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Time of India
16-06-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Why the US leads in UFO sightings; here's the surprising truth behind the numbers revealed
For decades, the United States has been the epicenter of global UFO discussions, recording more sightings than any other country. Since 1947, over 100,000 incidents have been logged, according to the National UFO Reporting Center . Although the UK briefly surpassed the US in annual reports in 2025, America still holds the highest cumulative count. This persistent trend has puzzled both skeptics and enthusiasts. However, a recent government report now offers a surprising explanation which suggests that many of these sightings may be linked to misinformation campaigns and military operations rather than genuine extraterrestrial encounters. UFO sightings in the US linked to the decades of military disinformation: Report A new report from the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) which is a Pentagon-backed investigative unit launched in 2022. This has revealed many of the so-called UFO sightings may stem not from extraterrestrial activity but from deliberate human-made disinformation. According to the ET reports, AARO, led by physicist Sean Kirkpatrick, has been tasked with examining Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs) across air, sea, space, and land. Stretching back to the 1940s, the team reviewed military archives and conducted interviews with former and active personnel uncovering the surprising strategies which shaped the modern UFO narrative. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like local network access control Esseps Learn More Undo Secret military strategies behind UFO reports One of the most revealing insights was that several UFO conspiracy theories were purposefully created and circulated by the US military during the Cold War. These fabrications served as cover stories for secret weapons development and testing. According to the Wall Street Journal, these disinformation campaigns were decentralized, making it nearly impossible to assess their full extent. Among the most infamous myths examined was that of Area 51, which, according to the report, became a focal point of UFO lore largely due to intentional leaks and staged evidence designed to obscure classified aircraft programs. When military briefings turned into elaborate UFO pranks The report highlights a little-known but fascinating aspect of military culture: classified induction prank aimed at new Air Force commanders. In this hoax, officers were presented with forged documents and doctored images about a fictional secret program called 'Yankee Blue', which supposedly involved the reverse engineering of alien spacecraft. New recruits were sternly warned never to speak of the program, reinforcing its illusion. Some officers remained unaware for years that the entire briefing was a fabrication. In one notable case, a retired colonel, following orders, handed fake UFO photos to a bar owner near Area 51, igniting public speculation and helping mask the development of the F-117 Nighthawk stealth jet. Misidentified objects and secret tests behind UFO sightings Some sightings were part of deliberate misinformation but others resulted from the misinterpretations of ordinary objects or covert operations. The AARO's findings indicate that many UFOs were: High-altitude balloons Birds and drones Light reflections Starlink satellites One widely cited incident involved a former Air Force captain who claimed a UFO interfered with a nuclear missile launch. However, AARO concluded that the event was a classified electromagnetic pulse (EMP) test, and the officer was intentionally kept uninformed to maintain operational secrecy. Why some people still believe in UFOs AARO report points to pop culture as a key driver of UFO sightings in addition to covert military operations. Significantly how people interpret the unexplained visuals in the sky such as the explosion of alien-themed movies, TV Shows, and online content. AARO publicly confirmed that no verified evidence of alien materials has been found in March 2024. The rise in public reports is largely attributed to cultural influence and misidentified military activities. Although the reports regarding the existence of the alien materials were verified, the fascination with UFOs persists. The former Navy Navy pilot Ryan Graves described a mysterious object that appeared to be a 'dark gray or black cube inside a clear sphere,' flying dangerously close between two military jets and an account still under review. As per current reports, AARO receives 50 to 100 reports each month where the majority of which are resolved very quickly. However, still some remain unexplained keeping the debates still alive, The Department of Defense has committed to publishing a second volume of its historical UFO analysis. This upcoming report is expected to dive deeper into the use of falsified evidence, misleading briefings, and military pranks, further demystifying decades of UFO lore. Also Read | Meet the Indian designer embedding 'India's fingerprint in space' with Axiom-4 mission badge for Shubhanshu Shukla
Time of India
15-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Why are alien visits and UFO sightings highest in America? Explosive truth revealed in new report
