2024 DGI Mission Brief

UNCLASSIFIED ALL-DOMAIN ANOMALY RESOLUTION OFFICE (AARO) ALL-DOMAIN ANOMALY RESOLUTION OFFICE The U.S. Defense Department & The UAP Mission UNCLASSIFIED Last updated: February 2024 03 All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office Chief of Staff, AARO Authority: FY24 NDAA, now codified at 44 U.S.C. 2107 Date: 2/5/2025 Released in Full: X Case Number: 330UAP000003 Page determined to be Unclassified Reviewed by Chief of Staff, AARO IAW FY24 NDAA, Section 1841(a)(1)(C) Date: 2/5/2025 UNCLASSIFIED 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 that demonstrate apparent capabilities or material that exceed known performance envelopes. A UAP may consist of one or more unidentified anomalous objects and may persist over an extended period of time.  UAP ≠unattributed balloon activity; key emphases on “anomalous” factors Existence of UAP is direct consequence of domain- awareness gaps UAP potentially represent advanced capabilities operating in our domain-aw areness gaps 2UNCLASSIFIED 03 Page determined to be Unclassified Reviewed by Chief of Staff, AARO IAW FY24 NDAA, Section 1841(a)(1)(C) Date: 2/5 /2025 UNCLASSIFIED ALL-DOMAIN ANOMALY RESOLUTION OFFICE (AARO) 3UNCLASSIFIED MISSION, VISION, & FUNCTION MISSION: Minimize technical and intelligence surprise by synchronizing scientific, intelligence and operational detection, identification, attribution, and mitigation of unidentified, anomalous objects in the vicinity of national security areas. VISION: Unidentified, anomalous objects are effectively and efficiently detected, tracked, analyzed, and managed by way of normalized DoD, IC, and civil business practices; by adherence to the highest scientific and intelligence-tradecraft standards; and with greater transparency and shared awareness. (U) OPERATIONSSCIENCE & TECHNOLOGYANALYSISSTRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS Synchronizing and sequencing Theater, IC, and other capabilities for optimized, cross-functional UAP detection, tracking, mitigation, and recovery. Revealing and exploiting elusive and enigmatic signatures through advanced technologies, and focused, cross-sector partnerships. Delivering peer-reviewed conclusions through deliberate syntheses of scientific and intelligence method, tradecraft, tools, and expertise. Driving shared awareness across mission partners, oversight authorities, and stakeholders; normalizing cross-sector partnerships and building trust with transparency. (U) (U) 03 Page determined to be Unclassified Reviewed by Chief of Staff, AARO IAW FY24 NDAA, Section 1841 (a)(1)(C) Date: 2/5/2025 UNCLASSIFIED ALL-DOMAIN ANOMALY RESOLUTION OFFICE (AARO) 4UNCLASSIFIED AARO INTEGRATED OPERATIONS KEY AARO OPERATIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS Developed operational framework, strategy, and guidance for the department. Designed operational prioritization schema. Developed process for authorized disclosure of UAP and UAP-related programs. Created means for intra-government UAP reporting. Participated in UAP operations, detecting anomalies in the vicinity of special-use airspace. Securely interviewed individuals regarding potential UAP and UAP- related programs. Ingested and curated UAP data from military, IC, and civil sources. (U) INTEGRATED OPERATIONS STRATEGY Leads Integrated-Operations Strategy development-tailoring platform and sensor tasking and optimizing cross-functional tipping and cueing between Theater and IC assets. Guides development of integrated-operations plans; standardized reporting requirements; interoperable tactics, techniques, and procedures; and operational prioritization of platforms and sensors. HISTORICAL UAP-DATA ACQUISITION Organically garners primary research data for scientific and intelligence analyst consumption through voluntary interviews with those who claim placement and access to UAP and UAP-related information. This is accomplished through the collection of historical government and open-source data and through other activities. UAP DETECTING & TRACKING Advises Theater, Defense, and national UAP operations—optimizing platform and sensor tasking across functions and in real-time, during Area of Responsibility (AOR) baselining and as anomalies are detected, observed. Manages the secure retention of UAP data from operational platforms and its transfer to AARO. UAP MITIGATION Partners with Joint Staff and counterintelligence elements in the development of UAP mitigation strategies including—but not limited to─UAP incursions and engagement. Advises Commands on AOR-specific UAP mitigation planning on tactics, techniques, and procedures; and on relevant legal, policy, oversight, and compliance requirements. