Declassified UFO / UAP Document
Fiscal Year 2023 Consolidated Annual Report on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena
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AI-Generated Summary
This report details 291 new UAP sightings received by AARO between August 2022 and April 2023. It concludes that most UAP are likely ordinary phenomena and emphasizes the need for better data to resolve these cases.
This report, prepared by the Department of Defense and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, provides a consolidated annual overview of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) for Fiscal Year 2023. It fulfills a legislative requirement established by the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2022 and amended by the FY 2023 NDAA. The document covers the period from 31 August 2022 to 30 April 2023, during which the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) received 291 new UAP reports. Of these, 274 occurred within the reporting period, while 17 were from previous years (2019–2022) that had not been previously submitted. As of 30 April 2023, AARO’s total holdings reached 801 reports. The report highlights a persistent, though shifting, collection bias toward restricted military airspace, which is being mitigated by increased reporting from commercial pilots. AARO emphasizes that while UAP represent a potential flight safety hazard, no reports have indicated adverse health effects or unsafe proximity to aircraft. Furthermore, no UAP have been positively attributed to foreign activities. The document outlines AARO’s organizational structure, including its Analytic, Operations and Collections, Science and Technology, and Strategic Communications divisions. A significant portion of the report focuses on the 'Way Forward,' which prioritizes the integration of space and maritime domains into AARO’s processes and the mitigation of reporting bias through improved sensor calibration and data quality. The report concludes that the unidentified nature of most UAP is largely a result of gaps in domain awareness and insufficient data, and that with better data, most cases will likely be resolved as ordinary phenomena.
Based on the ability to resolve cases to date, with an increase in the quality of data secured, the unidentified and purported anomalous nature of most UAP will likely resolve to ordinary phenomena and significantly reduce the amount of UAP case submissions.
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Official Assessment
The unidentified and purported anomalous nature of most UAP will likely resolve to ordinary phenomena with an increase in the quality of data.
AARO received 291 UAP reports during the period. Most reports reflect a bias toward restricted military airspace, though commercial pilot reporting is diversifying geographic distribution. No adverse health effects were reported. No UAP have been positively attributed to foreign activities.