What the 757 UAP Cases in AARO's Report Actually Show -

In November 2024, the Pentagon’s UAP investigation office released its most comprehensive annual report to date, documenting 757 new reports of unidentified anomalous phenomena in a single 13-month period. The report provides the clearest picture yet of what the government’s UAP investigation pipeline looks like in practice: hundreds of incoming reports, most with conventional explanations, a small number that remain genuinely unexplained, and a growing tension between the volume of sightings and the government’s ability to analyze them.

Analysis of AARO’s 2024 annual report and what the 757 UAP cases reveal about the government’s investigation pipeline.

TL;DR: The Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) received 757 UAP reports between May 1, 2023, and June 1, 2024, according to its annual report released in November 2024. AARO resolved 118 cases during the period, all to conventional objects like balloons and drones. Of closed cases, 70 percent were balloons, 16 percent drones, and the remainder were birds, satellites, and aircraft. Twenty one cases remain unexplained due to insufficient data. One near-miss between a commercial aircraft and a “cylindrical object” over the Atlantic was reported. AARO found no evidence of extraterrestrial activity. Sources linked below.

Timeline

July 20, 2022 AARO (All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office) is established by the Department of Defense, replacing the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force (UAPTF). The office is tasked with synchronizing efforts across the Defense Department and other federal agencies to detect, track, and identify UAP.
August 30, 2023 AARO launches its public website at aaro.mil, providing a portal for reporting and information sharing. The site was mandated by the National Defense Authorization Act.
November 7, 2023 Sean Kirkpatrick, AARO’s first director, announces he will step down effective December 1, 2023. Kirkpatrick had been a controversial figure, with critics accusing him of being dismissive of whistleblower testimony and insufficiently transparent.
May 1, 2023 to June 1, 2024 AARO receives 757 UAP reports during its primary reporting period. Of these, 485 describe incidents that occurred during the period, while 272 describe older incidents reported for the first time.
August 26, 2024 Dr. Jon T. Kosloski, a national security expert in quantum optics who previously worked at the NSA, is named as AARO’s second permanent director, replacing acting director Timothy Phillips, according to DefenseScoop.
November 14, 2024 AARO releases its Fiscal Year 2024 Consolidated Annual Report on UAP, covering the 757 new reports and providing a breakdown of resolved and unresolved cases. The report is published on the ODNI website.
November 19, 2024 Director Kosloski presents the report’s findings during a Senate Armed Services subcommittee hearing, including the resolution of the Go Fast UAP video case.
February 2026 AARO’s caseload has grown to over 2,000 total reports, according to DefenseScoop. The office continues to investigate new reports while processing a growing backlog.

What 757 Reports Look Like

The scale of the reporting pipeline is one of the most notable aspects of the AARO report. In 13 months, the office received 757 reports of unidentified anomalous phenomena. This brought AARO’s total caseload to 1,652 reports processed as of June 2024, according to the New Space Economy.

AARO Director Dr. John Kosloski speaks publicly after the office released its historical UAP review.

Of the 757 reports, 485 described incidents that occurred during the May 2023 to June 2024 reporting window. The remaining 272 described older incidents that had not been previously reported. This backlog suggests that the public and military awareness campaigns encouraging UAP reporting are working: people who may have seen something months or years ago are now coming forward to file official reports through the new channels AARO has established.

Not all reports come through military channels. Of the 757 reports, 392 came from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which collects UAP reports from commercial pilots. The remaining reports came through military channels, according to the report.

The Breakdown: What Cases Actually Resolve To

AARO resolved 118 cases during the reporting period. Every single resolved case was attributed to a conventional object. The breakdown of closed cases provides a useful framework for understanding what most “UAP” sightings actually are:

70 percent were balloons (weather balloons, party balloons, research balloons, and other lighter-than-air objects)
16 percent were drones (unmanned aerial systems, both commercial and military)
8 percent were birds
4 percent were satellites
2 percent were aircraft

This distribution has remained relatively consistent across AARO’s reports. The predominance of balloons reflects the large number of weather and research balloons launched daily across the United States, as well as the increase in high-altitude balloon sightings following the Chinese surveillance balloon incident in February 2023, as reported by NBC News.

However, AARO also noted that “only a very small percentage” of reports are “potentially anomalous,” meaning they cannot be attributed to conventional objects with available data. Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh stated that “it is also important to underscore that, to date, the department has discovered no verifiable evidence of extraterrestrial beings, activity or technology,” according to Fox News.

