US asks UK for help with UFO investigations as Pentagon says alien life has not been ruled out

1 June 2023, 07:42

By EJ Ward

In a remarkable development, the Pentagon has officially reached out to the United Kingdom, urging them to share any information they possess regarding unidentified flying objects (UFOs).

This request comes as the investigations into perplexing sightings gain momentum, with a dedicated task force already fielding a staggering 800 reported encounters.

At a recent gathering of the esteemed Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance, consisting of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, the primary objective was to enhance collaboration in terms of reporting and analyzing these enigmatic aerial apparitions.

Speaking at the gathering, Dr Sean Kirkpatrick, the head of the Pentagon's UFO task force, known by the rather intriguing name of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), shed light on the discussions underway: "We've engaged in discussions with our esteemed partners on matters of data-sharing.

We seek to understand their reporting procedures, the extent of analysis they can offer, the calibration assistance they can provide, and how we can reciprocate these efforts.

We are currently establishing this crucial framework, with the aim of assimilating their information and data into our comprehensive process."

Dr Kirkpatrick revealed that the AARO has witnessed a surge in reported sightings, now standing at a remarkable count of 800, a notable increase from the 650 figure he presented before Congress just last month.

These sightings predominantly featured spherical objects, measuring between one to four meters, frequently observed at altitudes ranging from 10,000 to 30,000 feet.

It is worth noting, however, that Dr Kirkpatrick classified only a small percentage, around 2 to 5 percent, as "anomalous," thus warranting further scrutiny.

Addressing the need for international collaboration, Dr. Kirkpatrick attended the inaugural public meeting of a Nasa panel dedicated to investigating unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs).

He revealed Nasa's intentions to expand scientific and academic partnerships with allied countries, aiming to incorporate them into this burgeoning international endeavour.

During the session, Dr Kirkpatrick showcased a video, previously released, featuring a metallic orb captured in the Middle East last year.

He remarked, "We encounter such sightings across the globe, often demonstrating intriguing and seemingly unconventional manoeuvres."

Comprising 16 experts hailing from fields such as physics and astrobiology, the Nasa panel has been subject to online abuse and harassment, casting a shadow on their crucial work.

Dan Evans, a senior Nasa research official, expressed concerns, stating, "Harassment only perpetuates the stigmatization of the UAP field, significantly impeding scientific progress and discouraging further exploration of this significant subject matter."

Echoing these sentiments, David Spergel, the chairman of the Nasa panel, stressed the importance of collecting more and improved data on UAPs.

He remarked, "To summarize what we've learned thus far, it is imperative that we obtain high-quality data. The current data collection efforts pertaining to UAPs suffer from a lack of systematicity and fragmentation across various agencies, often employing instruments ill-suited for scientific data collection."

The term UFOs, long widely associated with notions of flying saucers and aliens, has been replaced in official government parlance by the abbreviation UAP.

Recent US law revised the UAP acronym, previously confined to "aerial" phenomena, to stand for "unidentified anomalous phenomena," expanding the NASA study team's research scope to include puzzling events in space or at sea.

Moreover, both NASA and defence-intelligence officials have stressed that while the existence of intelligent alien life has not been ruled out, they have found no evidence suggesting an extraterrestrial origin for UFO sightings.

As the Pentagon's pursuit of UFO revelations gains momentum, international collaboration and the acquisition of reliable data emerge as the focal points, with researchers striving to shed light on the mysteries that permeate our skies.