AARO Historical Record Report Volume 1

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• After AAWSAP/AATIP was terminated, its supporters unsuccessfully attempted to
convince DHS to support a new version of this effort dubbed KONA BLUE.
Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force (UAPTF) (August 2020-November 2021)
Background: Deputy Secretary of Defense David L. Norquist approved the
establishment of the UAPTF in August 2020. Under the cognizance of the Office of the Under
Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security (USD(I&S)), the Department of the Navy was
asked to lead the task force. It was established to improve understanding of, and gain insight
into, the nature and origins of UAP. The task force’s mission was to detect, analyze, and catalog
UAP that could potentially pose a threat to U.S. national security.69
Results: The UAPTF helped standardize, destigmatize, and increase the volume of UAP
reporting. Its work also helped calibrate sensors to improve the quality of data collected. Its
methods and processes directly led to the identification of the People’s Republic of China’s
(PRC) high altitude balloons that traversed over the continental United States.70
Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (June 2021)
Background: Senate Report 116-233, accompanying the Intelligence Authorization Act
for Fiscal Year 2021, directed the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) in
consultation with the Secretary of Defense to submit an intelligence assessment of the threat
posed by UAP and to report on the progress the UAPTF had made in understanding this threat.
Results: The preliminary assessment concluded that: (1) the limited amount of high-
quality reporting on UAP hampers the ability to draw firm conclusions about their nature or
intent; (2) in a limited number of incidents, UAP reportedly appeared to exhibit unusual flight
characteristics; although those observations could be the result of sensor errors, spoofing, or
observer misperception and require additional rigorous analysis; (3) there are probably multiple
types of UAP requiring different explanations based on the range of appearances and behaviors
described in the available reporting; (4) UAP may pose airspace safety issues and a challenge to
U.S. national security; and (5) consistent consolidation of reports from across the USG,
standardized reporting, increased collection and analysis, and a streamlined process for screening
all such reports against a broad range of relevant government data will allow for a more
sophisticated analysis of UAP.71
Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronization Group (AOIMSG) /
Airborne Object Identification and Management Executive Management Committee
(AOIMEXEC) (November 2021-June 2022)
Background: The Deputy Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Director of
National Intelligence (DNI), directed USD(I&S) to establish AOIMSG to succeed the USN’s
UAPTF.72
Results: The organization helped initiate synchronization of efforts across the
Department and the broader USG to detect, identify, and attribute objects of interests in “Special
Use Airspace,” as well as to assess and mitigate any associated threats to safety of flight and