter Bergen]() in a new podcast interview. "But none of that is extraterrestrial in nature." As Kirkpatrick put it during his appearance on Bergen's Audible podcast "In The Room," lots of the initially unidentified crafts folks have historically spotted, from [Roswell]() to those weird [Chinese spy balloons](), were the result of various secret military, intelligence, or even commercial projects. "There are a number of advanced technologies that are being commercialized that people don't recognize," the veteran Defense Department official, who retired from government service in December, told Bergen. ## Orb Answers There's long been speculation — and [some official confirmation]() — that there are military explanations for UFO sightings, and Kirkpatrick's recent interviews after leaving the AARO and Pentagon have all but confirmed those suspicions. In his discussion with Bergen, he even explained the dynamics of some of the stranger sightings he's aware of. "There's a large number of people, pilots, and others, who you know, have said, 'Hey, I saw this giant sphere. It had a cube in it, I don't understand it, it must be an alien.' Well, actually, no," Kirkpatrick said. "The next generation of drones that are being built are spherical drones." Citing [research at the University of Singapore](), Kirkpatrick said the strange orb-shaped objects are made by placing cubes inside roughly two-meter inflatables, "a**nd everywhere the corner of the cube touches the sphere, they fused it, cut it out, and put, little thrusters in."** "With eight thrusters in a cube configuration, I can maneuver this drone around very accurately," Kirkpatrick said, "and they've tried these all over the place." Like most other public revelations out of the AARO, these exit interview admissions show that the project is indeed focused much more on national security threats from Earth than those that may come from outer space — but that doesn't make what we've learned any less fascinating. **More on the AARO:** [*Pentagon's Former Head UFO Hunter Says This Is the Truth*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()