(NewsNation) — The former Pentagon UFO chief has revealed his conclusion on the existence of UFOs and suggests the majority of mysterious sightings are likely due to new advanced drones, which may pose national security concerns.
David Grush, a former U.S. intelligence officer, claims the U.S. has recovered “intact and partially intact” spacecraft of non-human origins and the U.S. has a top-secret military program to recover UFOs. Additionally, several U.S. Navy pilots have come forward in recent years to describe their encounters with unidentified objects, formally classified by the government as Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP).
Now, Sean Kirkpatrick, the former director of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), asserts pilots may be observing new technology, such as large spherical drones. He suggests that some of these sightings could be attributed to U.S. private citizens or possibly other countries testing out technology, similar to last year’s Chinese spy balloon incident.
“What is more likely, that an adversary has come up with a new technology, or we have extraterrestrials?” Kirkpatrick said in an appearance on the podcast, “In the Room with Peter Bergen.”
Others suggest a different approach.
“I think the good news in all of this is that I’m pretty sure the United States has cutting-edge technology as well that we won’t publicly declare,” said Nick Pope, a retired UK Ministry of Defense. “Yes, we should be worried about Chinese drones, but maybe the U.S. has faster and more maneuverable ones. Maybe these are being seen as UFOs, but as I say, let’s look at all these sightings, and let’s not eliminate any theories until we really get a handle on what’s going on and that’s what Congress needs to keep pushing for.”
More than 270 UAPs were reported to the AARO between August 31, 2022, and April 30, 2023, according to a report from the United States Defense Department.
UFOs have become the topic of a rapidly evolving conversation sparking Congressional hearings, changes at the Pentagon and new legislation mandating disclosure on UFOs.
Lawmakers have vowed to push for more investigations into UAP and UFO claims. The government has not issued any official confirmation of alien life.
However, Kirkpatrick stated that the Pentagon’s mission isn’t to provide the existence of UFOs but rather “minimizing technical and intelligence surprises.”
In the interview, Kirkpatrick also mentioned that there is no evidence of UFOs and no evidence of a government conspiracy to conceal such information.
Kirkpatrick, in a statement to NewsNation, said UAPs do not have a single explanation.
“They could be conventional aircraft, natural phenomena, balloons, drones, commercial or government research and development, or foreign capabilities,” he said. “While the extraterrestrial hypothesis must be included and considered in possible explanations, there is no evidence to support extraterrestrial capabilities.”