The Pentagon has introduced a new ‘one-stop shop’ website for releasing official declassified information about UFOs, which the US government also refers to as Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs).
The website is expected to shed light on the work of the Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) established in 2022 to investigate UAP phenomena.
It will provide photographs and videos of UAP cases, monitoring maps for satellites or balloons launched, and subsequently a facility for members of the public to report their sightings.
Additionally, the Pentagon plans to introduce a tool that will enable current and former US government employees, service members, and contractors to “provide reports via a private and secure means”.
“The website’s other content includes reporting trends and a frequently-asked-questions section as well as links to official reports, transcripts, press releases and other resources that the public may find useful,” Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder told reporters during a press briefing on August 31, 2023.
“The website will serve as a one-stop shop for all publicly available information related to AARO and UAP, and AARO will regularly update the website with its most recent activities and findings as new information is cleared for public release,” he added.
The decision was made in reaction to increased interest in reported UAP sightings and concerns that the US government was not effectively responding to these reports.
When the House Oversight Committee met on July 26, 2023, to hear the testimony from several military veterans about the secretive stance maintained by the US government regarding UAPs, the Pentagon was urged to be more transparent about the phenomena.
As of May 2023, AARO has received about 800 reports of UAPs. While the Pentagon has said most cases have innocuous origins, during the hearing the subcommittee stated that the US military officials know more about the phenomena than it has disclosed to Congress.