The Department of Defense (DoD) and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) just released a detailed report on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) as mandated by the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2022. The report offers an in-depth look into UAP cases that span from 31 August 2022 to 30 April 2023, with additional inclusions of reports from earlier periods between 2019-2022 that were previously unmentioned. During the stated period, the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) registered a total of 291 UAP reports. Out of these, 274 were from the aforementioned period, while 17 were…
Author: John Greenewald
The following is NASA press release 23-115, and is archived here for reference: Initial studies of the 4.5-billion-year-old asteroid Bennu sample collected in space and brought to Earth by NASA show evidence of high-carbon content and water, which together could indicate the building blocks of life on Earth may be found in the rock. NASA made the news Wednesday from its Johnson Space Center in Houston where leadership and scientists showed off the asteroid material for the first time since it landed in September. This finding was part of a preliminary assessment of NASA’s OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification and Security…
The Department of Defense (DoD) upheld (b)(7)(A) and (b)(7)(E) exemptions in response to six FOIA appeals filed by The Black Vault challenging the classification of UAP information under law enforcement exemptions. During the appellate review, the DoD introduced additional exemptions not previously cited, including those covering classified information on intelligence activities and matters exempted from release by statute. Despite multiple attempts to obtain a comment from a DoD spokesperson regarding these developments, no response has been received after months of attempts, continuing the trend of governmental secrecy surrounding UAP phenomena. The introduction of new exemptions presents heightened challenges for The…
Today, The Black Vault received via the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signed between the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security (OUSD(I&S)) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). This agreement, signed in May of 2023, outlines the role of Mark McInerney as the “Liaison Officer Assignment” for the Department of Defense’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO). Document Archive Just Released Memorandum of Agreement Sheds Light on NASA’s Liaison Role in DoD’s UFO Office AARO [7 Pages, 1.2MB]
On September 28, 2023, a packet of information was sent from United States Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), addressed to the Richard L. Revesz, Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget. The letter outlines an urgent request, in alignment with OMB procedures, for processing a proposed information collection initiative titled “AARO Contact Form for Authorized Reporting” under an emergency clearance in accord with 5 C.F.R. § 1320.13, “Emergency Processing.” The All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) is at the centerpiece of this initiative, earmarked as the conduit…