Case file · Official inquiry
AARO director's Senate testimony
On 19 April 2023 AARO director Sean Kirkpatrick was the sole witness at a Senate Armed Services subcommittee hearing on UAP.
2023 CE · 38.89, -77.00 · status: official
The account
He presented AARO's early work, and the Pentagon released MQ-9 drone footage of an object over the Middle East the same day. AARO's cautious approach set up the clash with whistleblower claims later that summer.
The sceptical view
After leaving AARO, Kirkpatrick wrote in Scientific American (January 2024) that he had found no evidence of aliens and that coverup stories largely came from circular reporting; disclosure advocates reject his conclusions.