UFOs, or unidentified aerial phenomena, have been a source of fascination for decades – well before the X Files and Twilight Zone brought them into mainstream media. Now, government officials are saying that many “sightings” can be explained by airborne “clutter,” weather balloons, and even covert surveillance operations by other countries, a new report has detailed.
Most of the information is classified, but Congress has been briefed about some of the phenomena involving foreign surveillance, when necessary. According to a Department of Defense spokesperson, Sue Gough, the Pentagon has to balance openness with “its obligation to protect sensitive information, sources and methods.”
Citing various officials linked to the Pentagon, the New York Times reported that intelligence agencies are going to deliver a classified document to Congress by Monday that updates a public report - made last year - that claims though some of the incidents were attributed to surveillance by the Chinese government, the majority of incidents remain unexplained.
The document examined 144 sightings reported by government personnel over a 17 year period and were investigated by the Pentagon and intelligence agencies.
“In many cases, observed phenomena are classified as ‘unidentified’ simply because sensors were not able to collect enough information to make a positive attribution,” Gough said, referring to information-collecting devices. “We are working to mitigate these shortfalls for the future and to ensure we have sufficient data for our analysis.”
Of the cases that have been resolved, it appears as though most of them can be attributed to “space junk” or surveillance activity, according to the Times, which also said that incidents recorded in the last year have turned out to have benign explanations that appear to be alien-like due to optical illusions, which can confuse the earthbound eye, making objects appear to be moving faster than they really are.
One of the incidents, caught on video, appears to show an object moving impossibly fast – but military analysis proved the object’s proximity to the water combined with the viewing angle was to blame for its perceived speed, which was actually only around 30 miles an hour. Similar sightings, with objects moving erratically or seemingly spinning around, have been debunked as weapon-targeting sensors.
It does seem, though, that for every explanation the Pentagon throws at the public, there are more incidents that have no explanation at all, leaving open the possibility for more conspiracy theories – which, historically, have been a boon to the US government when they’ve wished to conceal military secrets.
As the deputy director of naval intelligence said at a May hearing: “We do not want potential adversaries to know exactly what we’re able to see or understand, or how we come to the conclusion,” Scott Bray said. “Therefore, disclosures must be carefully considered on a case-by-case basis.”