The Near-Miss

Among the 392 FAA-sourced reports, one incident raised concerns about flight safety. A commercial aircrew reported a near miss with a “cylindrical object” over the Atlantic Ocean near New York, according to the New Space Economy. This was the only UAP report in the period that AARO flagged as having potential implications for aviation safety.

The near-miss case is significant because it represents one of the most concrete risks associated with UAP. Regardless of whether unidentified objects are extraordinary or mundane, their presence in airspace used by commercial aircraft creates a collision hazard. AARO and the FAA have both emphasized the importance of UAP reporting for aviation safety, as the more data they have, the better they can identify and mitigate risks to aircraft.

AARO’s Investigation Process

AARO’s investigation process follows a multi-step workflow. Reports are received through military channels or the FAA, then triaged based on available data. Cases with sufficient data are analyzed using a combination of sensor data, witness interviews, and technical analysis. Cases without sufficient data are cataloged but cannot be resolved.

According to Director Kosloski’s testimony before the Senate Armed Services subcommittee on November 19, 2024, AARO has “taken meaningful steps to improve data collection and retention, bolster sensor development, effectively triage UAP reports and reduce the stigma of reporting a UAP event,” as reported by DefenseScoop.

A key challenge is the quality of data. Many UAP reports come from eyewitness accounts without accompanying sensor data. Without radar tracks, infrared footage, or other technical data, AARO cannot definitively identify what was observed. The office has noted that the inability to resolve a case does not mean the object was extraordinary, only that there was not enough information to determine what it was.

The 21 Unresolved Cases

Twenty one cases from the reporting period were flagged for “further analysis.” These cases could not be resolved with available data and may require additional investigation, according to Stars and Stripes.

AARO has not disclosed the details of these 21 cases, citing operational security and privacy concerns. However, the fact that they remain unresolved distinguishes them from the 118 cases that were fully resolved to conventional objects. These are the cases that, based on available data, do not have an obvious explanation.

It is important to note that “unresolved” does not mean “unexplainable.” It means the data available was insufficient to make a determination. With better sensors, more witnesses, or additional context, some or all of these cases could be resolved in the future. AARO has emphasized that it continues to investigate open cases and will provide updates as new information becomes available.

Criticism and Transparency Concerns

AARO has faced criticism from multiple directions. Supporters of UAP disclosure have accused the office of being insufficiently transparent and dismissive of whistleblower testimony. The departure of Sean Kirkpatrick in December 2023 was partly attributed to these criticisms, as reported by multiple outlets.

On the other hand, some national security analysts have argued that AARO’s focus on UAP diverts resources from more pressing defense priorities. Others have noted that the office’s findings consistently align with the Pentagon’s position that no evidence of extraterrestrial activity has been found, raising questions about whether the office’s investigations are sufficiently independent.

AARO’s annual reports are reviewed by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) before publication. The reports are required by the National Defense Authorization Act and are submitted to Congress. The review process is designed to ensure that classified information is protected, but critics argue it also allows the Pentagon to control the narrative around UAP findings.

Opposing Perspectives

The conventional explanation. The data in the AARO report supports a straightforward conclusion: the vast majority of UAP reports describe conventional objects. Balloons, drones, birds, satellites, and aircraft account for virtually all resolved cases. The 21 unresolved cases represent less than 3 percent of the total and may have conventional explanations that cannot be confirmed with available data. The Pentagon’s consistent finding of “no verifiable evidence” of extraterrestrial activity, across multiple reports and investigations, reinforces this position.

The counter-narrative. Supporters of UAP disclosure argue that AARO’s findings do not tell the whole story. They point to testimony from credible witnesses, including military pilots and intelligence officials, who have described objects exhibiting flight characteristics that appear to exceed known technology. They note that AARO’s caseload does not include the most sensitive incidents, which may be classified at higher levels than AARO can access. The November 2024 congressional hearing, held the day after the report’s release, featured testimony from witnesses who directly contradicted AARO’s findings, according to our coverage of the hearing.

The data gap. Perhaps the most important takeaway is the data gap. Of 757 reports, AARO could only resolve 118. The remaining 639 were either still under investigation, lacked sufficient data, or were otherwise unresolved. This means that for every case AARO can explain, there are roughly five it cannot. This does not prove the existence of extraordinary phenomena, but it does demonstrate that the government’s ability to identify and track objects in its airspace is limited.

AARO Director Jon T. Kosloski testifies before the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats.

Analysis of the Department of Defense AARO report released in November 2024.

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AARO Director testifies before the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats.