"In our research, AARO has found no credible evidence thus far of extraterrestrial activity, off-world technology or objects that defy the known laws of physics," Kirkpatrick said during a US Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on AARO’s activities.
The US Defense Department announced AARO’s establishment in July 2022, tasking it with investigating UAP reports.
The majority of the hundreds of cases presented to AARO show no anomalous characteristics, Kirkpatrick said. However, there remain cases for which there is no conclusive explanation, Kirkpatrick said.
The majority of UAP are described as a round orb or sphere, according to AARO data shared by Kirkpatrick. UAP tend to have no detectable thermal exhaust propelling them and typically occur at an altitude of between 10,000 and 30,000 feet.
"Part of what we have to do as we go through these [incidents], especially the ones that show signatures of advanced technical capabilities, is determine if there is a foreign nexus," Kirkpatrick said. "I am concerned about what that nexus is, and I have indicators that some are related to foreign capabilities."
UAP hotspots around the world include the eastern and western coasts of the United States, the Middle East and East Asia, according to AARO data.
The US’ probe into UAP involved collaboration and information exchange with countries around the world, Mobilization Assistant to the Space Force Chief of Space Operations, Maj. Gen. John Olson, said last week.
AARO seeks to turn UAP into "SEP," somebody else’s problem, by clarifying the incidents and handing off cases to other agencies, Kirkpatrick said.
In a Fox News interview broadcast on Tuesday, billionaire entrepreneur and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said if anyone would know about aliens it would probably be him, and he has not seen "any evidence" of aliens.