For decades, the United States has been at the center of the global UFO debate, with more sightings reported within its borders than anywhere else in the world. According to the National UFO Reporting Center, the country has recorded over 105,000 UFO encounters since 1947. While the recent data from 2025 shows the U.K. slightly ahead in annual sightings, the U.S. continues to dominate in long-term numbers. This overwhelming volume has puzzled both skeptics and believers — until now. A recently released report by the Pentagon-backed All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) has shed light on why so many of these incidents are reported in America. The findings suggest the phenomena may have less to do with extraterrestrial activity and more with human-made disinformation. Role of the Pentagon AARO, which was set up in 2022, has been investigating Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs) across various domains. The team, led by Sean Kirkpatrick, reviewed military records dating back to the 1940s and interviewed numerous current and former military officials. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Top 32 Most Beautiful Women In The World One of the key revelations was that several UFO conspiracy theories — including those related to the infamous Area 51 — were deliberately planted by the U.S. military. These deceptions, often involving altered images and false briefings, were used as a cover for secret weapons testing during the Cold War. The Wall Street Journal reported that this strategy was not centralized, making it difficult to track how widespread the disinformation actually was. Hazing and Hoaxes: The Secret of 'Yankee Blue' Part of the conspiracy involved a classified military induction prank. Newly appointed Air Force commanders were reportedly shown fake documents and images claiming the existence of a program called 'Yankee Blue,' which allegedly reverse-engineered alien spacecraft. Officers were instructed to never discuss the program again. Many believed in it for years — some never learning that it was all fabricated. The report detailed that one retired colonel, acting under official orders, gave forged UFO photos to a Nevada bar owner near Area 51 to stir public speculation. The ploy worked, creating a smokescreen that helped protect the secrecy of the F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter jet and other advanced technologies being tested at the time. UFO Sightings: Misidentifications and Media Influence The AARO report also addressed numerous recent and historical sightings. Many of the so-called UFOs were found to be balloons, birds, drones, or reflections from Starlink satellites. In one significant case, a former Air Force captain claimed he witnessed a UFO interfering with nuclear missiles. Investigators later concluded that the event was actually part of a secret electromagnetic pulse test — a detail kept from him to preserve operational secrecy. In March 2024, AARO publicly confirmed there was no verified evidence of alien life or recovered extraterrestrial materials. The report attributed the rise in sightings to misidentified military operations and a surge in pop culture portrayals of aliens, which have influenced public perception. Despite the official stance, many within the military still claim to have witnessed unexplained aerial phenomena. Former Navy pilot Ryan Graves described an object flying between two jets, appearing as a 'dark gray or black cube inside of a clear sphere.' AARO continues to receive between 50 and 100 new sighting reports each month, and while most are now swiftly explained, a few remain unresolved. The Department of Defense has committed to releasing a second volume of its historical findings, which is expected to further address misleading briefings, inauthentic materials, and reports of deliberate pranks.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Pentagon planted UFO myths to hide secret weapons programs, report finds
The Brief A 2024 Pentagon review found the U.S. military spread fake UFO stories to conceal Cold War weapons testing An Air Force colonel admitted planting false flying saucer photos near Area 51 to hide stealth jet development AARO investigators uncovered decades of military disinformation that fueled popular alien conspiracy theories LOS ANGELES - In the shadow of the Cold War, while America raced to outpace the Soviet Union in military innovation, the Pentagon turned to an unexpected tactic: alien conspiracy theories. A newly revealed Department of Defense review shows that the U.S. military deliberately spread UFO rumors—including staged photos and false briefings—to protect classified weapons programs. The practice wasn't just passive denial or silence. In some cases, it was policy. One such incident, first uncovered by the Wall Street Journal, involves an Air Force colonel who, in the 1980s, handed fake photos of flying saucers to a bar owner near the top-secret Area 51 base in Nevada. The colonel, now retired, later admitted to investigators that he was acting under official orders to deflect attention away from the then-classified F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter. The backstory The findings stem from a 2024 report by the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), a unit created in 2022 to sift through decades of military records and claims of unidentified aerial phenomena. While the office was originally intended to investigate possible extraterrestrial sightings, much of what it uncovered pointed back at the government itself. According to the report, several UFO legends were intentionally