According to an official, US federal employees are “strongly encouraged” to report information about possibly unexplained incidents.
For US federal employees living or deceased who could have “direct knowledge” of government actions pertaining to unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP), the official designation for objects once classified as UFOs, the Pentagon has developed an online reporting facility.
The top federal organisation tasked with looking into UAP as part of the US Congress’ 2021 defence policy bill, the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), stated that it would incorporate any data it obtained into a report on the phenomenon.
Submissions from former or current federal employees “with direct knowledge of US government programmes or activities related to UAP dating back to 1945” are requested on the website, which went live on Tuesday. Furthermore, it states that the tool is “not intended for conveying classified or potentially sensitive information.” Officials say that a website where the public can submit information will be made available soon.
The launch coincides with what seems to be a reinvigorated effort from US agencies to look into the potential of extraterrestrial life. Last month, veteran Pentagon official Mark McInerney was appointed as NASA’s first-ever director of UAP research.
Dr. Sean Kirkpatrick, head of AARO, said to reporters on Tuesday that he “strongly encourages” government workers “to please come forward who believe they have firsthand knowledge of a US government UAP programme or activity.”
Since the alleged 1947 crash of an alien spacecraft near Roswell, New Mexico, there have been decades-long rumours that the US government is aware of extraterrestrial life. Additionally, the US has been accused of harbouring extraterrestrial technology, especially at its Nevada-based Area 51 military station.
Kilpatrick did note that anyone expecting science fiction to become science fact would probably be let down. He declared, “As of right now, I have no proof that any programme ever existed to do any kind of reverse engineering, of any kind of extraterrestrial UAP programme.”
However, Kilpatrick stated that AARO plans to make public a collection of soon-to-be declassified material that consists of “not just operational videos, but historical documents.”
