--- title: "The Pentagon Just Quietly Released a Report About Hundreds of New UFO Sightings" description: "The Pentagon has admitted that it has recently investigated hundreds more of what the government refers to as \"unidentified aerial phenomena,\" or UAPs." date: "2023-01-13" modified: "2023-01-13" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/pentagon-ufo-uap-report-2022" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "the digest" - "the pentagon" - "uaps" - "ufos" --- # The Pentagon Just Quietly Released a Report About Hundreds of New UFO Sightings ![The Pentagon has admitted that it has recently investigated hundreds more of what the government refers to as "unidentified aerial phenomena," or UAPs.]() *\Image: Getty Images/Futurism\* ## Watch the Skies In a quiet Thursday report dump, the Pentagon released declassified intelligence on hundreds more of what it now refers to as "unidentified aerial phenomena," or UAPs for short. The [Director of National Intelligence's report](), which is the second since the Department of Defense opened its All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) earlier in Joe Biden's presidency, lists a whopping 366 total new incidents the Pentagon admits to having knowledge of, though a majority of those did have non-extraterrestrial explanations. In total, as [*Vice* notes]() in its write-up of the report, 163 of the UAP sightings on radar seemed to be balloons of some sort, 26 were probably drones, and six others were categorized as miscellaneous clutter, defined by the Pentagon as "birds, weather events, or airborne debris like plastic bags." That leaves 171 unexplained events out of the 366 new UAP reports that remain "uncharacterized and unattributed." "Some of these uncharacterized UAP appear to have demonstrated unusual flight characteristics or performance capabilities," the report continues, "and require further analysis." ## New Reporting In the [initial 2021 report](), the Pentagon said it had knowledge of 144 anomalous incidents over 17 years, but in this latest one, which cuts off at August 2022, it said that hundreds more military officials had come forward with their experiences. "The observed increase in the UAP reporting rate is partially due to a better understanding of the possible threats that UAP may represent, either as safety of flight hazards or as potential adversary collection platforms, and partially due to reduced stigma surrounding UAP reporting," the DNI report reads. "This increased reporting allows more opportunities to apply rigorous analysis and resolve events." As always, it's tough to say exactly what to read into a report like this. Will [the Pentagon]() ultimately be the first government body to publicize compelling evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence? It's probably not likely — but at the very least, they do seem to be looking into it. **More on unidentified flying/aerial objects/phenomena:** [*NASA Has Assembled an Expert UFO-Hunting Team*]() ## 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]()