Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), chair of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities, holds a hearing Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, in Washington to receive testimony on the activities of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) and to hear from its new director, Dr. Jon T. Kosloski. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon office investigating UFO sightings attributes most reports of unusual aerial phenomena to birds, balloons or drones but acknowledges some cases are unexplainable — at least for now.

The All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office is continuing to analyze several unusual sightings in hopes of eventually resolving them amid a heightened public interest in aliens, the director of the office, Jon Kosloski, told a Senate Armed Service Committee subpanel on Tuesday.

“To be clear, AARO does not believe every object is a bird, a balloon or an [unmanned aerial vehicle], we do have some very anomalous objects,” he said. “So we’re now working on additional products where we can inform the public, Congress and others of the objects as we’re studying them.”

One case meriting further investigation involves a sighting by a law enforcement officer in the western United States, who observed a large orange orb floating several hundred feet above ground. 

When the officer drove up to it, he saw a “blacker than black” object the size of a car that then silently shot up in the air “10 to 100 times faster than any drone he’s ever seen before,” according to Kosloski. As it flew away, the object illuminated the officer’s car in bright red and blue lights.

“That’s anomalous because of the size of the vehicle with the great acceleration,” Kosloski said. “When he came back to investigate that area, he found no disturbance of the ground beneath it.”

Another unresolved case happened outside a U.S. government facility. Contractors leaving the site said they saw a lit-up object the size of an airplane float stationary in the sky for 15 or 20 seconds before disappearing.

“Obviously, an object that large, stationary — unless it’s a blimp — is unusual,” said Kosloski. “But then disappearing — we can’t explain how that would happen.”

Still, the vast majority of reports of UFOs, called unidentified anomalous phenomena by the government, can be easily explained, he said. They are most commonly balloons, followed by drones, birds and satellites.

“It is important to underscore that to date, AARO has not discovered any verifiable evidence of extraterrestrial beings, activity or technology,” Kosloski said.

Dr. Jon T. Kosloski, director of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) testifies Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, at the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities in Washington. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)

Mega satellite constellations such as the telecommunications provider Starlink are responsible for a growing number of sightings, especially as the satellites reflect the sun just after sunset or before sunrise, he said.

Most reported UFOs are lights or shaped like orbs but the most “interesting” cases are shaped like triangles or cylinders, he said. Most reports occur at a height of 15,000 to 25,000 feet, which “happens to be where most of our sensors are,” he said.

AARO has received 1,652 reports of unidentified objects or phenomena since the office was established in 2022. Of the 757 new incidents submitted between May 2023 and June 2024, the office was unable to explain 21, according to a report released last week.

The unresolved incidents occurred near national security sites and were either recorded on video, caught on sensors or witnessed by multiple people.

Potential risks to national defense prompted the Senate Armed Services Committee’s subpanel on emerging threats and capabilities to call the hearing on Tuesday.

“Are these phenomena tied to foreign adversaries such as China or Russia leveraging advanced technologies beyond our current capabilities?” said Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa. “Or do they represent unknown scientific phenomena that challenge our current understanding? We must answer these critical questions to ensure that our national security is not compromised.”

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., said she was particularly disturbed by a mysterious fleet of drones that swarmed Langley Air Force Base in Virginia for 17 days last year.

Lawmakers in recent years have sought to lift the veil of secrecy that has traditionally enveloped government investigations of UFOs. The House Oversight and Accountability Committee has provided a platform for whistleblowers to share their experiences and last week renewed its call for greater government transparency.

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), chair of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities, holds a hearing Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, to receive testimony on the activities of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) and to hear from its new director, Dr. Jon T. Kosloski in Washington. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)

“The American people have legitimate questions and I believe it’s critical that Congress should help address them,” said Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the top Democrat on the committee’s national security panel.

Gillibrand on Tuesday said she wanted to see the Pentagon reduce the stigma often associated with reporting sightings of UFOs. Many reports are made by military personnel, especially pilots.

“Our service members, scientists, foreign partners and the general public need to know that their reporting, research and analysis will be taken seriously and acted on in good faith,” she said.