Declassified UFO / UAP Document
(U) Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena
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AI-Generated Summary
This document is the declassified intelligence assessment of UAP prepared by the UAPTF for Congress in 2021. It concludes that UAP pose flight safety and potential national security risks, but that current data is insufficient to definitively identify their nature or origin.
This document comprises a response from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) to a Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR) request submitted by John Greenewald, Jr., regarding the classified version of the 'Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena' provided to Congress in June 2021. The core of the document is the intelligence assessment itself, which was prepared by the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force (UAPTF) in response to a provision in the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021. The assessment notes that the UAPTF reviewed a dataset of 144 reports originating from U.S. government sources between 2004 and 2021. The report emphasizes that the limited amount of high-quality data hampers the ability to draw firm conclusions regarding the nature or intent of UAP. While most UAP reported likely represent physical objects—as they were registered across multiple sensors including radar, infrared, and electro-optical systems—the report states that in a limited number of incidents, UAP appeared to exhibit unusual flight characteristics. These observations could potentially be attributed to sensor errors, spoofing, or observer misperception. The report categorizes potential explanations for UAP into five bins: airborne clutter, natural atmospheric phenomena, USG or U.S. industry developmental programs, foreign adversary systems, and a catchall 'other' category. The assessment concludes that UAP pose a clear safety of flight issue and potentially a national security challenge, particularly if they represent foreign adversary collection platforms or breakthrough technologies. The report highlights the need for standardized reporting, increased collection, and additional investment in research and development to better understand these phenomena. It also includes appendices detailing the contributions of various intelligence disciplines and the support provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in attribution efforts.
The limited amount of high-quality reporting on UAP hampers our ability to draw firm conclusions about the nature or intent of UAP.
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Official Assessment
The limited amount of high-quality reporting on UAP hampers our ability to draw firm conclusions about the nature or intent of UAP.
UAP pose a safety of flight issue and may pose a challenge to U.S. national security. Most reported UAP probably represent physical objects. The dataset is limited and lacks sufficient specificity to attribute incidents to particular explanations, though they may fall into categories such as airborne clutter, natural atmospheric phenomena, USG or U.S. industry developmental programs, or foreign adversary systems.
Key Persons
- John Greenewald, Jr.Requester
- Gregory KochChief, Information Management Office