Editing Unidentified flying object (section)

====Claims by military, government, and aviation personnel====
In 2007, former [[Arizona]] governor [[Fife Symington]] claimed he had seen "a massive, delta-shaped craft silently navigate over Squaw Peak, a mountain range in Phoenix, Arizona" in 1997.<ref>{{cite news |last=Symington |first=Fife |author-link=Fife Symington |date=November 9, 2007 |title=Symington: I saw a UFO in the Arizona sky |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/11/09/simington.ufocommentary/ |work=[[CNN]] |publisher=[[Turner Broadcasting System]] |location=Atlanta, GA |access-date=November 25, 2013 |archive-date=October 20, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020025403/http://edition.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/11/09/simington.ufocommentary/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
Apollo 14 astronaut [[Edgar Mitchell]] claimed he knew of senior government employees who had been involved in "close encounters", and because of this, he has no doubt that aliens have visited Earth.<ref>Mitchell, Edgar (2008), p. 262</ref>

In May 2019, ''The New York Times'' reported that American Navy fighter jets had several instances of unidentified instrumentation and tracking data while conducting exercises off the eastern seaboard of the United States from the summer of 2014 to March 2015. The ''Times'' published a cockpit instrument video that appeared to show an object moving at high speed near the ocean surface as it appeared to rotate, and objects that appeared capable of high acceleration, deceleration and maneuverability. In two separate incidents, a pilot reported his cockpit instruments locked onto and tracked objects but he was unable to see them through his helmet camera. In another encounter, flight instruments recorded an image described as a sphere encasing a cube between two jets as they flew about 100 feet apart.<ref name="NYT-20190526">{{cite news |last1=Cooper |first1=Helene |last2=Blumenthal |first2=Ralph |last3=Kean |first3=Leslie |title='Wow, What Is That?' Navy Pilots Report Unexplained Flying Objects |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/26/us/politics/ufo-sightings-navy-pilots.html |date=May 26, 2019 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=May 27, 2019 |archive-date=February 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200226005917/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/26/us/politics/ufo-sightings-navy-pilots.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Pentagon UFO videos|Pentagon officially released these videos]] on April 27, 2020.<ref name="TheGuardian-20200527">{{cite news |last1=Strauss |first1=Daniel |title=Pentagon releases three UFO videos taken by US navy pilots |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/27/pentagon-releases-three-ufo-videos-taken-by-us-navy-pilots |date=April 28, 2020 |work=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=May 10, 2020 |archive-date=May 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200509210028/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/27/pentagon-releases-three-ufo-videos-taken-by-us-navy-pilots |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[United States Navy]] has said there have been "a number of reports of unauthorized and/or unidentified aircraft entering various military-controlled ranges and designated air space in recent years".<ref name="CNN">{{cite news |author=Chandelis Duster |title=Defense Department confirms leaked video of unidentified aerial phenomena is real |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2021/04/15/politics/unidentified-aerial-phenomena-defense-department/index.html |work=CNN |access-date=April 16, 2021 |archive-date=April 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416113817/https://edition.cnn.com/2021/04/15/politics/unidentified-aerial-phenomena-defense-department/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In March 2021, news media announced a comprehensive report is to be compiled of UFO events accumulated by the [[United States]] over the years.<ref name="WP-20210323">{{cite news |last=Thebault |first=Reis |title=Thanks to Trump-era covid relief bill, a UFO report may soon be public – and it'll be big, ex-official says |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2021/03/23/ufo-report-covid-bill/ |date=March 23, 2021 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=March 23, 2021 |archive-date=March 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210323220342/https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2021/03/23/ufo-report-covid-bill/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

