This week, the director of the U.S. government’s UFO analysis office stated that there is “evidence” of concerning unidentified flying object activity “in our backyard.” According to physicist Seán Kirkpatrick, who heads the congressionally-mandated All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, this alarming UFO activity can be attributed to one of two extraordinary sources: either a foreign power or “aliens.”

To be sure, the ramifications of either would be significant. But Kirkpatrick’s comments, which come as he is about to retire after a 27-year defense and intelligence-focused career, are more intriguing because he also says that “none” of the hundreds of military UFO reports analyzed by his office recently “have been positively attributed to foreign activities.”

At the same time, Kirkpatrick and senior defense officials have ruled out the possibility that secret U.S. programs or experimental aircraft explain the phenomena.

  • Zombiepirate@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    So it’s either aliens (which we don’t know if they exist) or a foreign power (which we’re pretty sure do).

    That’s a tough one.

    • paraphrand@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Notice that “aliens” is in quotes. The modern way to talk about this stuff among those who follow it is to reference it as a phenomenon and not necessarily aliens specifically.

      I find the UFO community to mostly be insufferable, but there does seem to be something to all of this. Either there is some super advanced tech in the hands of humans, or something else is going on.

      It does not seem like there is a simple answer. And there might be multiple answers.

    • Domille@sh.itjust.worksOP
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      1 year ago

      You should have kept reading the article. “But Kirkpatrick’s comments, which come as he is about to retire after a 27-year defense and intelligence-focused career, are more intriguing because he also says that “none” of the hundreds of military UFO reports analyzed by his office recently “have been positively attributed to foreign activities.””

      • Zombiepirate@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        So what?

        How does that mean aliens? Or even the possible explanation of “aliens”? You haven’t raised the probability of that explanation at all.

        I could equally say that it’s angels.

      • Nawor3565@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        1 year ago

        Well, isn’t that a given? If we could attribute them to specific foreign activity, then they wouldn’t be unidentified anymore, would they?

      • killeronthecorner@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        This is just God of the Gaps with aliens. It’s ok to say “I don’t know”. Use an overactive imagination for something useful like writing fiction.