AARO Mission Brief (2025)

— p. 1 — ALL-DOMAIN ANOMALY RESOLUTION OFFICE (AARO) ALL-DOMAIN ANOMALY RESOLUTION OFFICE UNCLASSIFIED The U.S. Defense Department & The UAP Mission Dr. Jon Kosloski Director, AARO Last updated: JUNE 2025 UNCLASSIFIED 25-P-0881 — p. 2 — ALL-DOMAIN ANOMALY RESOLUTION OFFICE (AARO) UNIDENTIFIED ANOMALOUS PHENOMENA Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) are sources of anomalous detections in one or more domains (i.e., airborne, seaborne, spaceborne, and/or transmedium) that are not yet attributable to known actors and that demonstrate behaviors that are not readily understood by sensors or observers. “Anomalous detections” include, but are not limited to, phenomena appearing to demonstrate capabilities or material properties exceeding the known state-of-the-art. UAP may consist of one or more objects and may persist over an extended period. ▪ UAP are primarily attributable to domain-awareness gaps. ▪ UAP may represent advanced capabilities operating in domain- awareness gaps. 2UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED — p. 3 — ALL-DOMAIN ANOMALY RESOLUTION OFFICE (AARO) 3 AARO UAP ATTRIBUTION-PERFORMANCE MATRIX UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED (UNCLASSIFIED) (UNCLASSIFIED) — p. 4 — ALL-DOMAIN ANOMALY RESOLUTION OFFICE (AARO) 4 MISSION, VISION, & FUNCTION Congress established AARO to investigate what hazards or threats UAP might present across service, regional, and domain boundaries. MISSION: Minimize technical and intelligence surprise by synchronizing identification, attribution, and mitigation of UAP in the vicinity of national security areas. VISION: Effectively and efficiently detect, track, analyze, and manage anomalous detections and UAP via normalized and systematized DoD, IC, and civil business practices adhering to the highest scientific and intelligence-tradecraft standards with transparency and shared awareness. UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED AARO DIVISIONS AND ORGANIZATION Director Deputy Director Chief of Staff Analysis Chief Technology Officer Operations Science & Technology Strategic Communications — p. 5 — ALL-DOMAIN ANOMALY RESOLUTION OFFICE (AARO) 5 SUBMITTING A REPORT TO AARO ▪ Military and DoD civilian personnel should report through their command or service per GENADMIN Joint Staff J3 Washington DC 191452ZMAY23 “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Reporting and Material Disposition.” ▪ Civilian pilots are encouraged to promptly report UAP sightings to air traffic control. AARO receives UAP-related Pilot Reports from the Federal Aviation Administration. OTHER REPORTS TO AARO AARO accepts reports of U.S. Government programs or activities related to UAP from current or former U.S. Government employees, service members, or contractor personnel with direct knowledge. These reports will be used to inform AARO’s congressionally directed Historical Record Report. For additional information on reporting, please visit www.aaro.mil/Submit-A-Report/ UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED (U) Example of the Report Form found on AARO’s website. (UNCLASSIFIED) (UNCLASSIFIED) — p. 6 — ALL-DOMAIN ANOMALY RESOLUTION OFFICE (AARO) 6 UAP ANALYTIC TRENDS AARO analyses confirm only a very small percentage of UAP reports display anomalous signatures. Most anomalous detections reported to AARO demonstrate ordinary characteristics of readily-explainable sources. UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED LACK OF DATA HINDERS COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSES SENSOR BIAS INFLUENCES REPORTING INCREASED CIVIL REPORTING MAY SHIFT COLLECTION BIAS AND TRENDS ▪ Many cases in AARO's holdings remain unresolved because of a lack of verifiable data. Cases lacking sufficient data to inform a rigorous analysis cannot be resolved. ▪ High-quality empirical data is necessary for AARO’s adherence to the scientific method and intelligence tradecraft, modeling, simulation, and peer review. ▪ AARO’s reliance on DoD-sourced reports leads to a collection bias near major range and test facilities, special use airspace, and operational areas. ▪ Interagency cooperation and partnerships with civil aviation authorities lessens military- centric collection bias by incorporating reports from commercial pilots. Thus, broadening collection area over a greater geographic area. ▪ AARO received more than 100 reports from the FAA, contributing to analyses of UAP trends over the United States and its territorial waters. ▪ Most civilian reports lack sufficient data to inform a conclusive analysis—i.e., sightings of “lights” without notes on objects’ morphology/characteristics, geospatial location, or anomalous behaviors. — p. 7 — ALL-DOMAIN ANOMALY RESOLUTION OFFICE (AARO) AARO’S CONTRIBUTIONS TO NATIONAL SECURITY ▪ Developing sensors for UAP detection and tracking ▪ Developing protocols for rapid response to anomalies ▪ Advancing scientific understanding of UAP ▪ Synchronizing increased domain awareness in space, skies, and sea ▪ Disseminating guidance on UAP reporting for DoD and intelligence personnel ▪ Resolving UAP reports that impact national security, personnel protection, or counterintelligence missions ▪ Reducing and mitigating technical surprise by adversaries 7UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED — p. 8 — ALL-DOMAIN ANOMALY RESOLUTION OFFICE (AARO) 8 CASE - MIDDLE EAST “ORB” CHARACTERISTICS AND PERFORMANCE ▪ In 2022, an electro-optical sensor aboard an MQ-9 Reaper UAS platform operating in the Middle East recorded a spherical object. ▪ The object’s characteristics and behavior are consistent with other “metallic orb” observations in the region. ▪ The object did not appear to demonstrate anomalous performance characteristics. ▪ The object did not threaten