On April 12, 2021, the Pentagon confirmed the authenticity of pictures and videos gathered by the [[Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force]] (UAPTF), purportedly showing "pyramid shaped objects" hovering above the [[USS Russell (DDG-59)|USS Russell]] in 2019, off the coast of [[California]], with spokeswoman Susan Gough saying "I can confirm that the referenced photos and videos were taken by Navy personnel. The UAPTF has included these incidents in their ongoing examinations."<ref>{{cite news |title=Pentagon confirms leaked video of UFO 'buzzing' Navy warships is genuine |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/pentagon-ufo-navy-warship-video-b1830418.html |website=The Independent |language=en |date=April 13, 2021 |access-date=April 16, 2021 |archive-date=May 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210515152258/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/pentagon-ufo-navy-warship-video-b1830418.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Leaked footage shows UFOs flying around navy vessels |url=https://news.yahoo.com/leaked-footage-shows-uf-os-flying-around-navy-vessels-113812155.html?guccounter=1 |work=in.news.yahoo.com |access-date=April 16, 2021 |archive-date=April 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416055308/https://news.yahoo.com/leaked-footage-shows-uf-os-flying-around-navy-vessels-113812155.html?guccounter=1 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Pentagon Confirms That Leaked Video Is Part of UFO Investigation |url=https://futurism.com/leaked-video-unidentified-objects-swarming-navy-warship |website=Futurism |date=April 11, 2021 |access-date=April 16, 2021 |archive-date=May 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210515133753/https://futurism.com/leaked-video-unidentified-objects-swarming-navy-warship |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="CNN"/>

In May 2021, military pilots recalled their related encounters, along with camera and radar support, including one pilot's account noting that such incidents occurred "every day for at least a couple of years", according to an interview broadcast on the news program, ''[[60 Minutes]]'' (May 16, 2021).<ref name="WP-20210517">{{cite news |last=Thebault |first=Reis |title=For some Navy pilots, UFO sightings were an ordinary event: 'Every day for at least a couple years' |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/05/17/ufo-sightings-navy-ryan-graves/ |date=May 17, 2021 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=May 18, 2021 |archive-date=May 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518020102/https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/05/17/ufo-sightings-navy-ryan-graves/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=video |title=Navy pilots describe encounters with UFOs |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/video/ufo-military-intelligence-video-60-minutes-2021-05-16/ |website=CBS News |access-date=May 19, 2021 |archive-date=May 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210519001325/https://www.cbsnews.com/video/ufo-military-intelligence-video-60-minutes-2021-05-16/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Science writer and skeptic [[Mick West]] suggested the image was the result of an optical effect called a [[bokeh]] which can make out of focus light sources appear triangular or pyramidal due to the shape of the aperture of some lenses.<ref>{{cite web|title=Pentagon Confirms That Leaked Video Is Part of UFO Investigation|url=https://futurism.com/leaked-video-unidentified-objects-swarming-navy-warship|website=Futurism|date=April 11, 2021 |access-date=April 16, 2021|archive-date=May 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210515133753/https://futurism.com/leaked-video-unidentified-objects-swarming-navy-warship|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="newyorker">{{cite magazine |last1=Lewis-Kraus |first1=Gideon |title=How the Pentagon Started Taking U.F.O.s Seriously |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/05/10/how-the-pentagon-started-taking-ufos-seriously |magazine=The New Yorker |publisher=New Yorker Magazine |access-date=May 25, 2021 |archive-date=June 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230623023008/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/05/10/how-the-pentagon-started-taking-ufos-seriously |url-status=live }}</ref> In August, 2022, an article by West provided his detailed analysis of the video.<ref>West, Mick, ''[https://www.skeptic.com/reading_room/gimbal-video-genuine-ufo-or-camera-artifact/ The Gimbal Video: Genuine UFO or Camera Artifact?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240226053113/https://www.skeptic.com/reading_room/gimbal-video-genuine-ufo-or-camera-artifact |date=February 26, 2024 }}'', ''[[Skeptic (American magazine)|Skeptic]]'', August 2, 2022</ref>
[[File:Prelimary-Assessment-UAP-20210625(1).pdf|thumb|The 2021 [[Pentagon UFO Report]]]]
On June 25, 2021, U.S. Defense and [[United States Intelligence Community|intelligence]] officials released the nine pages [[Pentagon UFO Report]] (Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena) on what they know about a series of unidentified flying objects that have been seen by American military pilots in the skies between 2004 and 2021.<ref>{{cite news |title=UFO report: US finds no explanation for sightings |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57619755 |work=BBC News |date=June 25, 2021 |access-date=July 4, 2021 |archive-date=July 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210706173047/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57619755 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite news |date=2021-06-26 |title=They're real, but are they alien? – key takeaways from the Pentagon report. Whatever the 'unidentified aerial phenomena' are, they are real objects that may pose a national security risk |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/25/ufo-report-key-takeaways-us-government |access-date=2024-03-18 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077 |archive-date=July 8, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240708214148/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/25/ufo-report-key-takeaways-us-government |url-status=live }}</ref> The document refers to UAP rather than UFO.