stoked to mislead the public and foreign adversaries about advanced weapons programs. One example is the use of fabricated photos and stories placed in local communities near sensitive testing sites like Area 51. What we know The Air Force colonel's fake UFO photos helped launch decades of speculation around Area 51 The military saw the spread of alien rumors as a form of "camouflage," a Pentagon official said The disinformation helped obscure the testing of advanced technologies like stealth jets AARO found multiple examples of fabricated narratives designed to deflect attention from classified work What we don't know The full scope of disinformation programs remains classified Some events, including specific pranks and altered documents, were redacted from the report The Pentagon has not released names of individuals involved, beyond the now-retired colonel By the numbers At least a dozen personnel were reportedly introduced to a fictional alien-investigation program called "Yankee Blue" as part of a hazing ritual The practice began in the 1980s and reportedly continued until 2023 The Pentagon formally banned the practice after AARO flagged it during its review What they're saying "These episodes reveal how secrecy and misinformation, even when well-intentioned, can spiral into myth," said Sean Kirkpatrick, AARO's first director. He told the Wall Street Journal that many popular conspiracy theories can be traced to actual efforts by the U.S. military to conceal vulnerabilities or capabilities during tense periods of geopolitical rivalry. Kirkpatrick added that not all findings from the review have been made public, but promised more details in a forthcoming report. Big picture view The revelations come as public trust in government transparency around UFOs continues to grow. While recent years have seen serious Congressional inquiries into unidentified aerial phenomena, this new report adds a surprising twist: that many UFO legends were never about aliens at all—they were cover stories engineered by the military itself. What's next The Pentagon says it will publish a follow-up to the Historical Record Report later in 2025, which will include more details on the disinformation programs, hazing rituals, and instances of "inauthentic materials" being used as deception tools. The Source This report is based on information first published by The Wall Street Journal, which reviewed findings from a 2024 Department of Defense analysis led by the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO). Additional details were obtained through official Pentagon statements and interviews conducted by WSJ with AARO staff and other defense officials involved in the review.
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Yahoo
Air Force Colonel Gave Out Photos of Flying Saucers Near Area 51
The Pentagon's real-life "X-Files" office has uncovered an inconvenient truth about military officials spreading UFO disinformation to unsuspecting Americans and coworkers alike. As the Wall Street Journal reports, the Defense Department's All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) uncovered an anecdote from an Air Force colonel who trolled people near Area 51 with doctored photos of flying saucers. Back in 2023, the colonel in question admitted to AARO investigators that he had, some 43 years prior, given the photos to a bartender at a local pub near the classified military base. The photos went up and the incident was added to the lengthy lore surrounding the base, but as the ranking officer revealed, the whole gambit was meant to distract from a secret weapons program being developed at the massively-classified Air Force base. In interviews with dozens of former and current officials, as well as contractors and scientists who have worked with the AARO, the WSJ learned that the Pentagon repeatedly played into conspiracy theories surrounding what the government refers to as unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAPs — and those campaigns weren't limited to the unsuspecting public. Perhaps the most jarring of the AARO discoveries shared with the newspaper is the suggestion that higher-ups in the Air Force would haze new commanders by telling them that they were being inducted into a secretive program called "Yankee Blue." The phony project, according to since-retired AARO director Sean Kirkpatrick, involved the reverse-engineering of alien crafts — a key tenet of some of the more outlandish claims from UFO whistleblowers in recent years. After being told about their "induction," the officers were warned to never speak of the program again, lest they be jailed or even executed. Multiple officers told Kirkpatrick they had never revealed what they'd been told, even to their spouses, out of fear of the retribution with which they'd been threatened. Others still didn't learn that they'd been subjected to a cruel joke until 2023, when the the DOD — which acknowledged the program's existence to the WSJ — banned the hazing ritual that had apparently been going on for decades. Unfortunately, these shocking revelations aren't all that surprising. As much as we want to believe the truth is out there, it's far more believable that military officials would lie to the public — and to their subordinates — about alien tech than it would be for the Pentagon to actually have such artifacts in its possession. More on UAPs: A Military Whistleblower Showed a Photo of an Allegedly Huge "Disc-Shaped" Object, But There's an Incredibly Obvious Explanation