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS MGT Guides codification of analytic information needs as reporting requirements by scientific and intelligence analysts. Military operational elements, IC mission managers, and IC functional managers identify capabilities, capacities, and constraints available for reporting against scientific and intelligence analytic needs. UAP OBJECT RECOVERY Leads UAP recovery planning and execution in close collaboration with AARO S&T group. Advises Commands on the secure and safe handling, storage, transport, and transfer of UAP objects and material for AARO S&T exploitation. (U) 03 Page determined to be Unclassified Reviewed by Chief of Staff, AARO IAW FY24 NDAA, Section 1841 (a)(1)(C) Date: 2/5/2025 UNCLASSIFIED ALL-DOMAIN ANOMALY RESOLUTION OFFICE (AARO) 5 AARO SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Revealing and exploiting elusive and enigmatic signatures through advanced sensing technologies and focused, cross-sector partnerships. KEY AARO S&T ACHIEVEMENTS Established community of interest with key government, academic, and industry partners. Guided design and deployment of sensors engineered for detecting, tracking, and identifying phenomena. Applied scientific analyses to emerging and existing UAP reporting, introduced scientific method, and helped resolve complex cases. Identified and integrated sensors for baselining detection capabilities, including UAP objects’ range, size, shape, characteristics, and composition, relative to UAP reports on file. Measured RCS and IR data and identified synthetic models for common objects, which will be used for simulation, verification, and training. Delivered material for characterization, forensic identification, and molecular- history information. Developed taxonomy and characteristics of man-made and naturally occurring objects to baseline known performance bounds. CAPABILITIES AND DEVELOPMENT Leads defense, intelligence, academic, and industry identification of existing and emerging technology capable of detecting, identifying, attributing, mitigating, and exploiting UAP. Identifies and guides research & development investments from across sectors to close sensing gaps. Recommends capability integration into integrated UAP Mission strategies. In close collaboration with AARO Operations and research partners (e.g., national laboratories), integrates emergent technical capabilities into “real-world" operations and guides their application against UAP; comparatively analyzes newly-exposed signatures, characteristics, and behaviors with known phenomena, in support of AARO Analysis Team assessments. INTEGRATED SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY Leads S&T Strategy and identification of current and emerging capabilities for integration, revealing elusive signatures, advanced technological-exploitation tools and methods, and non-traditional partnership opportunities to arm the UAP Mission against emerging threats. In partnership with the scientific community analyzes U.S. and foreign sensor data phenomenology, assesses applied and theoretical signatures. Leads development of theorems for defining characteristics of known and anomalous phenomena and guides operational and analytic tradecraft development. CAPABILITY GAP ID Leads DoD operational, analytic, and investigative components, and collaborates with IC mission managers, and IC functional managers to identify capability and capacity shortfalls as they pertain to UAP detection, identification, attribution, and mitigation. Determine sensor hardware and software gaps to be codified as capability requirement. UAP SIGNATURE ID Directs exploitation of sensor data containing UAP and enigmatic technologies, if discovered, by leveraging cross-sector partnerships and the latest developments in science and engineering. Leads structured recording, analysis, and dissemination of signature and material analyses for data consistency across operat ional, analytic, and research partnerships. (U) (U) UNCLASSIFIED 03 Page determined to be Unclassified Reviewed by Chief of Staff, AARO IAW FY24 NDAA, Section 1841 (a)(1)(C) Date: 2/5/2025 UNCLASSIFIED ALL-DOMAIN ANOMALY RESOLUTION OFFICE (AARO) 6 AARO STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS Driving shared awareness across mission partners, oversight authorities, and stakeholders—normalizing cross-sector partnerships and building trust with transparency. KEY AARO STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS ACHIEVEMENTS Bolstered intra-government collaboration and coordinated messaging on UAP. Launched the aaro.mil website to inform and engage the public about UAP and AARO’s work. Familiarized foreign partners with AARO’s mission. Promoted transparency through increased engagement with Congress, the media, and other external stakeholders. Released new declassified imagery and resolutions of select UAP cases. UNCLASSIFIED (U) (U) STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS AMERICAN-PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT Implements the Department's commitment to transparency and openness on UAP matters. Identifies opportunities to counter misconceptions and promote understanding of the Department's UAP mission. OVERSIGHT ENGAGEMENT Tracks AARO’s legislative requirements and ensures timely, accurate reporting to Congress, and regular communication with oversight committees. INTEGRATED COMMUNICATIONS Ensures unity of message and awareness of the Department’s UAP mission across defense, civil, private, and foreign sectors. Ensures interagency coordination on UAP messaging. UAP MISSION STRATEGIC ENGAGEMENT Coordinates across the entire UAP mission to identify opportunities for outreach, engaging key stakeholders across the analytic, scientific, and operational communities. 03 Page determined to be Unclassified Reviewed by Chief of Staff, AARO IAW FY24 NDAA, Section 1841 (a)(1)(C) Date: 2/5/2025 UNCLASSIFIED ALL-DOMAIN ANOMALY RESOLUTION OFFICE (AARO) 7UNCLASSIFIED AARO INTEGRATED ANALYSIS KEY AARO ANALYTIC ACHIEVEMENTS Developed Analytic framework. Designed analytic prioritization schema. Applied new analytic framework to emerging and existing UAP reporting, introduced rigorous intelligence tradecraft, reconciled intelligence and scientific conclusions, and resolved complex cases. Familiarized intelligence consumers with AARO’s mission, its relevance to the components, and its information requirements. INTEGRATED ANALYTIC STRATEGY Leads an integrated DoD, IC, and S&T community process that employs rigorous tradecraft, sophisticated scientific methods, and an expert peer review to resolve cases with the highest confidence levels possible. (U) (U) 3.ANALYTIC PEER-REVIEW Prepare the AARO Analytic Assessment Case Package which includes original reports, sensor data, IC and S&T findings and analytic assessments. As necessary, convene both teams to discuss significant analytic difference. Package will be rev iewed by members of the Strategic Technical Advisory Group for rigor, tradecraft, gaps, assumptions and argumentation. 4.DIRECTOR’S REVIEW The Director will review all elements of the Analytic Assessment Case Package and the peer review findings to either approve the Assessment’s determination or disapprove it and send back to the IC and S&T Teams for additional analysis. 5.PUBLICATION AND FEEDBACK Publishes and distributes final, peer-reviewed AARO Analytic Assessment in a manner discoverable by DoD, IC, policy makers, and other stakeholders. Prov ides conclusions and feedback to UAP reporting sources (i.e., UAP observers). 1. PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS Compare reported location, characteristics, performance, and signature data to open source and classified catalogues of known foreign capabilities and R&D programs; deconflict with sensitive U.S. programs and activities; triage, categorize, and store for further analysis. 2.1 SCIENTIFIC ANALYSIS Public, private, and industry laboratory partners leverage scientific and engineering methods and cutting-edge computing technologies to publish peer-reviewed, forensic, repeatable research on anomalous UAP signatures and material. 2.2 INTELLIGENCE ANALYSIS Mission partners' defense, intelligence, and counterintelligence analysts employ intelligence tradecraft against all-source data to produce rigorous analyses of UAP implications to U.S. National Security. 03 Page determined to be Unclassified Reviewed by Chief of Staff, AARO IAW FY24 NDAA, Section 1841 (a)(1)(C) Date: 2/5/2025 UNCLASSIFIED ALL-DOMAIN ANOMALY RESOLUTION OFFICE (AARO) 8 UAP ANALYTIC TRENDS AARO analyses confirm only a very small percentage of UAP reports display anomalous signatures. The majority of unidentified objects reported to AARO demonstrate ordinary characteristics of readily-explainable sources. DATA PAUCITY CONTINUES TO CHALLENGE ANALYSES Large number of cases in AARO's holdings r emain technically unresolved because of a lack of verifiable data. Quality, empirical data is necessary for AARO’s adherence to the scientific method and intelligence tradecraft, modeling, simulation, and peer review. TRENDS CORRELATE TO LOCATION OF REPORTING COMMUNITIES AND SOURCES Reports to AARO are primarily, from DoD sources, which leads to a collection bias around major range and test facility bases, special use airspace and operational areas. Military-centric collection bias lessened by commercial-pilot reporting, demonstrating greater geographic distribution of UAP across the United States. INCREASED CIVIL REPORTING SHIFTING COLLECTION BIAS, MORPHOLOGY TRENDS AARO received over 100 reports from FAA, contributing to analyses of UAP trends over the United States and adjacent waters. Most reports had insufficient data for conclusive analyses—sightings of “lights” without notes on objects’ morphology/characteristics, geospatial location, or anomalous behaviors. UNCLASSIFIED 03 Page determined to be Unclassified Reviewed by Chief of Staff, AARO IAW FY24 NDAA, Section 1841 (a)(1)(C) Date: 2/5/2025 UNCLASSIFIED ALL-DOMAIN ANOMALY RESOLUTION OFFICE (AARO) 9 CASE -MIDDLE EAST, 2022: MQ-9 OBSERVED APPARENT SPHERICAL UAP VIA ELECTRO-OPTICAL SENSORS CHARACTERISTICS AND PERFORMANCE UAP characteristics and behavior were consistent with other “metallic orb” observations in the region. No demonstration of enigmatic technical capabilities were observed and no apparent threat to airborne-asset safety. Case in “active archive,” pending discovery of additional data. AARO uses active-archive cases for trend and statistical analyses. (U) Middle East UAP, unresolved. (U) (U) UNCLASSIFIED 03 Page determined to be Unclassified Reviewed by Chief of Staff, AARO IAW FY24 NDAA, Section 1841 (a)(1)(C) Date: 2/5/2025 UNCLASSIFIED ALL-DOMAIN ANOMALY RESOLUTION OFFICE (AARO) CASE -WESTERN UNITED STATES: P-3 ON TRAINING MISSION OBSERVED SEVERAL EQUIDISTANT UAP THAT IT WAS UNABLE TO INTERCEPT CHARACTERISTICS AND PERFORMANCE Three UAP objects observed, apparently flying at high velocity. Observing craft pursued but was unable to intercept. Analyses of object geospatial positioning conclude the objects were significantly farther from the observer than originally estimated. Apparent morphology changes result of sensor autofocus. Analyses of air-traffic contr ol data suggest objects likely commercial aircrafttransiting known flight paths to/from major airports in the region. (U) Western-US UAP, likely commercial airliners and video autofocus effect. (U) (U) 10UNCLASSIFIED 03 Page determined to be Unclassified Reviewed by Chief of Staff, AARO IAW FY24 NDAA, Section 1841 (a)(1)(C) Date: 2/5/2025 UNCLASSIFIED ALL-DOMAIN ANOMALY RESOLUTION OFFICE (AARO) CASE -SOUTH ASIA, 2023: MQ-9 OBSERVED UAP OBJECT APPARENTLY TAILED BY POTENTIALLY-ANOMALOUS ATMOSPHERIC WAKE CHARACTERISTICS AND SIGNATURE Phenomenon was observed in other forward-looking infrared, full-motion video by same platform. The “trail” appears to be cavitation—similar to those caused during propulsion. Vi sible trail is a camera-software artifact. Video-compression algorithms overlay captured image on previous frame and resolve diff erences in the gray, infrared gradient. Analyses of the morphology and traffic-control data s uggest the object is commercial aircraft transiting known flight paths. (U) South Asia UAP observed with apparent wake, likely resolved as commercial airliner and video-compression artifact, respectively. (U) (U) 11UNCLASSIFIED 03 Page determined to be Unclassified Reviewed by Chief of Staff, AARO IAW FY24 NDAA, Section 1841 (a)(1)(C) Date: 2/5/2025 UNCLASSIFIED ALL-DOMAIN ANOMALY RESOLUTION OFFICE (AARO) ALL-DOMAIN ANOMALY RESOLUTION OFFICE UNCLASSIFIED 03 Page determined to be Unclassified Reviewed by Chief of Staff, AARO IAW FY24 NDAA, Section 1841 (a)(1)(C) Date: 2/5/2025