On Thursday, January 12, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence published the unclassified version of its 2022 Report on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena.

According to a statement by Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the report was delivered to Congress on January 11. This is a report that was mandated by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022, which was signed into law by president Joe Biden on December 27, 2021. And it follows a preliminary UFO report that was published on  June 25, 2021.

The History Behind the Report

The NDAA for FY 2022 instructed that, “Not later than 31 October 2022, and annually thereafter until 31 October 2026, the Director, in consultation with the Secretary, shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on unidentified aerial phenomena.” A reason for the report’s delayed publication hasn’t been given. But, during a recent Pentagon media roundtable, Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security Ronald Moultrie stated that another UAP report was delivered to Congress back in November 2022.

The report requirements laid out in the NDAA for FY 22 are as follows:

(A) All reported unidentified aerial phenomena-related events that occurred during the one-year period.

(B) All reported unidentified aerial phenomena-related events that occurred during a period other than that one-year period but were not included in an earlier report.

(C) An analysis of data and intelligence received through each reported unidentified aerial phenomena related event.

(D) An analysis of data relating to unidentified aerial phenomena collected through:

(i) Geospatial intelligence;

(ii) Signals intelligence;

(iii) Human intelligence; and

(iv) Measurement and signature intelligence.

(E) The number of reported unidentified aerial phenomena over restricted air space of the United States during the one-year period.

(F) An analysis of such incidents identified under subparagraph (E).

(G) Identification of potential aerospace or other threats posed by unidentified aerial phenomena to the national security of the United States.

(H) An assessment of any activity regarding unidentified aerial phenomena that can be attributed to one or more adversarial foreign governments.

(I) Identification of any incidents or patterns regarding unidentified aerial phenomena that indicate a potential adversarial foreign government may have achieved a breakthrough aerospace capability.

(J) An update on the coordination by the United States with allies and partners on efforts to track, understand, and address unidentified aerial phenomena.

(K) An update on efforts underway on the ability to capture or exploit discovered unidentified aerial phenomena. UNCLASSIFIED 9 UNCLASSIFIED

(L) An assessment of any health-related effects for individuals that have encountered unidentified aerial phenomena.

(M) The number of reported incidents, and descriptions thereof, of unidentified aerial phenomena with military nuclear assets, including strategic nuclear weapons and nuclearpowered ships and submarines.

(N) In consultation with the Administrator for Nuclear Security, the number of reported incidents, and descriptions thereof, of unidentified aerial phenomena associated with facilities or assets associated with the production, transportation, or storage of nuclear weapons or components thereof.

(O) In consultation with the Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the number of reported incidents, and descriptions thereof, of unidentified aerial phenomena or drones of unknown origin associated with nuclear power generating stations, nuclear fuel storage sites, or other sites or facilities regulated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

(P) The names of the line organizations that have been designated to perform the specific functions under subsections (c) and (d), and the specific functions for which each such line organization has been assigned primary responsibility.

What’s in the Report?

This latest UAP report explains that, “in addition to the 144 UAP reports covered during the 17 years of UAP reporting included in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) preliminary assessment, there have been 247 new reports and another 119 that were either since discovered or reported after the preliminary assessment’s time period.” Looking at these 366 newly-identified reports, the UAP report identifies “more than half as exhibiting unremarkable characteristics,” including 26 characterized as Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) or UAS-like entities, 163 characterized as balloon or balloon-like entities, and 6 attributed to clutter.

Although this latest report is brief and lacking details about specific UFO reports, it emphasizes the point that “UAP continue to represent a hazard to flight safety and pose a possible adversary collection threat.” It also shows progress being made in the government’s efforts to streamline UFO reporting and related data sharing among government agencies. And the ODNI used this report as an opportunity to further highlight the recent establishment of the Department of Defense’s All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), which contributed to the drafting of this report. The report conveys the government’s confidence in AARO’s work, optimistically stating that AARO’s efforts “will increase resolution of UAP events.”

The full unclassified version of the 2022 Annual Report on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena is available on the ODNI website.