The report does not mentions extraterrestrials, but instead warns of the phenomenon's potential threat to national security, which was the primary motive for writing the study. It concludes that the objects found by the US military appear to be real in the majority of the 144 occurrences documented. Only one of the cases described in the study was identified as a balloon.<ref name=":1"/>

"Most of the UAP reported probably do represent physical objects given that a majority of UAP were registered across multiple sensors, to include radar, infrared, electro-optical, weapon seekers, and visual observation", according to the report.<ref name=":1"/> The report also stated that "UAP probably lack a single explanation", and proposed five possible categories of explanation: airborne clutter, natural atmospheric phenomena, US government or industry development technology, foreign craft, and an "Other" category.<ref name="dni">{{cite web|author=<!--Not stated--> |date=25 June 2021 |title=Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena |url=https://www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/assessments/Prelimary-Assessment-UAP-20210625.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726114054/https://www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/assessments/Prelimary-Assessment-UAP-20210625.pdf |archive-date=26 July 2021 |access-date=26 June 2021 |website=[[Office of the Director of National Intelligence]]}}</ref>

Commenting on the document, [[NASA]] Administrator [[Bill Nelson]] said that he did not think we are alone, but the UFO sightings by pilots "may not be extraterrestrial."<ref>{{cite news |title=NASA administrator on UFO report: 'I don't think we are' alone |url=https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/560507-nasa-administrator-on-ufo-report-i-dont-think-we-are-alone |work=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]] |date=June 28, 2021 |access-date=July 3, 2021 |archive-date=July 3, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210703164701/https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/560507-nasa-administrator-on-ufo-report-i-dont-think-we-are-alone |url-status=live }}</ref>

In December 2021, further official governmental investigations into UAPs and related, along with annual unclassified reports presented to Congress, have been authorized and funded.<ref name="LAT-20211216">{{cite news |last=Guthrie |first=Dillon |title=Op-Ed: OK! It's time to take UFOs seriously |url=https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2021-12-16/ufos-pentagon-congress-government |date=December 16, 2021 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=December 16, 2021 |archive-date=December 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211216112423/https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2021-12-16/ufos-pentagon-congress-government |url-status=live }}</ref> Some have raised concerns about the new investigations.<ref name="NBC-20220108">{{cite news |last=Seitz-Wald |first=Alex |title=Disclosure or deception? New UFO Pentagon office divides believers – The U.S. government hasn't comprehensively studied UFOs in decades—but not all ufologists are excited about a new Pentagon investigative office. |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/disclosure-or-deception-new-ufo-pentagon-office-divides-believers-n1287199 |date=January 8, 2022 |work=[[NBC News]] |access-date=January 9, 2022 |archive-date=January 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220108235315/https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/disclosure-or-deception-new-ufo-pentagon-office-divides-believers-n1287199 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[President of the United States]] [[Joe Biden]] in 2023 signed the [[Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Disclosure Act]] into law as part of the [[National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024]] on December 14, 2023.<ref name="Mizokami Popular Mechanics UAPDA 2023-12-14">{{Cite web|date=2023-12-14|title=A New Law Forces the U.S. Government to Collect UFO Sightings—But Not Release Them to the Public|url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/a46105999/uap-disclosure-act|last1=Mizokami|first1=Kyle|access-date=2024-09-13|url-status=live|website=[[Popular Mechanics]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231226035458/https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/a46105999/uap-disclosure-act/|archive-date=2023-12-26}}</ref> The 64-page amendment defined and codified 22 technical definitions related to UFOs and non-human intelligence under the law.<ref name="Vincent UAPDA Defense Scoop 2023-07-25">{{Cite web|date=2023-07-25|title=Senators aim to set a mandatory timeline and process for agencies to declassify all UAP records|url=https://www.defensescoop.com/2023/07/25/senate-panel-aims-to-set-a-mandatory-timeline-and-process-for-agencies-to-declassify-all-uap-records|last1=Vincent|first1=Brandi|access-date=2024-09-13|url-status=live|website=Defense Scoop|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231208232752/https://defensescoop.com/2023/07/25/senate-panel-aims-to-set-a-mandatory-timeline-and-process-for-agencies-to-declassify-all-uap-records/|archive-date=2023-12-08}}</ref>