AARO Annual Reports: What They Measure
Since its inception in August 2022, the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) has published annual reports that document UAP reports received from U.S. military branches. These reports are the primary official source of quantitative data on PSUs.
The increase between reports does not mean a multiplication of phenomena. It primarily reflects improvements in internal reporting channels since 2022, when DoD made UAP reporting mandatory and non-stigmatizing for service members.
What AARO Reports Establish
✓ Recurring conclusions from annual reports
- The majority of reported incidents receive a conventional explanation: balloons (including meteorological and military), civil or military drones, orbital debris in atmospheric re-entry, atmospheric phenomena.
- A significant subset — between 10 and 20% — remains without a satisfactory explanation after analysis, mainly due to lack of sufficient sensor data.
- The reports come from trained military personnel — pilots, radar operators, intelligence officers.
What the reports don't resolve
The AARO does not conclude on the origin of the unresolved cases. Its mission is not to speculate but to analyze the available data. In the absence of sufficient sensor data, AARO classifies an incident as “unresolved” — meaning “unexplained with current information,” not “unexplainable.”
⚠ Methodological limitations of the reports
- Most reports lack multi-sensor data for comprehensive analysis.
- Incidents related to classified US weapons programs are treated separately and are not included in public statistics.
- AARO does not have access to all historical records — some go back to separate reporting systems.
Sources used
- AARO — Annual Reports FY2022, FY2023, FY2024. aaro.mil
- DoD — Instruction 3200.11 (AARO mandate).
- Department of War — WAR.GOV/UFO / PURSUE program. war.gov/ufo
- DNI — UAP preliminary report, June 2021. Basic reference for the pre-AARO timeline.
VIDEO UFO cites AARO reports as primary sources. The figures presented are those from official reports without extrapolation.
See also
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