WASHINGTON, July 11 — The figure that matters: 291 cases analyzed, 171 still unexplained. That was the bottom line of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office’s 2023 annual report to Congress, the first comprehensive accounting from the Pentagon’s primary unit for investigating Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena. AARO, established in July 2022, is now several years into its mission.
The office collects reports from military personnel, intelligence sensors, and civilian agencies. Data flows in through official channels, including a UAP reporting form on the AARO website.
By the numbers, the office has built a historical record of over 800 cases stretching from 1945 to 2023.
The Process
Reports come from a range of sensor systems. Radar sources include the AN/SPY-1 and AN/APG-79 systems. Electro-optical and infrared sensors feed in data, as does signals intelligence.
AARO analyzes this material using physics-based models, trajectory analysis, and material science. The office’s standard operating procedures mandate a review within 30 days of an initial report.
The office coordinates with the FBI, the FAA, NASA, and the broader intelligence community. That interagency structure is not incidental — it reflects the fact that UAP reports can originate from civilian airspace, military training ranges, or satellite sensors operated by different parts of the government. Investors will note that AARO’s work sits inside the defense intelligence apparatus.
The office is directed by Dr. Sean Kirkpatrick, a physicist and former CIA officer. He reports to the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security.
The Classification System
AARO uses a five-category classification system to sort cases. The categories are: airborne clutter, natural atmospheric phenomena, U.S. government or industry developmental programs, foreign adversary systems, and other — the unexplained category. That final bucket is where the 171 unresolved cases from the 2023 report landed.
The 2024 report added 118 new cases to the workload. The office has not yet released its 2025 report, though the pattern suggests the unexplained portion will remain significant.
By the numbers, the historical record of over 800 cases from 1945 to 2023 gives analysts a long baseline. The declassified documents include AARO’s standard operating procedures, which lay out the review timeline and analytical methods.
What to Watch
The annual report to Congress remains the primary public window into AARO’s work. The office’s classification system means that some cases will inevitably fall into the “other” category — the unexplained bucket that keeps the program in the headlines. The question for investors and defense watchers is whether the proportion of unresolved cases shrinks as analytical methods improve, or whether the unexplained category remains a permanent feature of the reporting.
Dr. Kirkpatrick’s background as a physicist and former CIA officer gives the office a technical orientation. The physics-based models and trajectory analysis are not just bureaucratic procedures — they are the tools that determine whether a report gets classified as airborne clutter or remains unexplained.
The bottom line: AARO has processed hundreds of cases, coordinates with multiple federal agencies, and maintains a historical record spanning nearly 80 years. The 171 unresolved cases from the 2023 report are the number that matters — and the 118 new cases from 2024 suggest the workload is not shrinking.
