Last year, the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence released a report on unidentified flying objects (UFOs), also called Unidentified Air Events (UAPs). The highly anticipated report had a number of interesting parts, including the disclosure of only one of 144 UFO sightings reported by military personnel over the past 17 years, and the fact that the military has confirmed their interest in and investigation of UFOs. The only event that could be explained was a deflated balloon.
All in all, the report was generally disappointing for anyone looking for exciting explanations for UFOs. UFO researchers have been criticized that “the limited amount of high-quality reporting on unidentified weather events hinders the ability to draw firm conclusions about the nature or purpose of the UAP.”
However, at the time these files were published, it was rumored that an additional confidential report was presented to members of Congress, which was not made public. Thanks to the determined pursuit of the UFO website The Black Vault, this confidential report is now available online in PDF.
Concealed files have several tempting perspectives on the types of events they investigate.
A exemplary section reads, “In a limited number of events, the UAP has been reported to exhibit unusual flight characteristics,” which continues: “These observations may be the result of sensor errors, deception, or observer misdetection and may result in additional may require rigorous analysis.”
Another section explains that there are “multiple types” of UAP observations, with different appearances and descriptions.
Files with some parts omitted show that most reports from military personnel have come in the last two years, but not because of an alien invasion, but because a better reporting system has come into play. However, he acknowledges that some are afraid to reveal information about UAPs, and writes that “reputational risk may keep many observers quiet and complicate scientific pursuit of the issue.”
Some UFO appearances were identified, but many contained large amounts of fixes…