airborne-asset safety. ▪ AARO holds this case in its “Active Archive,” pending discovery of additional data. ▪ AARO uses Active Archive cases to contribute to trend and statistical analyses. (U) Middle East “orb,” unresolved. Poor data quality prevents conclusive attribution. (UNCLASSIFIED) (UNCLASSIFIED) UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED — p. 9 — ALL-DOMAIN ANOMALY RESOLUTION OFFICE (AARO) CASE - WESTERN UNITED STATES CHARACTERISTICS AND PERFORMANCE ▪ During a training mission in the western United States, a P- 3 pilot reported observing three unidentified objects. ▪ The pilot reported that the objects appeared to move at high speeds. ▪ The pilot attempted to intercept the objects but was unable to close with them. ▪ Post event geospatial positioning analysis showed that the objects were significantly farther from the observer than the pilot’s initial estimate. ▪ The object’s apparent changes in morphology are visual artifacts attributable to sensor autofocus. ▪ Air-traffic control data suggest the objects were likely commercial aircraft following assigned flight paths to and from major airports. (U) Western-U.S. objects, likely to have been commercial airliners distorted by visual artifacts caused by video autofocus. (UNCLASSIFIED) (UNCLASSIFIED) 9UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED — p. 10 — ALL-DOMAIN ANOMALY RESOLUTION OFFICE (AARO) CASE - SOUTH ASIA OBJECT CHARACTERISTICS AND SIGNATURE ▪ In 2023, a forward-looking infrared sensor aboard an MQ-9 Reaper recorded an object that appeared to demonstrate anomalous propulsion signatures. ▪ An atmospheric wake appears to trail the object. ▪ The “trail” is visually consistent with cavitation—a phenomenon associated with some modes of propulsion in fluid media. ▪ Cavitation within the atmosphere would indicate an extremely high energy system. ▪ Post event analysis determined that the visible trail is a camera- software artifact. ▪ The video compression algorithm used to save this recording overlaid frames on top of one another. ▪ These compression artifacts caused the software to attempt to resolve differences in the gray, infrared gradient. ▪ This attempt to compensate introduced visual artifacts that seem to form a trail. ▪ Analyses of the object’s morphology and air traffic control data suggest the object is a commercial aircraft following a known flight path. (U) South Asia object observed with an apparent atmospheric wake, attributable to video compression artifacts. The object was likely a commercial airliner. (UNCLASSIFIED) (UNCLASSIFIED) 10UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED — p. 11 — ALL-DOMAIN ANOMALY RESOLUTION OFFICE (AARO) CASE – “GO FAST” CHARACTERISTICS AND PERFORMANCE ▪ Event: In January 2015, U.S. Navy aircraft recorded an object appearing to travel at high speeds close to the ocean’s surface off Florida’s east coast. ▪ Findings: Following in-depth computational analysis of Navy aircraft’s flight characteristics and sensor readings, AARO, in coordination with S&T partners, assesses with high confidence the object did not demonstrate anomalous speeds or flight characteristics. ▪ Analytic Factors: AARO assesses with high confidence that the object’s altitude was approximately 13,000 feet above sea level and its speed was approximately between 5 and 92 miles per hour. ▪ Contemporaneous weather data for the area at the time of event record winds at approximately 69 miles per hour at 13,000 feet. ▪ The object maintained relatively straight flight path during the observation, consistent with an object drifting with the wind. The object slowly rose and fell slightly during the recording. ▪ High confidence analysis of the UAP’s exact position was not possible given a lack of precise positional data from the observing Navy aircraft. (U) The Department of Defense released the Go Fast video 2017. This image is a screen shot of the video available at www.aaro.mil. The object is circled for visual emphasis. (UNCLASSIFIED) (UNCLASSFIED ) 11UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED — p. 12 — ALL-DOMAIN ANOMALY RESOLUTION OFFICE (AARO) CASE – MT. ETNA OBJECT (UNCLASSIFIED) (UNCLASSIFIED) 12UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED CHARACTERISTICS AND PERFORMANCE ▪ Event: In 2018, a U.S. UAS platform flying over the Mediterranean Sea observed an eruption of Italy’s Mt. Etna. The UAS recorded infrared video of an object that seemed to transit the volcano's plume with no impact to its performance, altitude, or bearing. ▪ Findings: AARO and its IC and S&T partners assess with moderate confidence that the object was a balloon. AARO and its partners assess with high confidence that the object drifted with the wind approximately 170 kilometers from the volcano and did not demonstrate anomalous performance characteristics. ▪ Analytic Factors: AARO’s assessment is informed by full-motion video analysis, 3D modeling, pixel examination, and novel speed and distance calculation techniques. ▪ AARO estimated the distance between the UAS and the object by incorporating historical weather data, including wind speed and cloud deck movement. ▪ AARO and its partners found that the object did not transit the ash plume by comparing the luminosity of the object’s pixels to those around it. ▪ AARO used 3D modeling and wind calculations to predict the object’s location during frames where it was visually undetectable. ▪ Digital postprocessing tools revealed the object to be where AARO’s modeling suggested it would be, further validating the findings. (U) A screen shot from the “Mt. Etna Object” video available on www.aaro.mil. The object is circled for visual emphasis. — p. 13 — ALL-DOMAIN ANOMALY RESOLUTION OFFICE (AARO) ALL-DOMAIN ANOMALY RESOLUTION OFFICE UNCLASSIFIED Dr. Jon Kosloski Director, AARO UNCLASSIFIED