World
Bhuvan Krishna
Nov 14, 2023, 12:27 PM | Updated 12:27 PM IST
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The Director of the Pentagon's unidentified flying object (UFO) investigation division, Sean Kirkpatrick, will be retiring in December after serving for 27 years in the Department of Defense and the United States Intelligence Community.
As the head of the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), Kirkpatrick has led the department for 18 months.
He believes that the sightings of unidentified flying objects in the US skies could be attributed to either extraterrestrial beings or advanced technology from rival nations.
Kirkpatrick informed Politico that he is prepared to move forward, having successfully achieved all of his stated goals.
He expressed his desire to complete the first volume of historical analysis on the topic of unidentified anomalous phenomena before departing from his position.
During his time as director, Kirkpatrick conducted a study on over 800 UFO sightings and issued a warning about their presence.
While concrete evidence of aliens has not been found, he expressed concern about the possibility of other individuals engaging in activities within our own territory.
He stated that if the presence of UFOs cannot be attributed to extraterrestrial beings, it implies the involvement of unknown parties in our vicinity, which he deemed as unfavorable.
Just a week after Kirkpatrick's statement about AARO's plan to establish a reporting mechanism, an announcement has been made.
This announcement reveals that the mechanism will be available for current and former US federal employees and contractors who have witnessed US government-related actions involving unidentified anomalous phenomena.
The system was set up shortly after David Grusch, a former US intelligence official, testified before Congress about the Pentagon's recovery of wrecked vehicles of unknown origin that contained "non-human biologics."
Despite numerous requests for additional evidence to support these claims, Kirkpatrick has not received any response from Grusch. The Pentagon has maintained that it is not aware of any efforts to reverse engineer, recover crafts, or discover "non-human biologics."
The leadership of Kirkpatrick has been praised by the Department of Defence for his role in creating the organisation's first publicly accessible website, which has increased transparency for the AARO.
The department acknowledged his dedication to transparency with the United States Congress and the American public regarding unidentified aerial phenomena, and states that this commitment will continue to be upheld as the AARO carries out its mission.
The statement also expresses gratitude for Kirkpatrick's distinguished service to the country, noting that it has strengthened the department and better prepared it for future scientific and national security challenges.
According to a statement from the Defence Department, Tim Phillips will assume the role of deputy director of AARO until a permanent replacement is appointed by the Pentagon.
Bhuvan Krishna is Staff Writer at Swarajya.