New Pentagon study shows UFO reports are rising drastically. What about reports in Idaho?
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Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman
BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — Idaho has been a favorite destination for flying saucers and other unexplained mysteries of the skies for many years.
The Gem State boasts the most UFO sightings per 100,000 people in the country over the past five years and has received 1,310 reports of Unexplained Flying Objects since 1974, according to the National UFO Reporting Center.
Based on recent levels of activity, it looks like reports are only going to continue to increase.
The United States government acknowledged the existence of UFOs — and the fact that they do not have an explanation for many of them — in a NASA document in in June 2021.
Interest in UFOs isn’t just an American thing. The Brazilian government’s National Archive holds a massive collection of photos, videos and audio regarding UFO sightings, while the British government released a slew of documents pertaining to UFO sightings in 2013.
LATEST UFO REPORT FROM PENTAGON
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence at the Pentagon investigates reports of UFO activity. The agency published its annual report to Congress last week. The report, which describes UFOs as UAPs (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena), is created in conjunction with the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office, and details the number of UAP reports in the United States. They also look into how many are identified, and how many remain a mystery.
One conclusion from 2022 is clear: UAP reports increased significantly in 2022.
Since the formation of the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office in July 2022, the office has received 366 reports of UAPs. That total comprises 247 new UAP reports in the past year, and 119 that occurred before March 2021 that were not reported at the time.
Combined with the 144 UAP reports in the preliminary report, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence has logged 510 UAP reports since the formation of the office in 2005.
In simple terms, 144 UAP reports were made from 2004 to 2021, and 336 have been made since the start of 2021. Of the 336 new reports, 165 have been characterized as unmanned aircraft systems, balloon-like entities, birds, and airborne debris.
But that leaves 171 reports as uncharacterized and unattributed.
The Pentagon report does not specify where in the country the sightings were made but does acknowledge that the majority of them originate from U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force aviators and operators in restricted or sensitive airspace.
“We continue to assess that this may result from a collection bias due to the number of active aircraft and sensors, combined with focused attention and guidance to report anomalies,” the report states.
The Mutual UFO Network, a U.S.-based non-profit composed of civilians who study UFO sightings, found the categorization of UAPs as the most telling part of the report.
“There are a few nuggets that are interesting,” wrote Bob Spearing, an investigator and photo analyst for MUFON. “But the report mostly details procedures going forward as to how to categorize UAP, methods to evaluate reports, and how multiple government agencies like (Department of Defense) and NASA, and civilian organizations will interact.”
The All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office characterizes UAPs into five explanations:
- Airborne clutter: Objects including birds, balloons, recreational unmanned aerial vehicles or debris like plastic bags.
- Natural atmospheric phenomena: Ice crystals, moisture and thermal fluctuations that may register on infrared and radar systems.
- USG or Industry Developmental Programs: Some observations can be attributed to developments and other classified programs by U.S. governmental entities.
- Foreign Advesary Systems: Technologies or UAPs deployed by another nation or non-governmental entity.
- Other: The category for UAPs that remain unidentified due to limited data or challenges in the analysis process.
UFOS AND UAPS IN IDAHO
The Pentagon acknowledges that the increase in sightings may partially be because of the effort to destigmatize the topic of UAPs and to recognize the potential flight hazards posed by UAPs.
The UAP observations compiled by the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office are submitted by military personnel, but several other websites track citizen reports from all across the country.
A total of 46 reports were made in Idaho to the National UFO Reporting Center in 2022, several of which include photos.
The most recent in Boise was on Oct. 17, when someone reported, “what seemed like only a couple hundred feet above my house, a bright neon green light the size of a minivan appeared and quickly darted” for a couple of seconds.
The website UFO Stalker also provides a live map of all UFO sightings in the United States and even the occasional reported alien encounter.
As of Tuesday afternoon, 211,609 UFOs had been reported to the authorities or a UFO-spotter site nationwide all-time. Over 5,795 of those have come in just the last year, including a “large triangular-shaped flying craft” reported in Star on Oct. 20.
